Published:
Greektown Casino Announces Hiring of New Management Consultants
DETROIT, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- ALas Vegas-based consulting firm led by
casino industry veterans who have worked with more than 200 gaming properties
across the world has been retained to provide comprehensive operations and
marketing consulting at Greektown Casino, pending necessary approvals.
Greektown Casino has executed an Engagement Letter with The Fine Point
Group, which will be responsible for improving operations and boosting
profitability. The Fine Point Group is renowned for its expertise in
strategic casino management, customer relationship marketing, loyalty program
development, property turnarounds, and other aspects of casino operations. The
firm's engagement is pending approvals from the Michigan Gaming Control Board
and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court inDetroit. Upon receiving approvals, three
members of the firm will assume the interim roles of CEO, General Manager, and
Vice President of Marketing, with full decision-making authority.
"We are proud to have been chosen for this opportunity to partner with
Greektown Casino, a property with tremendous potential in a city of history,
pride, culture and economic importance," said The Fine Point Group's Managing
Director Randall A. Fine. "We will work with all parties to improve the
competitiveness and profitability of Greektown Casino and to position the
property for far greater success."
Led by Fine and other casino veterans, The Fine Point Group has worked in
virtually every major casino market worldwide -- from five-starLas Vegas
strip properties to a 75-slot machine parlor near a subway station in the
formerSoviet Union. The firm believes each gaming market has unique
competitive and consumer pressures that demand a custom strategy, and over its
history has been able to meaningfully "move the needle" in each of its
assignments.
Fine is a former Vice President of Total Rewards and Product Marketing and
Vice President of Slots and Total Rewards Operations at Harrah's
Entertainment, the world's largest gaming company. He is the sole named
inventor of the U.S. patent backing the gaming industry's leading loyalty
system and was responsible for more than 40,000 slot machines that drove $4
billion in annual revenues. He left Harrah's to join Carl Icahn's casino
company, where in less than 18 months he dramatically increased revenues --
while decreasing marketing expenses -- at all four of Icahn's casinos, and
helped position those properties for sale at a $1 billion profit to Goldman
Sachs. Fine, who founded The Fine Point Group in 2005, has also worked at
McKinsey & Company, Lehman Brothers, and for the U.S. House of
Representatives. He taught Economics at Harvard College and holds his
undergraduate degree magna cum laude, and his MBA degree, with high honors,
from Harvard University. Upon regulatory approval, Fine will be named the
acting Chief Executive Officer of Greektown Casino.
On this assignment, Fine will be joined by a team from The Fine Point
Group, two of whom will be on-site full-time. The team will include former
executives of Harrah's Entertainment, MGM MIRAGE, Colony Capital, Station
Casinos, and Isle of Capri Casinos. For more information on The Fine Point
Group, please visit thefinepointgroup.com.
Engaging The Fine Point Group is the second significant action taken by
Greektown Casino in the past 30 days to improve operations and
competitiveness. In December, the casino announced changes to its Management
Board. Pending approval from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians,
owners of Greektown Casino, three business executives with significant casino
gaming, hospitality industry, and reorganization experience will join the
Management Board. The Fine Point Group and the new five-member Management
Board will work with Greektown's legal and restructuring advisors to guide the
property through its Chapter 11 reorganization, a process that began in May
2008 and is expected to continue through exit in no later than September this
year.
Next month, Greektown Casino will open its new 400-room Greektown
Casino-Hotel. The hotel is now accepting room reservations and event bookings.
For reservations and group events, call 877-GCH-5554.
Late last month, the casino opened its new International Buffet. In
November, the casino opened its new high-limits gaming area, luxurious
accommodations for guests seeking more discrete gaming with the opportunity to
play at a higher level of excitement.
Located at 555 E. Lafayette Avenue inDetroit's Greektown Entertainment
District, Greektown Casino-Hotel opened on Nov. 10, 2000. Readers of The
Detroit News and Detroit Free Press have voted Greektown Casino-Hotel
Michigan's andDetroit's "Best Casino" numerous times.
In addition to being named "Best Casino" by readers of The News and Free
Press, Greektown Casino-Hotel also placed first in other categories in The
News' reader survey, including "Best Slots," "Best Wait Staff Outfits," "Best
Craps Tables," "Best Blackjack Tables," "Best High Rollers Area," "Best Casino
Restaurant," and "Best Casino Entertainment."
SOURCE Greektown Casino
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