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Mark Birtha

President, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sacramento

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For Mark Birtha, it seems like he was always destined to work for Hard Rock International. That company’s corporate culture fits Birtha’s experience and philosophy toward operations like a glove. His previous experience with companies like Mirage Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, Marriott International, Starwood and Station Casinos was prologue to his hiring to run the Hard Rock property in Northfield, Ohio, just outside Cleveland. He quickly made that racino the most successful property in the state and that success attracted interest from MGM Resorts, which purchased the property in 2019. Birtha has since gone on to develop Hard Rock Sacramento for the Enterprise Rancheria tribe in California. He spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros in June.

Roger Gros is publisher of Global Gaming Business, the industry's leading gaming trade publication, and all its related publications. Prior to joining Global Gaming Business, Gros was president of Inlet Communications, an independent consulting firm. He was vice president of Casino Journal Publishing Group from 1984-2000, and held virtually every editorial title during his tenure. Gros was editor of Casino Journal, the National Gaming Summary and the Atlantic City Insider, and was the founding editor of Casino Player magazine. He was a co-founder of the American Gaming Summit and the Southern Gaming Summit conferences and trade shows. He is the author of the best-selling book, How to Win at Casino Gambling (Carlton Books, 1995), now in its fourth edition. Gros was named "Businessman of the Year" for 1998 by the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Gaming Association in 2012.

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