Aussie gaming solution provider Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. has tapped Atul Bali as the new president of its US subsidiary Aristocrat Americas. Chartered accountant Bali, currently CEO at XEN Group and formerly president of Lottomatica’s GTECH G2 division, will move to Las Vegas before officially taking the reins on June 30. Bali succeeds Nick Khin, who Aristocrat says left to “take a break with his family before pursuing new opportunities.”
US casino operator Tropicana Entertainment Inc. has named Tony Rodio as its new CEO, subject to stockholder approval at the company’s AGM on May 17. Rodio, who has been president/COO since Nov. 2011, will take over from interim CEO Daniel Ninivaggi.
Cantor Gaming has appointed Brad Thorne as manager of its poker room at the newly opened Cantor Race & Sports Book at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Thorne previously worked as shift supervisor at the poker room in Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel.
International Game Technology CEO Patti Hart has announced she won’t seek re-election to her seat on the board of technology outfit Yahoo Inc. following revelations that she fudged details of her resume. Hart apparently inflated a business administration degree with an emphasis on marketing and economics into a fully fledged degree in marketing and economics. (On Sunday, Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson was canned after only four months in the position when similar academic credential-padding came to light.) Hart said she was stepping down from her Yahoo gig to avoid creating “a distraction” from her responsibilities to IGT, where she has been CEO since 2009. IGT chairman Philip Satre issued a statement saying the board found “no material inconsistencies” in Hart’s CV.
Swedish operator Redbet Holding has named acting president Claes Hallén as its new CEO, subject to shareholder approval at its AGM on May 23. Hallén replaces Jörgen Andersson, who has agreed to accept a position on Redbet’s board. Fellow Scandinavian operator Mr Green has hired Ella Hall its first Chief Marketing Officer. Hall previously held the same position at JackpotJoy as well as stints with CNN, Time Warner and Eurosport.
Finally, Carl Stanley McGee has resigned as interim exec director of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission after allegations of past sexual abuse involving a minor were brought to light. The allegations stem from an incident in 2007 in which McGee allegedly made advances to a 15-year-old boy in a Florida steam room. McGee was investigated but never charged by Florida authorities, yet the embattled exec said this week that the “growing distractions” from the media were making it impossible for him to fulfill his duties on the state’s newly formed Commission.
