New GM at Rivers Casino

New month, new GM at Rivers Casino:

Todd Moyer, a graduate of Shippensburg University with more than 20 years of gaming industry experience, has been appointed to the role of General Manager for Rivers Casino. Moyer replaces Acting General Manager David Patent, who will resume his role as chief operating officer of Rush Street Gaming, an affiliate of Holdings Acquisition Co.  Prior to accepting the GM spot at Rivers Casino, Moyer served as the General Manager of Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque, Ia. At Diamond Jo, he was integral in the transition of a riverboat casino operation to a land-based casino and entertainment complex.

Before joining Diamond Jo Casino, Moyer held executive positions with Palace Station Hotel & Casino and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, as well as Trump Marina Hotel Casino in Atlantic City. "Todd has a proven record of creating great experiences with both guests and the casino's staff," said Greg Carlin, CEO of Rivers Casino. "He brings innovation to every new challenge, and we look forward to what he will bring to Rivers."

... Moyer has Pittsburgh ties.  His wife is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and hails from Monroeville.  Todd and his family will reside in the North Hills.

... is Sands Corp. already looking to unload its brand new casino in Bethlehem, Pa.?

Las Vegas Sands Corp. issued a statement today denying it is interested in selling its Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem property. The company said it could restart construction on the 300-room hotel tower within "the next several weeks." "We are looking forward to reviewing our table games application with the Gaming Control Board, and at the same time we have undertaken efforts which will result in construction resuming on the hotel portion of the development in the very near future," said Las Vegas Sands Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon G. Adelson in the news release.

The company's statement comes two days after The Express-Times reported Las Vegas Sands is seeking to sell its Bethlehem facility before completing its partially finished hotel, mall and conference center, according to a person with direct knowledge of high-level discussions who spoke to The Express-Times on the condition of anonymity. Adelson said the company would assess restarting construction on the remaining aspects of the development, including the retail space and multi-purpose facilities, while it prepares for table games and the resumption of construction on the hotel tower.

Sands has been struggling financially both companywide and locally, with the Bethlehem casino suffering a $2.1 million operating loss in the last quarter of 2009.

... Adorable?: "Stephen A. Wynn, chairman of Wynn Resorts, said yesterday that he would go to Harrisburg Wednesday to outline to the state Gaming Control Board his plans for a Philadelphia casino that he said would be 'the cutest casino you have ever seen.' Wynn discussed for the first time his ideas for reviving the Foxwoods project in South Philadelphia during a conference call with stock analysts after the release of the Las Vegas company's year-end results."

Foxwoods has been struggling to get off the ground, and an injection of Wynn money will help the project. But would it kill Atlantic City?

Steve Wynn single-handedly saved struggling Atlantic City in the 1980s. He opened the Golden Nugget, considered at the time to be the Boardwalk's most opulent hotel-casino. On Tuesday, Wynn saved gaming in Philadelphia. He took control of a sinking casino project on the city's south side near the Delaware River and the Walt Whitman Bridge, breathing life into a failing development. The move also drove the final stake through Atlantic City's heart.

JP Morgan gaming analyst Joe Greff tried to be diplomatic in his assessment of Atlantic City's future in a research note after Wynn Resorts announced the deal. "A Wynn-branded casino in Philadelphia will put continued pressure on the Atlantic City market and probably puts major pressure on the higher end of that market, namely Borgata," Greff said. He also doesn't believe Wynn's Philadelphia project is a good sign for Borgata's 50-50 joint venture owners, Boyd Gaming Corp. and MGM Mirage. Borgata accounts for all of Boyd's equity value per share. MGM Mirage wants to sell its stake in the casino, and a booming Philadelphia gaming market could reduce the asking price.

Odds and ends

The Gettysburg casino issue continues to simmer ... Columbus can't wait for those casino revenues to start pouring in ...There will be no Gary, Ind., land-based casino ...

GoErie.com revisits the Ted Arneault / Presque Isle saga:

"There's been $6.1 billion wagered since that first crush of giddy slots players rushed the gaming floor on Feb. 27, 2007. Those gamblers and others who followed left $600 million behind ... Those eye-popping numbers also stand as a lasting rebuke to the cynical and ultimately failed scheme by Presque Isle Downs' parent company to get the public to kick back up to $50 million, or more than the entire local share to date, to subsidize development of the casino. And to a string of local officials who acted as willing chumps in that effort."