Love of Gaming
Like so many executives in the gaming industry, Alesha Konskey hadn’t planned a career in the profession. Indeed, the Cleveland native majored in graphic design at Notre Dame with a goal to specialize in corporate identity and marketing. But somewhere in her mind, the casino business still lurked.
Every year, the Konskey family visited Las Vegas to see relatives. A cousin worked as a manager for Caesars Entertainment. “He recommended that I apply for a dealer job at the new Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, which was owned and operated by Caesars,” Konskey recalls.
Konskey could earn some money while still at Notre Dame and work shifts around her classes. She went to dealer school and earned a certificate in roulette, blackjack, baccarat and craps.
“I very quickly fell in love with the fun and excitement of the job, the unique guest interactions, and the ability to learn and grow in my career with mentors who truly cared about my success,” Konskey says.
Goodbye graphic design. Konskey worked at the Horseshoe from 2012 to 2015. Caesars offered her a table games supervisor position, but she turned it down because she enjoyed dealing too much. A year later, the company offered the position again and this time she accepted. “I truly wouldn’t be where I am today without taking that initial step out of my comfort zone. I loved being a supervisor,” she says.
After eight years with Caesars Entertainment and working her way up to a position at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
“It shut down Las Vegas in a way that none of us could have ever imagined. I was furloughed for seven months,” she says.
Konskey received a severance package from Caesars when they had to cut staffing in their plans for reopening the Strip in 2020.
“I was approached by a recruiter for Amazon and offered an opportunity to join their operations management team in Las Vegas. This was not a career path I ever thought I would take, but I knew Amazon was a good company with ever-expanding career opportunities, so I took a chance and accepted the position in early 2021,” Konskey says.
Despite its reputation, Amazon lacked passion and excitement, so she joined Interblock as director of gaming operations in 2022. This past January, Konskey joined Gaming Analytics as a project manager.
“I see myself remaining in the gaming industry for the rest of my career and hope to develop into a strong executive who can help the industry advance and adapt to new technologies like AI, analytics, and online gaming,” she says.
When not working, Konskey enjoys spending time with her husband and two dogs, visiting her twin sister and nephews in Phoenix, or immersing herself in all things Cleveland sports.
