American Gaming Association names new chair
Hard Rock International CEO Jim Allen appointed on two-year tenure as association looks to recruit from within
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has appointed Hard Rock chairman and Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen as its next chairman.
Allen will serve a two-year term at the helm of the AGA beginning in January 2022, and will replace current chair and Aristocrat Technologies CEO Trevor Croker, who has served since January 2020.
A veteran of the US gambling sector, Allen has been an AGA board member since 2015 and has led the Seminole Gaming business since 2001.
Allen will work extensively with AGA CEO Bill Miller, who joined in 2019 and whose term as AGA president and CEO was recently extended for another three years.
Current priorities for the AGA include helping the US gambling industry recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, lobbying to ensure industry-friendly regulation of gambling across the US, and the provision of responsible gambling strategies across the sector.
Speaking about his new role as AGA chair, Allen suggested the industry was at a “pivotal juncture” in its overall development.
“The AGA has played an essential role in uniting the industry throughout the pandemic, and I’m thankful to Trevor and the AGA board of directors for entrusting me to help lead the industry’s continued recovery,” Allen added.
Tributes to Croker were echoed by AGA CEO Miller, who said: “Trevor has been a tremendous chairman of the AGA and trusted advisor to me over the past two years, guiding the industry through the most challenging time in its history.
“The AGA and entire gaming community are indebted to his service to the industry,” Miller added.