The members of the Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ) have handpicked Mark Giannantonio to take over the role of President of the Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ).
Giannantonio, who is currently serving as President and CEO of the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, will take over from Joe Lupo, who is moving to Las Vegas to take on a new executive role with Hard Rock International.
Giannantonio said: “I am honoured to succeed Joe Lupo as the next President of the Casino Association of New Jersey. Joe has been a tremendous leader of this organization, and a tireless advocate for Atlantic City.”
Giannantonio is a highly regarded and well-respected gaming executive in Atlantic City. He has over 35 years of expertise working in the sector, and he has been in charge of Resorts Casino Hotel since 2012.
In the past, he has held other leadership roles within the casino industry, one of which was serving as president and CEO of the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City. Both on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic City Police Foundation and as the chair of the Advisory Board of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality, and Tourism (LIGHT), which is part of the School of Business at Stockton University. In addition to that, he is a member of the Steering Committee of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy, which is located at Stockton University.
“I have deep roots in this community, and I am ready to work together with the city and the state to continue to advance Atlantic City and elevate its status as a leading entertainment hub and destination resort.”
Lupo also spoke on his exit as President of CANJ: “It has been a privilege leading this organization and working for the betterment of Atlantic City, Mark is a lifelong Atlantic County resident who cares deeply about this city and community, and I am confident he will be a great voice for the industry moving forward.”
CANJ is an organization that promotes the interests of the city’s casino industry by advocating for regulations and projects that strongly impact Atlantic City’s status as a tourist resort on an equal level with the best in the world.
The Atlantic City hotels and casinos that are members of the trade organization are: Bally’s Atlantic City, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Caesars Atlantic City, Golden Nugget Atlantic City, Ocean Casino Resort, Resorts Casino Hotel, Tropicana Atlantic City, and Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City.
Giannantonio will take over the contentious issue of whether or not the nine casinos should continue to permit smoking indoors. The gaming industry as well as the most prominent local workers’ union have both come out in objection to closing the “clean indoor air loophole” that has been conferred on casinos since 2006.
It is largely assumed that the leadership of the New Jersey Legislature has been persuaded by CANJ to put off passing a smoking prevention law as long as possible. The nine casinos contend that they are still recovering from the pandemic and that a smoking ban will hurt their resorts’ and gaming revenue, which could result in job losses.