RICHARD HADDRILL OF BALLY TECHNOLOGIES ELECTED AGA BOARD CHAIRMAN

WASHINGTON − At the December annual meeting of the American Gaming Association (AGA), the AGA board of directors elected Richard Haddrill, CEO and director of Bally Technologies, Inc., to a two-year term as chairman of the organization. Haddrill, who served as AGA vice chairman for the past two years, follows Keith Smith, president and CEO of Boyd Gaming Corporation, in the position. James J. Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, replaces Haddrill as the AGA’s new vice chairman.

“Keith’s leadership during the past two years has been a true asset to the AGA, and we are grateful for the effort he has put into moving the entire industry forward,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the AGA.  “I am extremely confident that Dick and Jim will provide the AGA with the guidance and insight to best serve all of our members and help our industry take advantage of the new opportunities that will avail themselves in the coming year.”

In addition to the transitions in leadership, the AGA board welcomed a new director in Adam Rosenberg, managing director and global head of the gaming group for Goldman Sachs & Co.  Rosenberg previously served as director-elect and was elected for a one-year term as an at-large director.  He succeeds Robert Heller, managing director and head of gaming and leisure for the Americas at UBS Investment Bank, whose term as an at-large director had expired.  Richard Byrne, CEO of Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc., was designated by the AGA board as a director-elect for the coming year.

Also at the annual meeting, Murren and Smith were re-elected to the AGA board of directors for three-year terms, as were Patti S. Hart, CEO of International Game Technology (IGT), and Gavin Isaacs, CEO of Shuffle Master, Inc. Larry Ruvo, senior managing director of Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada, was re-elected to a one-year term as an at-large director.

Other current members of the AGA board include Brian R. Gamache, chairman and CEO of WMS Gaming Inc.; Gordon R. Kanofsky, CEO and director of Ameristar Casinos, Inc.; Nick Khin, president of the Americas for Aristocrat Technologies, Inc.; Michael Leven, president and COO of Las Vegas Sands Corp.; Gary Loveman, president, CEO and chairman of Caesars Entertainment Corporation; Virginia McDowell, president and CEO of Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc.; Anthony Sanfilippo, president and CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.; and Timothy J. Wilmott, president and COO of Penn National Gaming, Inc.

The AGA represents the commercial casino-entertainment industry by addressing federal legislative and regulatory issues. The association also serves as a clearinghouse for information, develops educational and advocacy programs, and provides leadership on industry-related issues of public concern.