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Light & Wonder has announced a new Executive Vice President (EVP) and Global Chief Corporate Affairs Officer amidst a “pivotal moment” for the company.
The cross-platform games company announced the appointment of Rohan Gallagher as Executive Vice President (EVP) and Global Chief Corporate Affairs Officer on September 25. The newly-created role will be based in Sydney and will be responsible for Investor Relations, Environmental, Social, and Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Global Communications.
“As Light & Wonder transitions to a sole listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), having Rohan’s wealth of experience and leadership in Corporate Affairs will be instrumental for us, both in the Australian market and across the world,” said Oliver Chow, Chief Financial Officer at Light & Wonder. “I’ve worked with Rohan for many years in different capacities, and his knowledge of the gaming industry, and what it takes to succeed, are unparalleled.”
A not-so-new introduction to Light & Wonder
Gallagher is not new to Light & Wonder, having led the initial institutional coverage of Light & Wonder in Australia. Speaking on his new appointment, Gallagher is focused on growth and new areas for the company to reach into, coming after it announced plans to crush its debt with a $1 billion plan.
“This is a pivotal moment for Light & Wonder, and I couldn’t be more excited to work with the team to complement the significant work that they have already done across IR, ESG, CSR, and Communications,” Gallagher said.
“The Company’s legacy of creating the world’s best games, coupled with its desire to further enhance stakeholder engagement, deeply align with my passions and experience. I look forward to amplifying Light & Wonder’s voice, strengthening connections with its communities, and driving meaningful change that supports L&W’s next level of growth.”
Gallagher brings years of experience in investor relations, institutional research analytics across multiple sectors, including gaming. Prior to joining Light & Wonder, he worked at the Jarden Group as Managing Director within their Institutional Equities group, where he served in leadership roles across Sales, Research, and Corporate Broking functions.
Featured image: Light & Wonder
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MGM Resorts and Genting are the first operators to move forward with downstate New York casino license applications.
With the latest being that casino applicants in New York might not hear about updates until early next year, MGM Resorts and Genting are now the first operators to move forward to the next stage of the process. Both have received approval from their respective Community Advisory Committees on Thursday.
The two operators are proposing to expand their existing VLT casinos into more expansive resorts. For MGM, the committee voted unanimously to advance the $2.3 billion proposal, after the company added multiple funding initiatives to its application during the review process. That adds nearly $117 million in additional projects that will help to improve the neighborhood of Yonkers and beyond.
Genting also gained unanimous approval from the committee for its plan to expand Resorts World New York City. The $5.5 billion proposal includes a 5,600,000sq.ft integrated resort made up of 6,000 slot machines, 800 gaming tables, 2,000 hotel rooms, a 7,000-seat arena, and more than 7,000 parking spaces.
New York casino licenses are a busy market
Eight bidders have also been vying for the chance to build the city proper’s very first casino throughout the summer. The state plans to issue up to three licenses, forcing developers into a battle to come out on top. The community approval process has been underway throughout the summer, with public hearings taking place throughout July and August.
MGM Resorts and Genting are the first two out of the eight to make it to this stage of the process. That leaves Caesars Palace Times Square, Freedom Plaza, Avenir, Coney Island, Hard Rock’s Metropolitan Park proposal, Bally’s Bronx, and Empire City Casino trailing behind for now.
With billions of dollars in future profits on the line, the developers will still be working hard to get their proposal into a winning spot.
Featured image: Public Domain Pictures, licensed under CC0 1.0
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The rules on the exclusive casino gaming salons in Nevada have changed, as the Nevada Gaming Commission has approved the first major update for these places in almost two decades.
Previously, the financial criteria for being able to be a primary patron to a gaming salon have been a money deposit of at least $300,000, or a $300,000 line of credit, or a combination of the two.
It was in 2008 when Nevada regulators lowered the previous requirement of $500,000 to $300,000. At the time, five Strip casinos offered high-roller rooms that could be closed to the general public. The salons are akin to private gambling rooms within a casino and have long been referred to as playgrounds for rich gamblers and celebrities.
Now, the approval has been given to lower the entry amount all the way down to $20,000. The salons could also be opened to members of the public for a short time period too, while also allowing patrons of the salon to stay longer.
Will changes to gaming salons help Nevada remain competitive?
Within the changes, casinos could have greater control over slot machine minimums as well, which would remove the previous $500-per-spin rule.
This comes after it was reported in December that some resorts had approached regulators to discuss possibly amending the salon rules in an effort to encourage more play. These discussions have since been ongoing for some time, with the Nevada Gaming Control board having run a workshop meeting in August to discuss the changes.
There have been some back and forth in the industry about the changes, with it being reported in the Las Vegas Review Journal that The Resort Association initially suggested the amounts of entry to be determined by individual properties.
It has been suggested that these changes would maintain Nevada’s competitiveness, with this being a time where many states in the US now have legalized gambling.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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Nevada gaming regulators have approved slot developer Bluberi Gaming to sell its games in the state.
The green light was given on Thursday, September 25, meaning Bluberi Gaming is licensed by the Nevada Gaming Commission to manufacture and distribute slot games in the state. The Canadian-founded and Las Vegas-based company has grown to 275 employees after a series of growth spurts since filing for bankruptcy in 2016.
“The business has had many stages of growth,” said Bluberi CEO Andrew Burke. “In 2022 and beyond, we’ve been in the growth stage by adding jurisdictions, products, and people. Our ambitions are much higher and licensing in Nevada is a huge step in the process for us moving forward.”
The company had 66 licenses as of 2019, but had held off on applying in Nevada until 2025. Burke maintained that the company “wasn’t ready”, based on his knowledge of Nevada licensees and customer expectations for the region.
“Today, we’re in 194 jurisdictions, with 10 more pending approval and another 12 we’re working through,” he added. “We’ve grown our footprint from 1,000 units to 12,000 units and our number of employees has grown pretty significantly.”
Blueberi’s growth in Nevada and beyond
Financially, Bluberi has been going from strength to strength, with its revenue growing four times over the last three years. In terms of its connections in Nevada, Bluberi already does business with MGM Resorts International, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, and Penn Entertainments, all of which operate in the state.
In 2024, Bluberi was focusing on growth in other areas, adding 29 new jurisdictions, including state licenses in Indiana, Louisiana Commercial, Oregon, Ontario, Rhode Island, Virginia, and West Virginia. For 2025, the company was not only eyeing Nevada, but also Ohio, Iowa, Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Mississippi, Illinois, and British Columbia.
“Nevada is home for me and an important home for many of our employees,” Burke said. “Being licensed in Nevada for our employees is a big deal, a source of pride. They’ve worked in the state for a while. To tell their families that their games will be right down the street from where they live is critical.”
Featured image: Bluberi Gaming
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MGM Resorts’ Chief Technology Officer has offered Boyd Gaming support in the wake of a cyberattack that was made public earlier this week.
Boyd Gaming shared details of an internal data breach earlier this week that largely affected employees. In the wake of the cyberattack, MGM Resorts CTO John Branden Newman was found suitable as an officer by the Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday, September 25.
The Commission has asked for details about the attack against Boyd and the 2023 attack against MGM in a licensing hearing. Newman reportedly reached out to Boyd when its cyberattack was first filed with the SEC, according to the Review Journal. Newman currently oversees a team of 653 employees, including 376 in Nevada, and previously worked as an IT specialist with the Air Force, the DoD, and the private sector before joining MGM.
“It’s obviously unfortunate that a lot of the players in the industry and various industries actually are still getting hit by these same types of attacks,” Newman told commissioners. “We did reach out and offer our support. I don’t have a lot of detailed information about it. The current chief information security officer was the one that was doing that coordination with Boyd during that time to offer ours.”
More details about the MGM attack
Newman confirmed to the Commission that a teenager had surrendered to authorities at the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center and attended a court appearance before Family Court Judge Dee Smart Butler on Wednesday, September 24. He is alleged to be involved in the MGM attack.
The 17-year-old was just 15 when the attack took place in 2023. He has been charged with three counts of obtaining and using personal identifying information of another person to harm or impersonate a person, one count of extortion, one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, and one count of unlawful acts regarding computers. He is expected to be tried as an adult.
“It was obviously a very difficult time for us responding to that incident and rebuilding the environment,” Newman told commissioners. “We have put in numerous controls to reduce the risk of any further occurrence of this, and we keep our eye on all the threat intelligence across the industry, including keeping up with the various threat actors that are still hitting people in our industry. We’re still working with the FBI.”
Newman went on to note that young offenders like the MGM suspect are often recruited by criminals.
“It’s very unfortunate,” he explained. “They use these people to distance themselves from the actual law enforcement because these players are normally the last mile that are the touch points, but they’re not the brains behind the operation. So we’re continuing to work with them, and we’ve read on a few people from our team to help the FBI go further in as far as we can to get closer to the real people behind the scenes.”
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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