Loren Gill departs as San Manuel CEO, Southern California tribe names interim replacement

June 25, 2020 8:15 PM
  • Howard Stutz, CDC Gaming Reports
June 25, 2020 8:15 PM
  • Howard Stutz, CDC Gaming Reports

Southern California’s San Manuel Band of Mission Indians said CEO Loren Gill had stepped down from his position overseeing the tribe’s business aspects.

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No reason was given for the departure, according to a brief statement from the tribe Wednesday evening.

“Loren has developed what we believe is one of the strongest teams in the country, has led our economy to record growth, and has given us a pathway for future diversification,” San Manuel Tribal Chairman Ken Ramirez said in a brief statement. “He is a consummate builder and creator, and we are grateful for his contributions over the past five years.”

Laurens Vosloo, the tribe’s chief financial officer, will serve as interim CEO.

Gill, who spent time in Las Vegas as a casino executive with properties owned by Boyd Gaming and Affinity Gaming, served for more than three years as general manager of the tribe’s flagship San Manuel Casino in San Bernardino County in before being named CEO in 2019.

Gill could not be reached for comment.

Ramirez, who served five terms as tribal secretary, became the tribe’s new chairman in April, replacing Lynn Valbuena, who served three consecutive terms as the tribe’s chairwoman beginning in 2014.

The San Manuel Casino, which is roughly 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles, reopened Monday after being closed for more than three months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The property’s strict COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, including facial mask requirements for anyone entering the property, temperature checks, enhanced cleaning procedures, social distancing. The tribe said roughly half of the casino’s slot machines were available for gaming.

In February, the tribe donated $9 million to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to fund tribal development programs through the university’s hospitality college and school of law.

Before the pandemic, the tribe began a $550 million expansion to the San Manuel property to create a full-scale resort that includes a 450-room hotel tower, a 3,000-seat events center, new restaurants, and other non-gaming attractions.

San Manuel added a high-limit gaming area last year, and the property primarily draws customers from the populous Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties.

According to National Indian Gaming Commission figures, tribal casinos nationwide collected almost $34 billion in gaming revenue during 2018. More than one-fourth of the total – some $9 billion – was produced by California’s Indian casino market.

Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.