- Steve Lambert, 33-Year Gaming Industry Veteran, Named General
Manager of Hollywood Casino Tunica -
- Chett Harrison, General Manager of Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis,
Adds General Manager Role at Boomtown Casino Biloxi, Replacing the
Retiring Kees Eder -
WYOMISSING, Pa., TUNICA, BAY ST. LOUIS & BILOXI, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 2014--
Penn National Gaming, Inc. (PENN: Nasdaq) (the “Company” or “Penn
National Gaming”) announced today several leadership changes at its
three Mississippi properties. Effective March 2014, Steve Lambert,
acting General Manager of Hollywood Casino Perryville (now owned and
operated by Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc.) since July 2013, has been
named General Manager of Hollywood Casino Tunica. In addition, under a
change in leadership structure for the Company’s properties in the Gulf
Coast region, Chett Harrison, General Manager of Hollywood Casino Bay
St. Louis since May 2010, will add the role of General Manager of
Boomtown Casino Biloxi effective April 2014, replacing the retiring Kees
Eder. Both appointments are subject to customary regulatory approvals.
Mr. Lambert, a 33-year veteran of the gaming industry, has been with
Penn National Gaming since June 2005 when he joined the Company as
Assistant General Manager of Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway in Bangor
during the property’s successful start-up phase. In August 2011, he
became Vice President of Operations at Bullwhackers Casino and served in
that role until the property’s sale in July 2013. Most recently, he
served as acting General Manager of Hollywood Casino Perryville. Prior
to joining Penn National Gaming, Mr. Lambert served as Senior Vice
President of Operations at Casino Nova Scotia from May 1995 to June 2005
and in a variety of key operational leadership roles for both Sands and
Bally’s Park Place in Atlantic City as well as at the Aruba Concord
Casino in Aruba. He holds an A.A.S. in General Technology.
Mr. Harrison joined the Company in January 2001 as Director of Marketing
at Boomtown Biloxi and was first promoted to Assistant General Manager
in August 2006 before being named General Manager in January 2007. He
was named General Manager of Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis in May 2010
where he has served since. Prior to joining Penn National Gaming, he
spent over six years at the Copa Casino in Gulfport, MS, including 5
years as Senior Marketing Manager. During that time, he was also
responsible for similar responsibilities at the affiliated Sands Regency
Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV. Mr. Harrison also served for a year as
Director of Marketing at the Palace Casino Resort and Hotel in Biloxi,
MS. He holds a B.S. in advertising from the University of Southern
Mississippi.
Jay Snowden, Chief Operating Officer of Penn National Gaming, commented,
“Steve’s 33 years of experience at properties in regional gaming markets
of varying size, from Black Hawk and Bangor to Perryville and Atlantic
City, makes him the ideal candidate to lead our team in Tunica. We
believe his demonstrated ability to deliver strong operational results
in competitive markets will serve us well. We look for Steve to build on
the success of the current operations team and deliver outstanding
entertainment and service to our gaming and lodging patrons at the
property. In addition, we expect Steve will further our local and
regional relationships and standing in the community.
“Our new leadership structure on the Gulf Coast unites the nearby
Boomtown Biloxi and Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis properties under the
leadership of Chett Harrison, who possesses significant local market
experience including nine years of prior management experience at
Boomtown Biloxi. We believe that Chett will successfully leverage the
ongoing marketing efforts of both properties and enable Penn National
Gaming to take advantage of a host of other opportunities in the local
community. Chett’s prior experience with managing marketing activities
across multiple properties and his deep experience with the Biloxi and
Bay St. Louis communities will serve him well as he assumes this
additional responsibility and spearheads the evolution of Penn National
Gaming’s presence on the Gulf Coast.”
Mr. Snowden added, “On behalf of the entire Penn National Gaming team, I
would like to extend our thanks and best wishes to Kees Eder as he
retires after 13 years with the Company and over 40 years in the gaming
and hospitality industries. Kees was an instrumental member of the Penn
National Gaming management team as he helped establish Argosy Casino
Sioux City as the leading entertainment option in that market and built
Boomtown Casino Biloxi into the Gulf destination it is today. We thank
Kees for his years of service at Penn National Gaming and wish him the
best as he enjoys his well-deserved retirement.”
About Penn National Gaming
Penn National Gaming, through its subsidiaries, owns, operates or has
ownership interests in gaming and racing facilities with a focus on slot
machine entertainment. The Company presently operates twenty-six
facilities in seventeen jurisdictions, including Florida, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada,
New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, and
Ontario. In aggregate, Penn National's operated facilities feature
approximately 31,000 gaming machines, 800 table games and 2,900 hotel
rooms.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These
statements can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology
such as “expects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,”
“will,” “should” or “anticipates” or the negative or other variation of
these or similar words, or by discussions of future events, strategies
or risks and uncertainties. Such forward looking statements are
inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about Penn
National Gaming and its subsidiaries, and accordingly, any forward
looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the
factors described in Penn’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2012, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and
Current Reports on Form 8-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. All subsequent written and oral forward looking statements
attributable to Penn National Gaming or persons acting on the Company’s
behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary
statements included in this press release. Penn National Gaming
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward
looking statements contained or incorporated by reference herein,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise,
except as required by law. In light of these risks, uncertainties and
assumptions, the forward looking events discussed in this press release
may not occur.
Source: Penn National Gaming, Inc.
Penn National Gaming, Inc.
Saul V. Reibstein, 610/373-2400
Chief
Financial Officer
or
JCIR
Joseph N. Jaffoni, Richard Land
212/835-8500
penn@jcir.com
