More Women Are Running Atlantic City’s Casinos
Four women are actually members of casino management teams in Atlantic City. According to Jacqueline Grace, new Tropicana's SVP and General Manager, the appointment is the product of multiple impressive successes and years of business experience.
Jacqueline Grace
Earlier this month, Jacqueline Grace, who has over 20 years of casino industry experience, was named senior vice president and general manager of Tropicana in Atlantic City, New Jersey. "I started my gaming career in Atlantic City, and I’m thrilled to return and join one of the top destinations in the market," Grace said in a tweet. She added: "This is an exciting time for our company, and I’m looking forward to working with the team to further position Tropicana for continued growth and success."
Grace's promotion showed that both men and women deserve equal consideration for their hard work. The latest news sparked a controversy, too. On that subject, Grace said: "The reason people talk about it is that it hasn't happened yet." In her view, it's not exclusive to gaming because there are plenty of "traditionally male-dominated" companies and industries. Grace concluded by saying that women are present at the entrance and management stage, but as you go up in the hierarchy, "the numbers are falling off." In the end, she explained that women would advance with the right relationships, fulfilled expectations and milestones.
As SVP and Tropicana's General Manager, Grace followed another three ladies, heading atlantic city casinos. She joined Melonie Johnson, Borgata Hotel Casino and SPA president and Chief Executive Officer, Bally's General Manager, Karie Hall, and Terry Glebocki, CEO of Ocean Casino Resort. Grace is also the second African American woman in charge of a casino in the area, being a member of the senior leadership of Atlantic City s casinos.
Melonie Johnson
Back in May this year, another Atlantic City casino run by a woman, Melonie Johnson was elected President and Chief Operating Officer of Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa. Related to Grace, she has valuable managerial-level job experience in the gaming business. Johnson said she had learned to "navigate around the seas" of her profession, pointing out that she is older, more mature and more knowledgeable. According to her, open discussions is one of the main strategies for her to create relationships.
But both Johnson and Grace believe that administrators who are on the gaming floors who regularly interact with both staff and clients do far better than others who are simply watching from an office. "You can go about putting money in a slot machine anytime," Grace said. She explained that it is staff and team members' engagement with consumers that produces a positive encounter, which eventually makes a frequent customer a one-time guest.
Johnson and Grace both hold the same view about gender and how it can affect their career. Their successes are simply the product of hard work, success and skills learned by years of experience, according to the women. Although Johnson acknowledged that several women had encountered inacceptable behaviour, she explained that she hasn't experienced unacceptable behavior.
"“I don’t allow things to be said or let inappropriate actions happen to me without addressing them," Johnson said. In the end, she explained that she would fix them directly if offensive items were ever said and this approach worked well for her.
