With plenty of movers and shakers around the industry, allow CasinoBeats to give you the rundown on a number of recent manoeuvres.
Melco Resorts and Entertainment
Grant Johnson has been promoted to the role of senior vice president and property general manager of Melco Resorts and Entertainment’s City of Dreams Mediterranean and Cyprus Casinos.
Boasting “extensive experience in the gaming and entertainment industry,” Johnson takes over from Craig Ballantyne, previously property president of City of Dreams Mediterranean and Cyprus Casinos, who retired on April 1.
Johnson gains responsibility for the continued development of the upcoming City of Dreams Mediterranean, which it is expected to become “the largest and premier integrated destination resort in Europe,” as well as the management and operations of Cyprus Casinos.
Earlier this year the operator opened Cyprus Casinos Paphos, which become the fourth and final C2 satellite operation in the region following the debut of the temporary casino in Limassol and fellow satellite entities in Nicosia, Larnaca and Ayia Napa.
Lawrence Ho, chairman and chief executive officer of Melco, commented: “Congratulations to Grant Johnson on his new appointment. With his proven track record of delivering growth for the company I am confident that we can continue pushing boundaries as a global leader in innovative luxury entertainment offerings.
“This promotion represents Melco’s commitment to internal career opportunities. I also wish to thank Craig Ballantyne for his outstanding service to Melco as property president of City of Dreams Mediterranean and Cyprus Casinos and wish him the very best for his retirement.”
Blueprint Gaming
Online casino content developer Blueprint Gaming has appointed Lauren Bradley into the newly created role of head of commercial, bringing “a wealth of experience and industry knowledge”.
The strengthening of its team comes “at a pivotal period for the company,” as Bradley builds n experience gained at a number of suppliers and operators, such as Bede Gaming, iSoftBet and Realistic Games, to aid the long-term development of the business and success of Blueprint.
Matt Cole, managing director of Blueprint Gaming, said: “Lauren is a well-known and highly respected figure in the online casino industry and will prove to be an important addition to our already outstanding team. Her skills and knowledge will be invaluable as we look to further extend Blueprint’s presence across new markets, as well as continuing to engage closely with our existing partners.”
Multi-State Lottery Association
The board of directors of the Multi-State Lottery Association has elected Sarah Monnett Taylor, executive director of the Hoosier Lottery, to serve as board president for fiscal year 2021.
The graduate of Greencastle HS and Indiana University was first appointed as executive director of the Hoosier Lottery by former Governor Mike Pence in 2013, and reappointed by Governor Eric Holcomb in 2016.
She will become the 31st MUSL Board President and the first ever to serve from the Hoosier Lottery.
Commenting on the appointment, Taylor said: “It’s my honor to help lead the 38 member lotteries with a strategic plan to help each one responsibly maximize profits for all the good causes they support.
“Powerball is the number one product of the Multi-State Lottery Association and has successfully helped generate billions for good causes. Each member lottery offers one or more multi-jurisdictional game, and all profits are retained by the individual lotteries to fund projects or purposes approved by their authorising legislatures.
“In Indiana alone it helps us contribute to police, firefighter pension funds and teachers’ retirement funds to the tune of $30m each.”
Gambling Commission
Stephen Cohen has been reappointed by the secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as a commissioner of the Gambling Commission for four years from 12 November 2020 to 11 November 2024.
Cohen has over 40 years’ experience in asset management, in Asia, Europe and the USA, after starting his career with Mercury Asset Management and working both as a portfolio manager and in business development.
HE is also on the board of the Health & Care Professions Council, a healthcare regulator, and is Chair of Audit for both the JPMorgan Japan Investment Trust plc and the Schroder UK Public Private Trust plc.
