An off-Strip hotel casino is making significant changes to its top management amid an ongoing multimillion-dollar, multiyear renovation.
Rio has named Rod Turlan president and general manager, the property announced Monday. Turlan is a veteran casino executive who spent most of his career with Eldorado Resorts before the Reno-based company bought and became Caesars Entertainment in 2020.
The Rio, owned by Dreamscape Companies and now under the Destinations by Hyatt brand, completed a $350 million renovation in 2024.
“Rio is entering an exciting new chapter, and I am honored to lead the team during this period of significant growth,” Turlan said in a statement, pointing to recently remodeled suites, an updated casino floor and new food and beverage offerings.
Dreamscape announced several other executive appointments on Monday:
— Lori Ware, CFO (former CFO at Jamul Casino Resort)
— Ashley Lowe, senior vice president of sales (former vice president of sales at M Resort)
— Vince Lentini, Senior Vice President of Marketing (Former Vice President of Margaritaville at Sea Casino)
“Rod Turlan, along with these newly hired executives and our existing leadership team, bring the right combination of experience and talent to Rio at this important stage of its transformation,” said Eric Birnbaum, CEO of Dreamscape Retail & Entertainment. “We are excited to welcome these experienced leaders to the team as we continue to build on Rio’s momentum and position the property for long-term success.”
Monday’s announcement did not mention Patrick Miller, who has been the property’s president and CEO since 2023.
Prediction markets in court
Although a Carson City District Court judge ruled in favor of the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Friday, legal proceedings involving prediction markets and the state are far from over.
First District Judge Jason Woodbury on Friday extended a previously issued temporary restraining order by another 14 days and gives Kalshi until May 4 to implement geofencing or geolocation measures to prevent any user in Nevada from engaging in any activity or transaction deemed illegal under Nevada gaming laws as a result of the preliminary injunction he approved.
“I am very pleased with today’s ruling and will continue to vigorously enforce Nevada laws to protect gaming in our state,” Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Mike Dreitzer said late Friday after the ruling.
But Nevada gaming regulators have another court date of April 16 before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a separate case brought by the North American Derivatives Exchange against the state. That case involves prediction market platforms Crypto.com, Kalshi and Robinhood appealing US District Judge Andrew Gordon’s ruling that dissolved his own injunction that had blocked state enforcement. Gordon rejected the argument that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has exclusive jurisdiction, writing that such a position would “upset decades of federalism regarding gaming regulation.”
The matter is further complicated by the fact that Kalshi won a similar case in New Jersey in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Third Circuit on Monday upheld a district court that granted Kalshi an injunction preventing the state of New Jersey from enforcing its gambling laws against the company. The 2-1 decision was the first federal appeals court to issue a decision.
Former Sinatra-owned gambling dens reopen
The Cal Neva hotel-casino, once owned by Frank Sinatra and frequented by the Rat Pack, Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy, will reopen in 2027.
Realberry and Proper Hospitality have announced the completion of a $298 million financing package to support a full-scale restoration of the historic property, located on the northeast shore of Lake Tahoe and on the California-Nevada border.
Known as the Cal Neva Lodge during its heyday in the 1960s, the property, which has been closed since 2013, will be redeveloped into the Lake Tahoe Proper Resort and Casino. It will feature 197 guest rooms, suites and private villas – nearly all with panoramic lake views – two lakeside pools, several restaurants and bars, a casino, 50,000 square feet of dedicated wellness space and a restored 225-seat Frank Sinatra theater.
Cal Neva opened in 1926 and became a popular spot in the 1960s for Hollywood stars and mobsters after Sinatra bought the property in 1960. Sinatra used a network of prohibition-era tunnels under the property to allow celebrities and mobsters to move discreetly through the resort. After mob boss Sam Giancana was discovered on the premises, Sinatra’s gaming license was suspended by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
The main dining room had a white line down the middle of the room indicating the California-Nevada border, and the pool was also across the state line.
Billionaire Larry Ellison bought Cal Neva out of bankruptcy in 2018 for $35.8 million and reportedly sold it to Colorado-based real estate firm McWhinney in 2023 for $58 million. McWhinney changed its name to Realberry in January.
“Cal Neva is one of the most famous hospitality properties in the West,” Realberry CEO Chad McWhinney said in a statement, “and we feel a deep responsibility to get the execution right with Lake Tahoe Proper.”
March in Macau
Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau announced last week that the Chinese enclave had a 15 percent increase in gaming revenue to $2.81 billion (US) in March.
It was the 14th consecutive month of improved earnings and brings the 2026 three-month total to $8.18 billion (US), 14.2 percent ahead of the 2025 pace.
By comparison, Nevada’s gambling profits in February were $1.24 billion this year.
– Contact Todd Dewey at tdewey@ theplayerlounge.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X. Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@ theplayerlounge.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.
