It’s not easy running a business, what with tens to hundreds of employees to supervise, schedules to keep, promotions to promote, books to track and all of the rules and policies that must be followed to keep things going smoothly. Throw gaming into the mix, with bars, restaurants, laws, compliance and keeping up in a highly competitive industry whose main draw is fun, and things can get complicated indeed.
These are the challenges faced daily by the general managers of Colorado casinos whose job it is not only to run their casinos with finesse, but also maintain a good relationship with their community.
Here are a look at some of the GMs who make sure our visits to local casinos are fun and enjoyable. If a GM is not listed, please make sure to look for them in an upcoming issue of the Gambler, as they were not able to respond.
BLACK HAWK
Steve Lambert
Bullwhackers
Steve Lambert’s experience in the casino business stretches over 31 years – his lifetime career. He worked first for Bally’s in Atlantic City, and then moved to the Sands casino. Next he worked in casinos in Tunica, Miss., and Aurora, Ill. He then headed north to Nova Scotia with ITT and left there as a Caesar’s Palace employee. His next move was to a casino in Maine, where he was a senior director of Operations with Penn Gaming and was promoted to assistant general manager. After six years there, he arrived in Black Hawk at the Penn Gaming operation in late August. Lambert said Colorado is his first posting that isn’t by water.
For three or four years, Lambert managed the U.S. Navy Slot Program. The author learned that the Navy owns 2,500 slots at various Navy bases, all overseas. Lambert was a civilian employee but he saw the world thanks to the Navy that posted him to 15 countries to conduct training and audits. Lambert’s favorite free time activity is biking.
Doug James (no photo provided)
Bull Durham Casino & Doc Holliday Casino
Doug James began his casino career with Harrahs in Laughlin, Nev., in the early ‘90s. He worked his way up through financial analyst to hotel manager, over every department of the large hotel. In February 2002 he came to Black Hawk as GM of Bull Durham Casino and when the owners of Bull Durham purchased Doc Holliday Casino in Central City in March 2008, he assumed the top position in that casino also. He has a unique distinction; he’s the only GM to manage a casino in each town at the same time.
In his free time James likes to shoot pool with his wife Carol. The couple plays pool in leagues in the Denver area four nights a week and in tournaments in Colorado and Wyoming on weekends.
Both Doug and Carol play in international tournaments and win top places. Carol’s women’s team placed third in the recent international tournament in Vegas in 9-ball and fifth in 8-ball. Doug’s team placed 17th in the internationals, and – real bragging rights here – he and Carol placed second in Scotch doubles.
Dan Ihm
Fitzgeralds Casino
Senior Vice President and General Manager of Fitzgeralds Casino Black Hawk Dan Ihm has extensive casino and entertainment industry experience.
Ihm, who has worked in the industry for more than 19 years, first took a gaming position in the Midwest working as the director of marketing at age 24. He spent the last 18 years working in several different markets including Iowa, Indiana, New Mexico, Mississippi, Nevada and Colorado. He’s worked for both private and public companies and has marketed tribal gaming operations, riverboat gaming operations, and land-based operations. He’s held positions at the property level and the corporate level.
According to Ihm, he has the best job in the industry because it allows him to spend time on the gaming floor and strategic time working with team members.
“I would not trade my job for anything,” he said. “Overall, I have looked forward to going to work every day, and I feel grateful for the opportunities that I have had over the years.”
Away from the casino, Ihm enjoys a glass of wine to relax after a long day at work, and keeping up with his four dogs: two English bulldogs, a boxer and a St. Bernard.
“My biggest interest is spending time with my three children and my beautiful wife,” Ihm said.
Brian Watts
Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk
Brian Watts had an enjoyable introduction to gaming – dealing on the first riverboat casino to open in Illinois. After several promotions, he moved into slot operations, followed by a move into finance as the casino controller. In 2004 he was transferred to the Argosy Casino in the Kansas City area as the director of Casino Operations. Four years later he joined the Isle of Capri Corporation as vice-president and general manager of their casino in Kansas City. He was transferred to the Black Hawk Isle of Capri, with the same title, in November 2009.
Watts, like many fathers, says he and his wife have very little free time with three children. They’re all active in sports and music and the family “really enjoys the outdoor opportunities in Colorado.”
Watts said, “While I have worked in many different jobs during my career, what has surprised me is the fun and exciting environment in gaming. When I started as a table games dealer I was just looking for a job as I completed college. What I found was a career that allows people to grow and learn in an industry that is full of interesting activities. Gaming is all about people, whether you mean customers or employees. By working in the gaming industry I have met wonderful and interesting people who always make coming to work fun.”
Nicholas J. Polcino
Riviera
Nicholas J. Polcino, Jr. was hired to the position of general manager of Riviera Black Hawk in March 2008. His career in the gaming industry at the time spanned almost 30 years, beginning as a dealer at Bally’s in Atlantic City in 1978.
He got into gaming accidentally through the hospitality industry, but within two years, was supervisor at the Golden Nugget. He worked at the casino for the next 18 years through three name and management changes. In 1998, Polcino took a job at Colony Capital as a casino manager. In 2004 he moved his family to Tunica, Miss., where he was director of operations and assistant general manager for a casino. The family then moved to Colorado when he took the job in Black Hawk.
For Polcino, being GM of a casino is like being a “band leader” since he’s the person who brings all the casino’s departments together: “the violins in finance, the drums in slots, the flutes in marketing and the saxophones in the pit [are brought] together to focus their direction and put together one piece of music.”
Outside the casino, the GM likes to run, hike and satisfy “his epicurean side” at one of his favorite restaurants. He’s most relaxed in the kitchen and takes great pleasure in chopping, preparing and presenting a beautiful dinner.
Ed and Shirley Smith
Wild Card, Black Hawk Station, Sasquatch casinos
Ed and Shirley Smith are long-time Black Hawk business owners who got into gaming on the first day it was legal. The couple opened The Wild Card Casino on Oct. 1, 1991, the town’s first, in the Jenkins McKay Hardware building they leased in 1985 that formerly housed their grocery and coin laundry.
The casino later moved to its present location on Main Street and the previous location became a Bronco Billy’s, then an expansion of Bullwhackers. The building is now home to the Sasquatch Casino, the third gaming property owned and operated by the Smiths who also purchased the Black Hawk Station Casino in July 2004.
The Smiths, who grew up in nearby Silt and New Castle, went to different high schools. They finally met at Colorado State University on a blind date and married two years later. They have lived on Floyd Hill most of their married lives and have raised four children (and have 11 grandchildren).
The couple enjoys hunting deer, elk and bear and, before gaming, started a popular fish farm in Idaho Springs, which is still in the family. Ed, 70, worked for Gates until 1985 when they opened their Black Hawk businesses.
CENTRAL CITY
Mickey Rosenbaum
Century Casino
The current general manager of Century Casino has been working in the Colorado gaming industry since its start in 1991, and is one of the very few who has worked as a GM in each of the state’s gaming towns.
Rosenbaum was in the restaurant business when gaming was legalized in Colorado, and opened a restaurant in one of the first casinos in Cripple Creek: The Turf Club Casino.
Rosenbaum quickly migrated into gaming operations when he opened the Old Chicago casino as the GM, but said he did OK because he “had a couple of great mentors that helped me learn the business.” He later moved into management at Bronco Billy’s Casino.
He moved to Black Hawk in 1994 where he was GM of Bronco Billy’s Black Hawk, The Gilpin and The Lodge. Although he moved to Arizona for a few years, Rosenbaum returned in 2006 to open Century Casino in Central City.
“As the GM, I try to keep everyone focused in the same direction and vision. We have a great management team and staff at Century, and it helps make my job easier. I have been fortunate enough to work with some wonderful people throughout my career in gaming.”
When not at work, Rosenbaum enjoys being outdoor and driving his Miata, “when the time permits.” He also loves to play golf.
Dale Bittner
Crystal Palace Casino
Crystal Palace only opened two months ago, and Dale Bittner is even newer in his position, but his casino work history is long. Beginning in 1998, Bittner has worked in several casino positions: greeter, slot tech, slot supervisor and relief MOD (manager on duty). Readers may recognize him from the now-gone Colorado Central Station or Mountain High or the Mardi Gras, Ameristar or Wild Card.
Bittner and his wife and Bennie, their dog, live in the metro area. He likes to be outdoors and involved in sporting activities, such as pick-up basketball games. He spends a lot of time with his family of three daughters and two grandsons.
Ann Dobson
Famous Bonanza
Ann Dobson, general manager of Famous Bonanza and Easy Street casinos in Central City, got into gaming when her family opened the Famous Bonanza Casino at the dawn of Colorado gaming. She moved her family to Central City from California in 1991 to join her parents and siblings in opening the casino.
Dobson’s parents, Ross and Nancy Grimes, purchased the building in 1959 and opened a gift shop. When gaming was legalized, the family – including Ross’ son Reed, daughters Ann and Sue along with other family relations – renovated the historic block of buildings and opened a casino under the same name. When Ross Grimes retired from the business, Reed began managing the casino and Ann took over shortly after in 1992.
“Gaming was never what I thought would be my career path, but it was an opportunity and a challenge that was impossible to pass up,” Dobson said. “I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn the business from the beginning in Colorado, and to have worked with and known so many fine people over the years. I am proud of the historic preservation that we have been able to achieve in Central City, that many of our employees have chosen to work with us for many years, and that we have been able to successfully compete with’“big box’ casinos while sticking to the spirit and intent of the gaming amendment.”
Before working in gaming, she was a teacher and then in social service, working for the California Dept. of Vocational Rehabilitation. Dobson, who was raised in Evergreen and attended college in Puebla, Mexico, likes to play tennis, create stained glass and hike with her husband and Golden Retriever when not at work.
Dean DiLullo
Fortune Valley
Dean DiLullo, COO of Fortune Valley and president of casino management and consulting company M1 Gaming, has more than 24 years of experience as a casino executive.
Prior to coming to Central City he was executive vice president and COO for Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Before that, he was with Station Casinos for 12 years where he was the general manager for several of their properties and vice president of marketing for a few of the company’s brands.
DiLullo has experience in both the West Coast and the Midwest and his expertise includes local, regional, airport and resort gaming markets. He is an expert in casino database marketing, special events and property operations. He has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nevada and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Arizona State University.
When not at work, DiLullo is family oriented and likes to spend all his free time with his wife and kids. Other interests include skiing, mountain biking and other activities “specific and famous” to Colorado.
Loralee Lamping
Johnny Z’s Casino
Loralee Lamping started at Johnny Z’s before the casino opened on May 1, 2010. Now she has new peak experiences that she’s excited about – the new addition to the casino that opened recently and the hotel that will be added. This 26-room hotel will be above the original Granite House Hotel, built in 1874.
Lamping’s casino experience began 19 years ago, and all of the casinos she’s worked in are in Gilpin County; she’s been a blackjack manager, a cage manager, a compliance officer and a blackjack dealer. Her favorite leisure-time activities are golfing and shopping, so it follows she loves to vacation in Mexico. She’s been married for 20 years and says her life is very ordinary, but she does have a tattoo. Lamping loves the casino business, which she says has defined her life, because “you get to meet so many people. I’ve had a good career and I’ve enjoyed every single step.”
-Compiled by Jeffrey V. Smith and Linda Jones
CRIPPLE CREEK
Jim Druck
Big Jim’s Saloon & Gambling Hall
What has gaming meant to you? A workday filled with fun after two boring careers.
What is your experience in the casino industry? I have flipped burgers, cleaned toilets, counted cages and BS’d with players in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado, the Dominican Republic and other garden sports since 1992.
What do you like to do when you are not at the casino? Spend time outside with our dogs, fish, motorcycle and play poker (badly).
What can you tell us that would surprise us about you? I was 6’4” before I got in this business.
Marc Murphy
Bronco Billy’s, Buffalo Billy’s & Billy’s casinos
What has gaming meant to you? Gaming was the beginning of a new career for me. I was in the hospitality business but this was a new version of the industry. It was a great career for me and I am so grateful for what it has done for me and my family. It’s allowed me to do a lot of things I wanted to do.
What is your experience in the casino industry? I had no gaming experience when I started, but now my career spans 20 years.
What do you like to do when you are not at the casino? I don’t let any grass grow under my feet. I’m an avid distance runner and work out all the time. I do that to keep my sanity. I’ve been a runner for 40 years of my life. And I love to fly fish and play golf.
What can you tell us that would surprise us about you? I probably am less confident about my abilities than other people think.
Chad Carlson
Century Casinos
What has gaming meant to you? It has given me an opportunity to work with and learn from a lot of truly great people over the past five years.
What is your experience in the casino industry? I’ve been with Century Casinos for a little over five years, and in that time had the opportunity to travel quite a bit and work on a lot of exciting projects.
What do you like to do when you are not at the casino? I love to hike with my wife and two dogs.
What can you tell us that would surprise us about you? I can ride a unicycle and juggle…but not at the same time.
Eric Rose
The Colorado Grande
What has gaming meant to you? Gaming is my life, my career, my passion.
What is your experience in the casino industry? My first job was graveyard shift waiter at the Carriage House Coffee Shop at Harvey’s Casino in Lake Tahoe. After three years of working my way up to supervisor level in the Food & Beverage Department I moved to Colorado and switched to the marketing side of the industry. I spent 10 years in Black Hawk with Colorado Central Station Casino and Mardi Gras Casino, and now six years as GM at Colorado Grande.
What do you like to do when you are not at the casino? I love to snow ski, hike, watch movies, long walks with the dogs, watch football (Go Florida Gators and Tim Tebow), and spend as much time as I can with my wife, son and daughter.
What can you tell us that would surprise us about you? I graduated college to become a ski bum in Winter Park and lived there for three years.
Gilbert Sisneros (No photo provided)
Double Eagle & Gold Creek Casino
What has gaming meant to you? It really has been a new experience. I never intended to be in gaming. My whole purpose in coming to Cripple Creek was to help gather signatures to get gambling on the ballot. Peter Tedesco and I were going to buy up as much property as we could and sell it to the casinos.
What is your experience in the casino industry? I’ve been here since 1991. We began with “Little” Creeker’s [on the corner of Bennett where it turns into Highway 67), then Creeker’s downtown, and I became the GM here in 1996.
What do you like to do when you are not at the casino? Watch football games. I’m actually a New England fan. I like Tom Brady and how he controls the game.
What can you tell us that would surprise us about you? That I might be here in the next 10 years. My plan was to be here three years. And here I am, 20 years later.
Kevin Werner
Wildwood Casino
What has gaming meant to you? Gaming has given me and many an opportunity to make a good living working in a fun environment. It has also given me and our employees an opportunity to help many organizations with financial and in-kind donations. One cause near and dear to me is breast cancer awareness and research. My mom and oldest sister are both survivors.
What is your experience in the casino industry? I spent many years in the hotel business before entering the casino industry. I think hospitality and guest experience is very important. My first job in the casino industry was as a director of food & beverage/hotel manager.
What do you like to do when you are not at the casino? Our business is very demanding, so when I am not working I spend time with my family.
What can you tell us that would surprise us about you? My first job in the hospitality industry was a dishwasher and I was an executive chef for several years.
- Compiled by Jan MacKell
