Page 242 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2016

THEFINALSAY LUANN
PAPPAS
Chief Executive Of cer, Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort
The gaming industry has evolved on so many levels yet there continues to be an opportunity for women who aspire to achieve more — a higher level of involvement.
It has been proven by the decline in previously successful gaming markets and the continued
success of Las Vegas; non-gaming attractions and continued focus on technology will enable the gaming industry to sustain success. However, the industry continues to avoid what to me is obvious; we still lack diversity. There are more men than women in leadership positions yet the number of women seeking higher education continues to climb and the revenues from females continues to increase.
This past week I had an opportunity to attend a gaming related meeting. While dining the evening before in a popular local restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice several men in groups, well dressed and obviously discussing business. I wondered why in such a popular establishment that’s well-known for dinner meetings and making deals were there so few women present. The next morning I attended a meeting of extremely powerful and influential gaming leaders and decision makers. No surprise, they too were all male.
Have leaders in both private and publicly traded companies and governing bodies not pondered this question as well? The facts are the facts — more gaming revenue is derived from slots than tables, more revenue
is derived from females than males and the average age
is 50+. Makes one wonder, how much better could this industry be if we targeted a workforce of leaders whereby
the demographics more closely modeled the customer, the drivers of revenues. Statistics prove that in more than 90 percent of households deciding on a vacation or where to go for entertainment or dining, the decision is made by the woman in the household.
We all must commit to push this issue to the forefront. Many of my colleagues and I are personally committed to seeking talent, growth and development of more women in the gaming industry. This industry must continue to thrive and achieve success. Gaming employs thousands
of people, gives back in so many ways to the communities that we live and work in, and provides educational assistance to those who aspire to learn. Identifying, mentoring and developing talented females for leadership opportunities in the gaming industry is ever present.
We cannot afford for another century to go by and not recognize the value of more female leaders in gaming.
242 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • September 2016
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