A downtown Las Vegas casino is expanding its management team with several promotions and new hires as it approaches its 85th year in business.
El Cortez hotel-casino announced the promotion of Adam Wiesberg to vice president and general manager, Patrick Lazarus to vice president and director of casino operations, and Nords Malilay to vice president of player development and casino marketing. Bart Mahoney also joins the property as vice president of hospitality.
“We are proud to recognize the leadership and dedication of our team while welcoming new talent to the property,” Kenny Epstein, CEO and chairman of El Cortez, said in a statement. “As we approach our 85th anniversary, it is exciting to have a leadership team with such deep roots in the Las Vegas gaming industry. These gentlemen each bring extensive casino and hospitality experience to our great property.”
Wiesberg, who joined El Cortez in 2015, has held several leadership roles including table games shift manager, marketing director and assistant general manager, according to a news release. Lazarus, with the property since 2012, has advanced through positions from table games shift manager to casino manager. Malilay has led El Cortez since 2005, focusing on high-value player engagement, while Mahoney brings over 20 years of experience from Resorts World, Golden Entertainment and Wynn Resorts, overseeing food and beverage operations, including flagship restaurant Siegel’s 1941.
The leadership updates follow a $20 million expansion last year that added a new high-limit lounge, cocktail bars and restaurants, with additional renovations planned for 2026.
Caesars Las Vegas casino manager selected for exclusive leadership program
A Las Vegas casino executive has been selected for one of the nation’s most respected leadership programs.
Sean McBurney, chief commercial officer and regional director of Caesars Entertainment, is the only gaming executive in this year’s group of Aspen Institute’s Henry Crown Fellowship.
The program identifies talented entrepreneurial leaders, typically between the ages of 30 and 46, and provides them with the tools to expand their societal impact through values-based leadership and community action. Over two years, fellows participate in four intensive seminars and lead a personal “Venture” designed to make a positive difference in their communities or industries.
“Being selected as a Henry Crown Fellow is an incredible honor, and it reflects the values we live by at Caesars Entertainment,” McBurney told the Review-Journal. “I look forward to learning from an exceptional group of leaders and gaining new perspectives on how I can create positive impact for our team members, our guests and the communities we serve.”
Established in 1997, the Henry Crown Fellowship challenges leaders to move beyond personal success toward broader significance, honoring the legacy of industrialist Henry Crown, whose career was characterized by integrity, industry and philanthropy. This year’s cohort of 20-22 fellows will participate in seminars in Aspen, Colorado and other locations in the United States and the world, combining personal exploration with opportunities to give back.
Bills were introduced to ban sports betting on prediction markets
A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators introduced a bill Monday to ban sports betting on prediction markets.
The Prediction Markets Are Gambling Act would prohibit entities regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), including prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket, from listing contracts related to sporting events.
“Sports prediction contracts are sports gambling — just by a different name,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said in a statement. “And yet these contracts have been offered in all fifty states in flagrant violation of state and federal law.
“Instead of enforcing the law, the CFTC greenlights these markets and even promotes their growth. It’s time for Congress to step in and eliminate this backdoor that violates state consumer protections, intrudes on tribal sovereignty, and provides no public revenue.”
The legislation also seeks to ban “casino games” from being listed on the platforms, including slots, video poker, blackjack and bingo.
“Too many young people in Utah are being exposed to addictive sports betting and casino-style gambling contracts that fall under state control, not federal regulators,” Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) said in a statement.
The American Gaming Association supports the legislation.
“The AGA strongly supports this bipartisan effort, led by Senators Schiff and Curtis, to uphold state and tribal sovereignty and protect consumers by ensuring that sports and gaming-related agreements are prohibited,” an AGA spokesperson said in a statement.
Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@ theplayerlounge.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X. Contact Todd Dewey at tdewey@ theplayerlounge.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
