Hollywood Casino Joliet started 2011 with a new, overhauled look. This year, the casino started January by welcoming a new general manager.
Wayne Smith, who has worked in gaming for 18 years, took over as general manager earlier this month. Smith said that after he enjoyed stints at Harrah’s in St. Louis and MGM Grand casino in Detroit, he and his family were looking to return to the Midwest.
“When opportunity comes up, you’ve got to take it,” he said.
Smith, who most recently was chief operating officer at Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway in New York, has spent his first week meeting local officials and learning about the Chicago area. He attended his first Illinois Gaming Control Board meeting on Jan. 19 at the new Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.
Despite a barrage of casino-related news in Illinois – including video poker expected later this year and recent rancor over additional Chicago area casinos – Smith said he has yet to get up to speed on local political issues surrounding gaming.
Smith’s major focus is the casino itself, or more specifically, drawing people back to the casino.
“We have an opportunity here to position ourselves here and get people back to the property,” he said.
Hollywood underwent about $90 million in renovations over 18 months after a March 2009 fire destroyed the pavilion area and other parts of the casino. The then-called Empress casino took the opportunity to rebrand itself by nixing the Egyptian pharaohs and columns (as well as Empress name) and introducing a Hollywood glitz and glam look.
The casino, which is owned by Penn National Gaming, reopened with a variety of Hollywood-themed eateries including the Final Cut Steakhouse, which has a piano bar and showcases Hollywood memorabilia, and the Hollywood Stadium sports bar, which has a massive 20-by-80-foot TV wall. The Hollywood theme mirrors that of Penn’s other casino property in Aurora.
But still, Hollywood – like all casinos in Illinois — have seen a dip in attendance due in part or as a result of a combination of things including the recession, the smoking ban and the opening of the Des Plaines casino last summer.
Smith, who’s held management positions at Harrah’s St. Louis, MGM Grand Las Vegas and MGM Grand Detroit, said the immediate goal will be to boost marketing of the amenities the area offers.
“The way I look at it, we’ve got some of the top assets here that we now just have to make people aware of,” Smith said.
On a personal note, one of Smith’s other goals include finding a home for his wife and two children who plan to stay in New York until the school year ends. Since arriving in Joliet, he’s been staying at the casino hotel but is thinking about buying a home in Will County.
Smith replaces Jon Johnson, who took over as general manager in September 2009. Johnson has taken a job as chief financial officer of the M Resort in Henderson, Nev.
