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The Neon Museum Announces New Executive Director
The Neon Museum announces that Aaron Berger has been selected as the museum’s executive director. Selected after a comprehensive and broad-based search spanning the U.S. and beyond, Berger brings to the museum extensive experience in museum leadership, nonprofit fundraising, and community engagement.
Berger, who recently relocated to Las Vegas from Atlanta, Ga., most recently served as the executive director for five years at The Breman Museum in Atlanta, raising annual attendance by 32 percent and garnering accolades such as “Must See Destination” by Trip Advisor and one of the “Best Museums in Atlanta” by USA Today 10Best during his tenure.
Berger began his career as the curator for the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art and was ultimately named director after staging exhibitions of Winslow Homer, Robert Indiana and founding the annual juried exhibition Metro Montage, which continues today. He then went on to become director for the Albany Museum of Art, making him one of the youngest in the country to lead a nationally accredited museum. While in Albany, Berger developed the celebrated Local Color exhibitions, Full Blown Blues music series, and the heralded ARTiculate educational program for gifted high school students. As a result, the museum experienced a 104 percent growth in membership and was named Institution of the Year for 2005 by the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries.
Most recently, Berger was managing partner at ABC, a consulting agency focused on strategic planning, funding plans, leadership development, and effective messaging in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Aaron’s experience with nonprofit fundraising and successful track record of leading museums, including raising their profiles through developing exhibits and community partnerships, will be a valuable asset to The Neon Museum,” said Uri Vaknin, chairman of the museum’s board of trustees. “He joins the museum during a critical but exciting time, as it continues to evolve its guest experience and move forward with an expansion into the Reed Whipple Cultural Center that will double the size of the museum’s campus. As we look to mark our ten-year anniversary in 2022, Aaron’s arrival is especially well timed.”
“The Neon Museum is unrivaled not only because it’s home to an amazing repository of iconic neon signs, but because it exemplifies a great convergence of art and history,” said Berger on why he chose to take the position and move to Las Vegas. “There is no other place where you can gain the perspective that The Neon Museum offers on the unique stories behind the signs and how they fit into Vegas history and the broader community.”
Berger has earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history from the College of Charleston in South Carolina as well as a Master of Business Administration from South University in Savannah, Georgia. He is a proud graduate of both Leadership Albany (2003), the Getty Museum Leadership Institute (2004), and Leadership Atlanta (2017). He also served as faculty for the Jekyll Island Management Institute teaching fundraising to rising museum professionals from across the country.
Bruce Spotleson, who had been the museum’s interim executive director during the worldwide search, will remain on the museum’s executive team as deputy director and will continue to oversee the museum’s capital campaign.
Editor’s note: download a high resolution head shot of Aaron Berger here.
The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council through its executive director issued $50,000 in fines to Bovada.lv, an unlicensed and therefore illegal sportsbook operating in Tennessee.
Bovada failed to comply with cease and desist letters delivered to addresses in Curaçao, and Council investigators placed wagers through Bovada’s platform on three separate occasions, including as recently as October 16, 2024.
The Sports Gaming Act authorizes the Council to impose a $10,000 fine for the first offense of accepting wagers without a license, which rises to $15,000 for the second offense, and $25,000 for the third offense. Subsequent offenses may lead to the imposition of a $25,000 fine for each occurrence, an occurrence being a single wager accepted in Tennessee.
In the cease and desist letters, the Council ordered Bovada to allow all Tennessee users to withdraw any funds currently held by the unlicensed sportsbook.
“The Sports Wagering Council recommends that Tennessee users of Bovada withdraw their funds immediately. Our primary role is the protection of the public interest through a safe, regulated environment, and Tennessee sports bettors need to know that just because they can access a sports betting website or app inside Tennessee’s borders does not mean it is licensed to do business here,” Mary Beth Thomas, Executive Director of Tennessee Sports Wagering Council, said.
Legal sportsbook operators provide important bettor protections not found in the illegal market. If an individual wagers with unlicensed sportsbooks, their sensitive financial and personal information may not be protected and could even be shared with criminal enterprises. The bettor’s money could be withheld or disappear without a way to recover it.
The SWC is working closely with its network of law enforcement at the state and federal level to eradicate illegal sportsbooks such as Bovada and others.
Tennessee is the largest “online-only” sports betting market in the US, with more than $4.7 billion wagered in Tennessee last fiscal year through online sportsbooks licensed by the Council.
The hottest new game from Aristocrat Gaming, Phoenix Link, is now live on casino floors, with Yaamava’ Resort & Casino being the first in North America to offer the highly-anticipated game. As the next evolution of the international hit game, Dragon Link, Phoenix Link features player-favorite mechanics from top games with all-new themes, features, and bonuses.
“We have been humbled by the incredible global fanfare Dragon Link has received over the years but are never ones to rest on our laurels. The teams have been working tirelessly on a follow-up that brings together all the player-favorite elements in a new and exciting way with Phoenix Link as the proud result. We were thrilled to partner with Yaamava’ to premiere Phoenix Link with flair, excitement, and celebration,” said Victor Duarte, executive vice president of product for Aristocrat Gaming.
Phoenix Link players will enjoy the game’s additional denominations, configurations, and jackpots on each of the launch game theme titles. Gameplay features include Hold & Spin, Free Games with multiplier wilds or twin spin reels, Phoenix Mystery trigger, and more new bonus twists. Phoenix Link is available on the Neptune Single cabinet.
“Yaamava’ is thrilled to host yet another world premiere in gaming with the launch of Phoenix Link by Aristocrat Gaming. Our Club Serrano members are already raving about this captivating extension of the player-favorite Dragon Link. It’s a great addition to the Yaamava’ gaming floor,” said Kenji Hall, General Manager of Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel, said.
On November 6, the iGaming industry in Mexico is preparing for a key event in which the benefits and challenges that regulation has brought to the Mexican market will be discussed. Under the title “Benefits of Regulation in the Mexican Market”, this panel will offer an in-depth look at the impact of regulation on transparency, competition and consumer protection, critical issues in the new digital era of iGaming.
The event, moderated by Geraldine Alexandra García Torres, Media Manager of Digital Gaming News, will feature the participation of recognized figures in the sector such as Daniel Magariños, representative of BMM Testlabs, and Hermilo Peregrina Cabrera of Prometeo IT Solutions. Both panelists will contribute their extensive knowledge and experience in regulation and certification in the Mexican market, and will analyze with the public the challenges and opportunities that companies face in an increasingly competitive and regulated context.
BMM Testlabs, who will participate as a Gold Sponsor, underlines with its sponsorship the importance of regulation to strengthen the iGaming sector in Mexico and demonstrates its commitment to progress and transparency in the Mexican market. For its part, Kushki joins as a Silver Sponsor, promoting the dialogue and analysis necessary for the industry.
Daniel Magariños, from BMM Testlabs, expressed his enthusiasm for participating in this digital webinar: “It has been a pleasure to be able to share our comments as a Laboratory on a market like the Mexican one and exchange opinions with a reference like Hermilo and the company Prometeo IT Solutions, with its excellent track record in this market. A relaxed talk with a lot of learning that I hope will be interesting for the attendees.”
For his part, Hermilo Peregrina, from Prometeo IT Solutions, highlighted the relevance of these spaces for dialogue: “Thank you to Conferencias iGaming for the invitation to participate in this panel. Thanks to Geraldine for coordinating us, and it was a pleasure to share ideas and opinions with my friend Daniel from BMM Testlabs, who has extensive experience in international regulations and certifications.”
Sponsor Support
The panel has the support of important sponsors who recognize the relevance of regulation in the development of the iGaming market in Mexico. Among them, BMM Testlabs as Gold Sponsor, and Kushki as Silver Sponsor.
Event Details:
Date: November 6
Time: 10:00 a.m. (Mexico)
Registration: Register here
Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this essential conversation for the future of the industry. Secure your place and access a key analysis on the dynamic iGaming market in Mexico!
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