Caesars Entertainment names gaming veteran CEO

Tony Rodio. Photo credit: Caesars
Entertainment

Caesars Entertainment Corp.’s board of directors appointed Tony Rodio CEO Tuesday. Rodio, having worked as CEO at Affinity Gaming since October 2018, will transition to Caesars over the next 30 days. Rodio will be based in Las Vegas and join the company’s board of directors.

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Rodio has more than 37 years' of experience within the gaming industry, including seven years as president, CEO and member of the board of directors at Tropicana Entertainment. While there, Rodio led major capital projects, including the complete renovation of Tropicana Atlantic City in New Jersey and the company’s move to land-based operations in Evansville, Ind. Before that, he held a series of executive positions at casino brands, including Harrah’s Entertainment, Trump Marina Hotel Casino, the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort and Penn Gaming.

"I have long admired Caesars and am optimistic about the company's future prospects,” said Rodio. “Our industry is going through a time of transition and opportunity and I look forward to leading Caesars' exceptional team through the company's next phase of growth, innovation and value creation."

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The company’s board also has created a transaction committee “to consider and evaluate various paths for enhancing shareholder value, including continuing to operate as an independent public company.” The decision follows interest from industry insiders into possible transactions with Caesars. The company’s statement said there is no guarantee it will pursue any transaction. The company will not comment further until the board has approved a specific transition or alternative.