Women trying to advance in the gaming industry should first become the CEO – not of a company but of their own lives, say leaders in several facets of the casino business.
That means honing the ability to make important decisions and recognizing obstacles, including bias against women.
“You’re the person in charge of your life,” said Alisa Cooper, a member of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, who started her gaming career as a band leader and was one of the first entertainers to play the Rendezvous lounge in the Resorts Atlantic City when it opened 40 years ago. “You can seek advice from male friends (and) female friends. But when you’ve got to make that decision, you have to remember it’s your final decision.”
Cooper was part of a panel discussion on “Challenges Women Face in the Gaming World” during the recent 22nd annual East Coast Gaming Conference at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City. Also on the panel were Holly Gagnon, president and CEO of Seneca Gaming Corp., which operates three casinos in New York state; Karie L. Hall, vice president and general manager of Harrah’s Atlantic City; Lynne Levin Kaufman, partner and gaming law specialist with Cooper Levenson law firm; and Amy Kuzdowicz, senior vice president of finance and chief accounting officer for JACK Entertainment, which operates casinos in Detroit, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.
Karla Perez-Larragoite, vice president of gaming for Sysco Corp., moderated the discussion.
The topic of women in leadership positions is especially timely.
Fortune magazine reported in May that the number of women at the helm of Fortune 500 companies fell by 25 percent from last year, from 32 in 2017 to 24 this year.
The 2017 Women in the Workplace report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company, released last fall and considered the largest study of its kind, found that women are hired and promoted less often than men.
The study examined 222 companies with a total of more than 12 million employees. It found fewer women than men are hired for entry-level jobs, even though 57 percent of recent college graduates are women. Also, women are 18 percent less likely than men to be promoted from an entry-level position to a manager role. That restricts the number of women available for each step up the corporate ladder, the study said.
Kauffman said women must face the fact that many in the business world hold onto “ingrained opinions” about them.
“There will be stereotypes,” said Kauffman, who added she had the “full casino experience” during 10 years at Bally’s starting in 1988. For example, some executives might question the dedication of a mother who leaves the office to attend a child’s event while thinking a man who does the same is being a “great dad.”
Hall said open discussions about unconscious bias are more effective than simply having a written policy about equal treatment.
“We’re in a transformational time for women not only in our industry but in society,” she said. “Are we really supporting people? If we’re not, let’s talk about it, and let’s understand what those biases are.”
Gagnon said doing a good job is not enough to secure a promotion. Women should tell a supervisor about their goals and ask how to prove they merit a bigger job.
“It’s really important to express your intentions,” said Gagnon, a founding board member of Global Gaming Women, which supports the development of women in the gaming industry. “Don’t assume it’s just checking off these boxes that is going to get you there.”
Kuzdowicz, describing herself as a “recovering perfectionist,” told of how she first concentrated on being the ideal employee, taking on every assignment and working as late as possible. When she got married, she tried to be the perfect worker and the perfect wife, and eventually the perfect mother to two children as well. One day while she was at work, her 2½-month-old son stopped breathing and died.
She said she tells the story to everyone who works with her “to highlight the difference between things that are important and things that are not.”
“The important stuff changes from time to time,” she added. “Today is a gift. We get to choose how we use that gift.”
Choosing how we spend our time can turn out to be wrong, “but is it the best choice at the time?”
Cooper encouraged women to pursue what they want, especially if they are attracted to careers not traditionally welcoming to women.
“You inspire other women; you reinforce their goals,” she said. “Go for whatever your dreams are.”
