Casino Enterprise Management

Coincidence and a healthy dose of curiosity attracted Linda McGhee to the gaming industry nine years ago. In fact, every occupation of McGhee’s has been the result of good timing and an inquisitive outlook. The director of compliance for the Poarch Creek Indians Tribal Gaming Commission and a former tribal police officer, McGhee has been employed by the Atmore, Ala., tribe for 15 years.

Recognizable game titles, an abundance of casino management tools, award-winning top technology, some of the most popular games, eye-catching logos and designs—these elements make it easy to see why Bally Technologies is one of the leading companies in the gaming industry—at least from the outside. But what really makes the company thrive is its distinguished team of leaders and executives.

By now you may have heard the rumor that Kathleen McLaughlin has moved to Oklahoma. Well, it’s true, and she’s been fielding a lot of questions about it. “There’s not an executive that I’ve been around that hasn’t pulled me to the side and, ‘Seriously? Did you relocate to Oklahoma?!’ I just want to send the message out to the universe: Oklahoma is amazing,” McLaughlin says.

With roots in tribal gaming and other affairs dating back to the 1970s, W. Ron Allen certainly is one of the most seasoned and influential leaders in Indian country today. This “warrior” has served countless roles in working to advance the rights of Native Americans, and his dedication is tireless.

He’s the vice president of slot operations that helped build Mohegan Sun’s floor from the ground up. And with 30-plus years of gaming under his belt, he certainly knows his way around the business. So then why, upon meeting him, do people often say, “Oh, so you’re Frank Neborsky!?”

A true computer and technology buff, Robert Willis—currently executive vice president and CIO/CTO at the M Resort Spa Casino—never actually thought he’d land in the gaming industry. Rather, his dream job was in national security. A laid-back, friendly gentleman, Willis has several interesting, and perhaps unexpected, facts in his past.

Bryan deLugo has an impressive resume, having opened Station Casinos properties all over the country, consulting, and currently serving as the vice president of slot operations at northern California’s Red Hawk Casino. But if it hadn’t been for one fateful video poker game played in 1993, he may have never even become a part of the industry.

In this day and age of frequent job hopping and a fickle economy, it’s unlikely to find someone who’s been in the same place for five years, much less nearly two decades. But Brian Benowitz, the vice president of table games at ARIA Resort & Casino, has spent his entire 19-year career with the MGM Resorts family of properties—a year longer than he has even been married to his wife Laura.

When recounting his rise in the gaming world, Kevin Brady starts at the beginning. “I was born in Chicago,” he tells us. But he didn’t stay long there. By the time he was in kindergarten, Brady was in Yardley, Pa., not far from where George Washington crossed the Delaware and not far from where he has ended up today. In this respect, Brady is an odd gaming exec—he’s never worked in Vegas. “Pennsylvania is home and the place where I want to be,” he says.

At 85 years young, Platt has stories to tell. He began his career as a restaurant furniture salesman in 1957. Throughout his 54 years of dedication to selling comfortable and reliable seating products, he has changed the way the game is played, made friends that consider him family and set the standard for customer service. Platt’s move from restaurant furniture to casino seating began when he realized the company he was working for...