Jay Snowden takes over as CEO of Penn National Gaming on Jan. 1, and he now has his management team in place.
The Wyomissing, Pennsylvania-based regional casino operator said Tuesday that Todd George has been promoted to executive vice president of operations and Chris Rogers was named chief strategy officer. The appointments take effect when Snowden officially replaces retiring CEO Tim Wilmott.
“Both Todd and Chris have quickly risen the management ranks at Penn National and their new roles reflect the trust and confidence I have in them serving as integral members of my newly restructured executive management team,” Snowden said in a statement.
Penn is still seeking a chief financial officer. BJ Fair announced in October he would step down in March 2020.
Wilmott, who has been CEO since 2013 and with the company since 2008, announced the transition in August. Snowden, who joined Penn in 2011, has been COO since 2014. He and Wilmott worked together previously at Harrah’s Entertainment.
“Jay’s got a lot running room now, and at (age) 44, he’s going to be able to steer this company forward for a lot of years,” Wilmott said in an interview in October.
Penn National operates 41 gaming properties in 19 states. The company is building two additional casinos in Pennsylvania that will open in 2020. This summer, Penn signed deals for the company’s sports betting “skins” with DraftKings, theScore, PointsBet and Stars Group, covering more than 30 regional casinos.
Snowden the management teams will be tasked with combining the company’s regional gaming footprint with its interactive initiatives to “deliver best-in-class omni-channel entertainment experiences for our guests.”
George will oversee the company’s four senior vice presidents of regional operations, as well as marketing and information technology. He joined Penn National in 2012 as general manager of Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. He transitioned two years later to Hollywood Casino St. Louis as general manager. In 2017, he became senior vice president of regional operations, overseeing nine properties in the company’s Midwest Region. George also spent 12 years in various management positions at Pinnacle Entertainment.
Rogers, who joined Penn in 2013 as deputy general counsel, will move into a newly created role that will lead a team in developing and pursuing the company’s strategic growth initiatives. Rogers became senior vice president of corporate development in February. Prior to joining Penn he was a corporate attorney in Dallas.
Snowden said Penn National’s initial efforts will be to “meaningfully deleverage our balance sheet while building on our long-term progress in expanding operating margins.”
Shares of Penn National closed Tuesday at $23.4o on the Nasdaq, up 5 cents or 0.21%.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
