Saracen Casino Resort Appoints New CEO Amid Leadership Shake-Up
"Saracen is one of the finest properties in the South, and I am honoured to lead it" said the incoming CEO
On Tuesday, Saracen Casino Resort has appointed Rod Centers as chief executive officer, after the exits of general manager Matt Harkness and chief market officer Carlton Saffa.
The Downstream Development Authority of the Quapaw Nation said the appointment takes effect immediately and comes as the Pine Bluff property pushes ahead with a new management structure.
Centers joins from Seneca Gaming Corporation, where he oversaw operations at three New York casinos, and previously held senior roles at Caesars Entertainment, Penn Entertainment, Pinnacle Entertainment and JACK Entertainment.
Leadership Reset at Pine Bluff
Billy Shapp, chairman of the Downstream Development Authority, said: “Rod has run large properties for the biggest operators in the business and for a tribal nation, and he knows what it takes to win in a competitive market.”
The authority said the change signals “a new direction” for the resort, while the Quapaw Tribe stressed its commitment to Pine Bluff and Jefferson County.
Centers said: “Saracen is one of the finest properties in the South, and I am honoured to lead it.”
The leadership change follows a unanimous vote by the authority to support the dismissals of Harkness and Saffa, after allegations that the pair founded and marketed a separate gaming business, GamePhysics, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
Their exits were later approved by the Quapaw Nation Business Committee, making them official. Saffa has said the dismissal came as a “total shock”, and the dispute has raised fresh questions about governance inside one of Arkansas’s highest-profile gaming operations.
