Inside Gaming: Strip hotel-casino names industry veteran to CFO role

A megaresort at the north end of the Strip announced a new senior executive.

Fontainebleau hotel-casino appointed Patrick Crockett as chief financial officer, according to a news release. Crockett brings nearly two decades of industry experience with financial roles in both Las Vegas and Macao.

“This is an exciting time to join Fontainebleau Las Vegas, as this resort is raising the bar for both luxury hospitality and the gaming experience,” Crockett said in the release. “Fontainebleau Las Vegas represents a bold vision for the future of the Strip, and I look forward to building on that momentum and contributing to what is already an extraordinary leadership team.”

Crockett will guide financial strategy with oversight over the resort’s finance and accounting, financial planning and analysis, procurement and warehouse and business transformation teams, the casino said.

A UNLV graduate, Crockett’s gaming resume includes roles with MGM/Mirage Resorts, SLS Las Vegas, and Wynn Resorts in addition to consulting for Oak View Group, Maddox Hospitality, and Sariton Development Group.

“Patrick brings a global perspective to Fontainebleau Las Vegas, having shaped the financial direction of iconic properties across Las Vegas and Macau throughout a 20-plus-year career,” said Fontainebleau President Maurice Wooden. “That depth of experience makes Patrick an exceptional addition to our leadership team, and we look forward to his contributions as we continue to shape the future of Fontainebleau Las Vegas.”

Visitation to Las Vegas on rise

Visitation to Southern Nevada increased in February for the first time in 13 months, and Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said the first quarter numbers will increase significantly year over year.

“The first quarter of 2026 is going to be up meaningfully from the first quarter of 2025,” Hill said Thursday at the 2026 Las Vegas Housing Outlook event. “Some of that you saw in February. January was basically flat from the prior year and March is going to be a very good month.”

Hill said one of the main reasons for the increase is ConExpo, the massive ConExpo-Con/Ag construction industry trade show that comes to Las Vegas every three years and attracted more than 140,000 in early March to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Room revenue will also be up year over year thanks, partly, to the all-inclusive deals offered at multiple properties.

“In the first quarter, we’re seeing a pretty big difference between this year and last year at this time,” Hill said. “The resorts are capitalizing on what’s strong and responding to what has been weak. The all-in deals and sales are focused on driving the consumer and making it easier for them to make the choice to come.”

In February, Kevin Bagger, vice president of the LVCVA Research Center, said 3 million vistiors, a 2.1 percent increase over last year, arrived in the city.

Sportsbooks open new kiosks

Boomer’s Sportsbook has partnered with Gold Mine Tavern on Water Street in Henderson as the newest location to install a deposit kiosk. The independent sports betting operator now has nine sportsbooks and 17 deposit kiosk locations across the state.

William Hill sportsbook is now taking wagers at two new betting kiosks at Verdi Grillhouse and Casino outside of Reno. The launch comes after William Hill started accepting bets in March at Barton’s Club 93 hotel-casino in Jackpot, near the Nevada-Idaho border.

End of an era in Atlantic City

The longest-serving general manager of any Atlantic City casino is stepping down at the end of the week.

Tom Pohlman, who has overseen Golden Nugget hotel-casino in the city’s Marina District for 15 years, told The Press of Atlantic City, “it’s just time.”

Pohlman posted to his social media accounts that being general manager of Golden Nugget Atlantic City was “the privilege of a lifetime.” Before landing in New Jersey, Pohlman served as senior vice president and general manager of Golden Nugget Laughlin.

A UNLV graduate, Pohlman, who has spent more than 25 years in the industry, is not retiring and is actively exploring other executive-level opportunities.

Gotham City’s first full-scale casino taking first table bets Tuesday

Resorts World New York City will become the first of New York’s three downstate licensees to open a full commercial casino, with live dealer table games set to debut Tuesday pending final approval from the New York Gaming Commission. The license allows operators to offer non-lottery slot machines and live dealer table games.

The other two licensees, Hard Rock’s planned Queens project and Bally’s proposed Bronx casino, remain early in development.

The Queens property’s third floor has been reconfigured to host more than 240 table games, including blackjack, craps, baccarat and roulette, alongside more than 2,500 slot machines. Thousands of additional machines are expected later in 2026.

Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, said the opening follows a large hiring push that has doubled the workforce to more than 2,200 employees. The casino has added about 1,250 jobs this year, including 950 table-game dealers. Employment is expected to exceed 2,700 by summer.

Resorts World’s workforce development pipeline includes an “Introduction to Gaming” program launched in 2022 and a dealer school that has trained more than 400 local residents. Another 500 dealer-school graduates are expected by May.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for Tuesday will include Genting Chairman KT Lim, musician Nas, elected officials and community leaders.