Gambling in the USA
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino At Fire Mountain Names New Executive Leaders
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain, slated to become the premier entertainment destination in Northern California once open in fall of 2019, announces its team of top-tier executives.
“We are excited to have a great mix of passionate industry leaders joining our Hard Rock Sacramento family,” said Mark Birtha, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain. “Some are new to the brand and some are seasoned veterans, but most important is that we have an enthusiastic executive team with over 150 years of collective experience working together to develop and operate what will become a top gaming, entertainment and hospitality venue that provides ‘authentic experiences that rock’ in Northern California.”
Kicking off the property’s new executive team, the vice president of finance, Christopher Balaban, is a numbers savvy-guru with over 20-years of gaming experience. Balaban possesses a successful track record of delivering results and value through strategic direction and financial operations leadership. Most recently, he held VP finance positions with Affinity Gaming and Penn National Gaming in the Las Vegas and mid-west regional markets. Additionally, Balaban has held positions with Seminole Gaming in South Florida and Kerzner International in Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Balaban also led hotel and F&B operations, developing a diverse operational background. He has an MBA from Florida Atlantic University and a BS from the University of South Florida.
Joining as vice president of human resources, Ryan Flieger, has been with the Hard Rock brand since 2012, holding leadership roles at both Hard Rock Hotel San Diego and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, Flieger successfully led a five-year initiative to redefine the property’s mission and core values, while increasing team member engagement to an all-time high. Flieger also played a lead role in talent acquisition, pre-opening training and culture setting for several Hard Rock Hotel expansions. Prior to joining the Hard Rock team, he spent nearly a decade with MGM Resorts where he helped guide the company’s award-winning diversity training initiative and MGM University. During his career, he’s been credited with leading successful internal cultural transformations and greatly improving talent retention. Flieger has been honored with several recognitions for his effective training programs and facilitation, including “Best Overall Trainer,” “Young Trainer to Watch” and was included in a “40 under 40” list of influential Las Vegas professionals.
A native of Las Vegas, Anika Gaskins serves as the vice president of marketing for the new property. An industry veteran, Gaskins has more than 17 years of experience, most recently opening the $1 billion MGM Resorts Springfield casino property as the vice president of national marketing where she was responsible for all loyalty and casino marketing initiatives. She has also held VP of marketing positions with Penn National Gaming, where she developed and executed marketing strategies and led efforts to increase revenue. Prior to joining Penn National Gaming, Gaskins held various marketing positions with Caesars Entertainment on the Las Vegas Strip and Caesars Windsor in Canada. She received her bachelor’s in economics from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from Simmons College in Boston.
A casino executive with close to four decades of experience, the new vice president of table games, Paul Mollo, has been with the Hard Rock family since 2008, where he helped usher in the introduction of class 3 table games in Florida. He now joins the team in Sacramento, California. His management philosophy necessitates creating and maintaining a professional work culture that is built on a foundation of trust, respect, confidence and support. Mollo has worked with several gaming companies over the years to open properties, including Harrah’s, Trump Plaza and Borgata in the Atlantic City market. In addition to his table games role, he assisted HBO Productions with casino gaming aspects on “The Sopranos” and was even cast for several extra spots and one speaking role.
The vice president of IT, Matthew Morgan, brings more than 20 years of gaming industry technology experience from the Northern California, Las Vegas and Midwest markets. Morgan’s wealth of expertise in IT strategy, combined with the application of technical innovation, brings both operational efficiency and product differentiation to each property he leads at. Most recently, Morgan served as the chief information officer at The D Las Vegas, where he was responsible for two casino/hotel properties and technical operations of an 11,000-person entertainment venue. He also served as a vice president at Red Hawk Casino, PlayerSoft Technologies and Thunder Valley Casino. Morgan’s focus over the last decade has been to bring mobile products to the casino market to solve common hospitality-industry problems. In May 2019, he will graduate with an MBA from Southeast Missouri State.
Will Provance serves as the vice president of slot operations and has spent more than 20 years in the hospitality industry, working in operational and leadership roles ranging from restaurants, entertainment, hotel operations and casino gaming. Starting at Station Casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada as a corporate slot analyst, he participated in their Management Development Program and worked his way up to director of slot and ancillary gaming operations at Sunset Station. From there, he was recruited by Mark Birtha to run the VLT (Slot) Operations at Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park, Ohio’s No. 1 ranked gaming facility. He was interviewed and featured as a contributor in David G. Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research’s book “Tales from the Slot Floor: Casino Managers in Their Own Words” and was named to the Emerging Leaders of Gaming’s “40 Under 40.” Provance has a Master of Science degree in hotel administration with a focus in gaming from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, an MBA in international hotel and tourism management from Schiller International University and an executive certificate from Cornell University in customer-driven marketing.
Kaywan Samadani is the vice president of hospitality. His career began in 1990 at Caesars as a room chef at Harvey’s in his hometown of Lake Tahoe. During that time, Samadani opened two buffets, a steakhouse and a noodle bar, along with four casino bars and butler suites. He also assisted with the opening of Harrah’s Rincon (now Harrah’s Southern California) and the rebranding of the Rio in Las Vegas. In 2006, he relocated to Harrah’s St. Louis as director of F&B before being promoted to director of hospitality. Samadani also served as VP of casino services at Horseshoe Cleveland and Thistledown Racino. He moved to Cleveland in 2011, helping to open the property’s Beverage, Buffet, Culinary, Diamond Lounge and Slots operations. Most recently, Samadani served as senior director of hospitality at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, where he opened the Mystic Lake Center, a 70,000 square foot convention space. Samadani attended Cabrillo College and the University of California, Santa Cruz.
The property continues to build the employee team ahead of the fall 2019 opening and is expected to create more than 2,000 construction jobs upon its completion, with nearly 750 working at peak times on the project any given day. Upon opening, the property will employ over 1,000 full and part-time team members. For more information, visit hardrockhotelsacramento.com.
About Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain:
Set to open in fall 2019, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain will feature the latest in live music and entertainment, hospitality, world-class gaming and exceptional cuisine. The property will be Hard Rock’s first Vegas-style casino in California and will offer a hotel with multiple suite options, a large gaming facility with more than 1,800 slot machine and table game positions, along with an outdoor pool and deck area, large meeting space and a vast selection of bars and restaurants. The property will also include signature brand amenities like the Sound of Your Stay® in-room music program, a Rock Shop® and a Body Rock® fitness center. Additionally, the project marks a historic partnership between two Native American Tribes – The Seminole Tribe of Florida, owners of Hard Rock International, and Enterprise Rancheria. Owners of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain property, the Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe of the Enterprise Rancheria is a sovereign Native American Nation offering diverse tribal government services and programs that improve the quality of life for its some 1,000 tribal citizens and surrounding communities in Northern California.
About Hard Rock International:
With venues in 75 countries, including 185 cafes, 27 hotels and 11 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s most valuable collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise available in Rock Shops and online at https://shop.hardrock.com. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands including Hard Rock Live performance venues. The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the company’s two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, FL., both owned and operated by HRI parent entity The Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as other exciting locations including Atlantic City, Bali, Cancun, Daytona Beach, Desaru Coast, Ibiza, Orlando, Shenzhen and San Diego. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street in the United Kingdom, Kathmandu, Nepal, Kyoto, Japan and Chandigarh, India. New Hard Rock Hotel, Casino or Hotel & Casinoprojects include Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Dublin, London, Los Cabos, Madrid, Maldives, New York City, Ottawa, Sacramento, Dalian and Haikou in China. In 2018, Hard Rock International was recognized as a Forbes Magazine Top Employer for Women and Land Operator of the Year at the Global Gaming Awards. For more information on Hard Rock International visit www.hardrock.com.
Gambling in the USA
Industry veteran joins North American operator as chief interactive gaming officer to drive growth in iCasino states and efficiencies in its online sportsbook
Delaware North, a global hospitality and entertainment company with a significant gaming division, has named industry veteran Lee Terfloth as chief interactive gaming officer as it pushes ahead with ambitious plans for its digital offering.
Terfloth has an impeccable track record across some of the biggest land-based and online gaming operators in North America, including Borgata, Resorts Digital, Hard Rock and, most recently, Prime Sports, where he was chief executive officer.
As chief interactive gaming officer at Delaware North, Terfloth will be responsible for two core objectives: Expanding the operator’s Betly mobile sportsbook and casino brand into additional iGaming states while also reviewing its sportsbook business to improve operational efficiency.
The appointment of Terfloth comes hot on the heels of news that Delaware North has chosen to migrate to Playtech’s powerful online sportsbook and casino platform in the states of Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Jason Gregorec, president of Delaware North’s gaming division, said:
“Lee Terfloth is a high-caliber senior iGaming executive who has played a key role in launching and growing interactive gaming divisions at some of the most established and renowned gambling operators in North America.
“We are delighted to be able to leverage this experience and knowledge as we ramp up our own online gaming division via our Betly brand, which has already gained traction in key online sports betting and iGaming states such as Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee and West Virginia.
“I’d like to officially welcome Lee to the team and look forward to working with him as we deploy our ambitious plans for online gaming across regulated U.S. states,” Gregorec said.
Lee Terfloth, chief interactive gaming officer at Delaware North, added: “I’m thrilled to join Delaware North at a pivotal time for the business as it shifts up a gear with its activity in the online gaming space.
“Betly is an incredibly strong brand and now that we are migrating to the Playtech platform, we have the technological foundation to really level up our activity in terms of markets and the quality of the experience we offer to players.
“I have plenty of experience working with operators at this stage in their lifecycle and look forward to working with the incredible team we have in place to not only meet but exceed the goals the business has set for its interactive division,” Terfloth said.
Gambling in the USA
Mr. Gamble Expands Across the US: CMO Paul Puolakka Reflects on the Growth into Pennsylvania and West Virginia
Expanding Mr. Gamble’s footprint into Pennsylvania and West Virginia is a significant milestone for us. This is not just about entering new markets – it is about strengthening our position in the dynamic US iGaming sector.
By securing licences in these crucial states, we are readily available to deliver tailor-made experiences that align with the preferences of locals within these US states, thus enhancing our competitive advantage.
As the Chief Marketing Officer, I have played a key role in his expansion. My deep understanding of market trends and expertise in affiliate marketing has been vital in navigating these new territories. My focus has been on ensuring that our entry into these US states is not only successful but sustainable in the long term.
As we venture into these new states and new markets, I am more than confident that Mr. Gamble is going to be a loyal companion and guide for many players looking to take that first step towards casino gambling.
The Strategic Vision Behind Mr. Gamble’s US Expansion
Expanding into Pennsylvania, and West Virginia is a strategic move that aligns perfectly with Mr. Gamble’s growth plans. These states have been specifically chosen for their thriving and expanding markets, clear regulatory frameworks, and strong player engagements.
West Virginia has shown a growing interest in online gambling, making it a tempting choice for expansion.
Our success in New Jersey was a prime factor in this decision. The positive feedback and solid performance of our site have validated our approach and showcased the potential for growth in other states. This experience has given us a good confidence boost as we venture into these new markets. We are confident that our offerings as well as adherence to regulatory standards will resonate with our readers.
For Mr. Gamble, entering West Virginia is a natural progression. These new states provide markets with strong regulations that give priority to player safety. Given our achievement in New Jersey, I am optimistic that our site will connect with players in these states just as effectively.
Positive Response from Our Readers
The feedback we have received since expanding into the US has been exceptionally gratifying. Both our operator partners and readers have shown great enthusiasm for what Mr. Gamble has to offer. Our dedication to transparent high-quality content and user-centric experience has clearly struck a chord with the US audience.
From my point, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Readers have praised our honest reviews and transparent information, highlighting their satisfaction with the reliability of our content. The feedback mirrors our commitment to building trust and delivering good value to our readers.
Our casino operator partners have also expressed their appreciation for our marketing approach. They have noted that our effective marketing strategies and transparent methods have contributed significantly to their positive experiences.
One partner remarked, ‘Mr. Gamble’s clear, straightforward approach and dedication to high-quality content and exclusive bonus offers have made our collaboration both smooth and rewarding.’
What Players in Pennsylvania and West Virginia Can Expect
Players in Pennsylvania and West Virginia are in for a treat with Mr. Gamble’s arrival. Players can enjoy reading comprehensive reviews of licensed and regulated casino sites, get their hands on exclusive casino bonuses and enjoy a wide range of games by the world’s leading game developers. Whether you are accessing our site from your laptop or mobile device, we have optimised the experience so you can navigate the site without any issues.
We are also rolling out state-specific casino bonuses. Expect generous welcome casino bonus offers, free spins, no deposit bonuses and match deposit offers designed to boost your bankroll. We regularly update our page so you always have access to the latest casino promotions.
Mr. Gamble’s website features a user-friendly design with handy filtering options, making it easy to find exactly what you are looking for. The site has been created with different player needs in mind, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience as you explore the best casinos and bonuses available in your state.
Promoting Responsible Gambling: Play Smart with Mr. Gamble
At Mr. Gamble, our dedication to responsible gambling is unwavering. We strive to ensure that our readers enjoy a secure and enjoyable experience by featuring only licensed casinos that follow regulatory standards religiously.
Responsible gambling is a fundamental principle for us as we enter the US market. We are committed to equipping readers with the necessary tools and resources they may require to gamble responsibly. Every casino we promote meets the highest standards for fairness, security and player protection.
Our team’s effort has been key to our successful expansion into these new states. From content to development and marketing, every department has worked tirelessly to achieve our goals. Their hard work is the driving force behind our progress and I am incredibly proud of this monumental achievement.
The potential in the US market is enormous and the positive feedback we have received is only the tip of the iceberg. As we continue to grow, I am excited about what the future holds and that the presence of our site in these states will only strengthen, setting the stage for further expansion in the years to come.
Mr. Gamble: Gamblers’ One Stop Shop
Mr. Gamble stands at the very front of iGaming affiliating, offering in-depth and frank casino reviews as well as expert insights for gamblers. With a strong presence across multiple regulated markets, we are dedicated to delivering reliable information while promoting responsible gambling practices.
Since launching, Mr. Gamble has gained recognition and scooped up awards for its commitment to transparency and fairness. We pride ourselves on providing unbiased reviews of online casinos, slot and casino games and clear terms for casino bonuses and promotions.
Our main goal and mission is to equip players with all the necessary information to help them make informed choices, thus ensuring a safe and enjoyable gaming experience.
Gambling in the USA
Snoqualmie Casino Announces Exciting Rebranding to Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel Ahead of Major Expansion
Snoqualmie Casino has announced its rebranding to Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel, reflecting an exciting new chapter in the venue’s history as it embarks on a much-anticipated expansion. Set for completion in mid-2025, this project promises to elevate the guest experience, making Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel a premier destination for entertainment, relaxation, and culinary excellence.
The cornerstone of the expansion is the construction of a luxurious hotel, which will offer guests unparalleled comfort and stunning views of the Snoqualmie Valley and Mount Si. With a focus on sustainability and modern design, the hotel will feature upscale accommodations, a full-service destination spa, and amenities that cater to both leisure and business travelers. Plus, there are architectural details inspired by Snoqualmie culture from a modern slant roof hotel design representing the original longhouses of the Snoqualmie Tribe’s ancestors to carefully chosen artwork placed throughout for guests to enjoy.
Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel’s destination spa will offer an immersive escape that blends relaxation with the healing power of nature. Nestled in the serene landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, the spa provides a range of rejuvenating treatments. Experience the perfect blend of wellness and nature where luxury, tradition and innovation come together for an incredibly transformative experience.
“It is my honor and privilege to announce that Snoqualmie Casino has now become Snoqualmie Casino and Hotel. Over the past three years, the Snoqualmie Tribe and Casino have been diligently working to bring a one-of-a-kind, world-class hotel to the Snoqualmie Valley,” said Interim CEO Mary Lou Patterson.
In addition, Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel will expand its gaming floor, introducing an array of new options to enhance the entertainment experience for guests. This expansion will include the latest slots, electronic and traditional table games, as well as a dedicated high-limit gaming area for discerning players seeking a more exclusive gaming experience.
One of the highlights of the expansion is the development of a state-of-the-art 2000-seat entertainment and convention center. This versatile venue will host a variety of events, from concerts to conferences, positioning Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel as a key player in the region’s entertainment landscape. With cutting-edge technology and a focus on guest comfort, the center will attract top-tier talent and events, making it a must-visit destination.
In addition to the award-winning Vista Prime Steaks & Seafood, 12 Moons, and Falls Buffet, a new sports bar and grill will be introduced to provide patrons with the ultimate game day experience. Other new dining options, set to open later, will showcase local ingredients and flavors, ensuring a memorable culinary experience for guests.
Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel recently launched a brand-new valet garage. The dual level indoor and outdoor structure, with 600 additional spaces, doubles the previous capacity for valet parking creating easier access into the casino. This is the first piece of new development at Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel that has opened for immediate use. The entire project anticipates creating numerous job opportunities for local residents, contributing to the economic growth of the Snoqualmie area.
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