Ggb Magazine Podcast

Richard St. Jean is a veteran leader in the gaming industry, working for Caesars, Station Casinos, Penn National Gaming and now as the chief operating officer of the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa. He joined Morongo two years ago just prior to the pandemic and as the casino resort was being renovated. He spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros via Zoom from his offices in Morongo, joined by Simon Farmer, the property’s executive director of marketing. (See video below). GGB: Why don’t we go back to the time when you joined the property—you arrived about halfway through the renovation process, is that right? Richard St. Jean: Yes, I got here in Q4 of 2019. So, I’d say it was about 50 percent to 60 percent completed. The renovation of the existing casino space was materially under way, but we still had a long way to go. Did you have any influence in the design and the operations of the process at that time? In the main casino, I think the program was pretty much baked in. But as we get into the expanded area—