Salvatore Semola recently was named president and chief operating officer at the Gun Lake Casino in Shelbyville, Michigan, owned by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, or Gun Lake Tribe. Semola brings to his new position more than four decades of experience in the gaming and hospitality industries.
Most recently he was the owner of Semola Consulting/Cornerstone Gaming Management in Las Vegas, where he also was an adjunct professor of casino management at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Semola also has held management positions at Foxwoods Resort Casino, Cannery Casino Hotel and Greektown Casino Hotel in Detroit.
Tribal officials said in February 2018 Gun Lake Casino will end its 7-year management contract with MPM Enterprises, a joint venture of Station Casinos Inc. affiliate and an area investor group. Under federal law, tribal casinos must remove all private managers after seven years of operation. Tribal Chairman Scott Sprague said, “We are confident that the addition of Mr. Semola’s management capabilities to our established executive team will ensure the continued success and growth of the Gun Lake Casino. We thank Station Casinos for their years of management expertise and the solid foundation it provided for the tribe.”
Semola said, “I am very excited about the opportunity to work for the citizens of the Gun Lake Tribe, and to lead an incredible group of team members at the Gun Lake Casino. Gun Lake Casino is a beautiful property that is poised for tremendous growth that will produce mutual benefits for the tribe and local community.”
