It happens more often than you think. A casino company hires someone for this job or that, and the person finds herself amazed about the number of distinct departments operating within a single corporation.
Such is the case of Marilyn Janssen, who spent the first 14 years of her career with Caesars Entertainment before moving on to Everi as vice president of loyalty and mobile operations.
“I love how many different fields are within gaming. Throughout my career I’ve moved from finance to hotel, IT, marketing and now operations on the vendor side. There is so much out there to learn within gaming,” she says.
Janssen blossomed in the gaming financial world while at Caesars. “I was attracted to the data available within the gaming industry. I studied economics at the University of Chicago and was extremely passionate about data analytics. I interviewed with Caesars (back then known as Harrah’s) for a financial analyst position on the corporate team,” she says.
With so many other employees, there comes a time when a fork is in the road. “Caesars is a great company for me to grow my career. I was given so much opportunity and they kept giving me new projects and roles to grow and stretch myself,” says Janssen, who is a bread baker in her spare time.
After 14 years, Janssen had an opportunity to leverage her background in technology and marketing in a new role with Everi. “I focused on merging the operations of two recently acquired loyalty companies under one umbrella.”
Janssen’s success over the years included guidance from a number of leaders. “Two women really stand out,” she says. They are Eileen Moore Johnson, general manager, The Boring Company and Ann Metzger, a former vice president of project management with Caesars Entertainment.
“Eileen has always been someone who I can lean on for leadership advice,” says Janssen, who is kept busy by her three children. “Ann provided me with great advice on how to be a leader and build a team. In addition, Global Gaming Women has connected me with so many amazing leaders who I have also leaned on throughout my career.”
Janssen thinks gaming will continue to transform, focusing more on entertainment and hospitality. “I remember back in 2006 you would be laughed out of a room for focusing any conversation on hospitality,” she says. “Vegas has drastically changed since then to have more of an entertainment/hospitality focus.”
For Janssen, it’s the way it ought to be. “I wouldn’t change a thing,” she says of her career.
