Licensing for Galaxy advances
Board approval comes after CEO resigns titles
The state Gaming Control Board has turned a train wreck into a smooth ride.
Board members meeting in Las Vegas on Wednesday unanimously recommended approval of the licensing of Las Vegas-based gaming equipment manufacturer Galaxy Gaming Inc., two months after one regulator called out the company’s top executive’s “train-wreck” application.
The board spent eight hours over two days of meetings scrutinizing Chairman and CEO Robert Saucier’s suitability as a licensee after several incidents in other states.
Saucier and his company are trying to get a new license that would enable Galaxy to develop and distribute new games in Nevada.
The Control Board in July was on the verge of recommending denial of a license, which would have made it more difficult for a final approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission. Instead, the company opted to seek a delay and referred the matter back to Control Board staff.
When explaining his justification toplanforavoteofdenialinjuly, board member Terry Johnson said “train-wreck applications are a doover opportunity” and encouraged Saucier to come up with another solution.
And that solution was Saucier resigning his CEO, president and chairman titles and turning the chief executive and president duties over to Todd Cravens, who joined the company as a vice president of business development in January. Mark Lipparelli, a former Gaming Control Board chairman and state senator, was appointed chairman of Galaxy’s
board of directors.
The board’s recommendation will be considered for final approval by the commission on Sept. 21.
Saucier will continue to serve on Galaxy’s five-member board as a director, which has a lower threshold of scrutiny, and will hold shares in the company but not a controlling interest. He will focus on business development.
Galaxy products — mostly side bets on traditional table games such as blackjack — are operated by Southern Nevada’s big six casino companies: MGM Resorts International,
Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands Corp., Boyd Gaming and Station Casinos. Saucier has hired management away from rivals Aristocrat and Ainsworth and has placed high-profile executives on his board of directors and compliance committee.
Galaxy’s product line includes Lucky Ladies, Texas Shootout and Three Card Poker.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702477-3893. Follow @Rickvelotta on Twitter.