Atlantic City casino veteran Steve Callender has been appointed president of the Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ), a group that represents the collective interests of the shore resort’s nine casino properties. He succeeds Kevin Ortzman, former regional president of Caesars Entertainment Corp.’s three Atlantic City properties. Ortzman left the company in August after he was named in a wrongful termination lawsuit by a former employee.
The 65-year-old Callender is senior vice president of operations for Eldorado Resorts’ East Region, a post he assumed in January. Eldorado is Tropicana Atlantic City’s parent company.
Prior to that, Callender was general manager of Tropicana, where he has held executive positions since 2010. The Press of Atlantic City called him one of the gaming industry’s “longest-serving executives,” and noted that he has spent his entire 41-year gaming career in Atlantic City. He became Tropicana Atlantic City’s top executive in 2018 following the sale of the company to Reno-based Eldorado Resorts.
“I’m the oldest guy in town,” Callender said of his presidency. “But any single one of us could do it. There’s a lot of experience in the room. … It’s just my turn, I guess.”
Gaming revenues in AC have increased over on the past 15 months with the openings of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (formerly Trump Taj Mahal) and Ocean Casino Resort (formerly Revel), both located on the city’s iconic Boardwalk. But overall profits have declined due to new competition, both locally and regionally, Callender said.
Revenues were up 13 percent year-over-year in August; Callender told the Press that online gaming and retail and mobile sports betting are introducing new customers to the shore town.
“It brings more retail people and, I think, it’s bringing a new demographic to the properties,” Callender said of sports betting. “We’re seeing more food-and-beverage revenue, we’re seeing more unrated table play, more cars parked and more people staying in rooms. So the retail component (of sports betting) is absolutely having a positive effect on our business.”
Surprisingly, he added, online gaming, which allows people to gamble from their homes or elsewhere, is in fact drawing customers to the bricks-and-mortar properties. “It’s a different customer (than a traditional player). It was surprising to me, but it’s bearing out to be the truth.”
In his role with Eldorado, Callender has operational responsibility for Tropicana; Eldorado Scioto Downs in Columbus, Ohio; and Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort in New Cumberland, West Virginia.
Of his new role at CANJ, Callender said, “We want to make sure that (lawmakers) are looking at every angle of things. We try to make sure that when they’re doing something that is going to change our industry and help our industry, that we’re doing it in the best way possible.”
