Page 10 - Mississippi/Louisiana Gaming News - Summer, 2026

People In The News
Casino executives from Boomtown Casino Biloxi and Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast, including General Manager Barry Regula (second from left), with the Team Members of the Year from both properties.
Boomtown, Hollywood hold annual team member banquet
GULF COAST — Boomtown Casino Biloxi and Hollywood Gulf Coast held their recent Team Member of the Year Banquet at the Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport.
Hollywood winners were Brandy Evans, marketing; Fern Magee, casino ops, and Cindy
Ross, food and beverage. At
Boomtown, Team Member of
the Year winners were Taylor Council, IT; Brent Wilson, marketing; and Dustin Sander, slots.
Receiving the 2025 Wow
That Was Great award were
Troy Duhe, facilities manager;
Amber Paine, hotel services
manager; and Connie Collins, property cleanliness manager. The Gulf Coast Excellence Award went to Lydia Collura, Celebrity Grill cook.
Each Team Member of the Year winner received $1,000, a two-night stay at Hollywood, $150 to Azalea Spa, golf at The Bridges and dinner at Bogart’s Steakhouse or the Epic Buffet.
Additionally, perfect performance and service award honorees were recognized. Receiving service awards for 30 years were Cathleen Martin, David Sloan, Gwen Crawford, Janet Kidd, Mark Harris and Phillip Mullen. Bethany Trochesset, Donna Ballard, Edie Benson, Jacob Hunter, Jacob Nguyen and Joseph Casey IV received awards for 25 years, while Charles Lewallen, Christopher Wilson, Dustin Sander, Emily Nguyen, Jessica Fricke, Nicole Wheat and Thomas Dean received awards for 20 years.
Service awards were also presented to those with five, 10 and 15 years at the property, along with awards for perfect performance to 31 employees.
Wow That Was Great winners (from left) Troy Duhe, Amber Paine and Connie Collins.
10 MISSISSIPPI GAMING NEWS
SUMMER 2026
Serena John Alfonza Smith Benson Ross
Diamonds of the Year
Riverwalk Casino Hotel named its Diamonds of the Year in a banquet held in the new RW Bar & Grill. Serena Smith, revenue audit clerk, was named Team Member of Year for front of house, and John Benson, lead EVS attendant, was named Team Member of the Year for back of house. Team Leader of the Year was Alfonza Ross, slot repair manager. The team members each received a cash prize, special parking and front-row seat to all events.
Crewmembers of the Year honored at Treasure Bay
BILOXI — Treasure Bay recently recognized Matt Meale as 2025 Crewmember of the Year and Summer Talbert as Supervisor of the Year. The announcement was made during a special dinner honoring all Crewmember and Supervisor of the Quarter winners for the past year.
“Matt is our resident grave shift tech, and he stays busy,” said Jason Tschudy, operations manager. “From working on machines and managing inventory to supporting the drop team, he is always prepared.”
“Summer represents the heart of
great leadership in our hotel,” said
Matthew Ulm, director of hotel and
player services. “She is approachable,
supportive, and leads with patience and understanding. She creates an environment where people feel valued and motivated to grow.”
Nominees Jenny Ao, Jay Carradine, Dalton Fletcher, Roxanne Hill, Trevor Miller, and Perry Pinkerton were also recognized and received special gift cards. Both winners received a cash award and an engraved trophy.
“This is a very special group,” said Susan Varnes, president and COO. “Each of these crewmembers represents our commitment to exceptional guest service and serves as a role model for others.”
Crewmembers of the Year Summer Talbert and Matt Meale.
Bally’s Best
Employees were honored recently at Bally’s Vicksburg’s annual employee banquet. Pictured with General Manager Derrius Morris, Myrtis Hayes (left), surveillance supervisor, was named Team Leader of the Year, and Senobia Butler (right), Southern Bites cook, was named Team Member of the Year. They each received upfront parking for a year and a monetary prize.