The 22nd Annual East Coast Gaming Congress and NexGen Gaming Forum, to be held this week, June 13 – 14 at Harrah’s Waterfront Conference Centre, will mark the 40th anniversary of gaming in Atlantic City with a special panel of experts who will examine the historic milestone of the first legal casinos to open in the United States outside of Nevada.
Panel participants, each of whom offers a unique perspective on the history and future of gaming in Atlantic City, include: Joseph Fusco, Esq., Cooper Levenson, first director of licensing, New Jersey Casino Control Commission; Mark Giannantonio, president & CEO, Resorts Casino Hotel; Daniel Heneghan, public information officer, New Jersey Casino Control Commission; Steve Norton, former executive vice president, Resorts International; and Kevin O’Toole, executive director, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
The panel will be moderated by Spectrum Gaming Group managing director Michael Pollock, former editorial page editor for The Press of Atlantic City and former spokesperson for the Casino Control Commission. He also authored the award-winning book “Hostage to Fortune: Atlantic City and Casino Gambling,” published by the Centre for Analysis of Public Issues in Princeton, NJ.
“Atlantic City pioneered the concept of legal casinos as a ‘unique tool of urban redevelopment,’ and that story of highs and lows, tragedies and triumphs, has been unfolding daily for four decades,” said Pollock. “This panel is equipped to deal with the regulatory and economic aspects of that 40-year history, as well as the human and personal stories. This is more than a historic look. This panel will offer insights that every gaming jurisdiction anywhere can learn from as they plan their own futures.”
ECGC includes the NexGen Gaming Forum, Day 1 cocktail reception at The Pool at Harrah’s, Keynote Luncheon with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, nine-panel discussions, the signature CEO Roundtable, and outstanding networking opportunities. More than 500 gaming operators, equipment manufacturers, regulators, attorneys, architects, analysts, public officials, investors and other gaming-related professionals are expected to attend ECGC.
