Slot maker CEO out after being denied gaming license
The CEO of skill-based gaming company GameCo LLC is no longer with the company, a GameCo spokesman said in an email Monday.
Blaine Graboyes (his legal last name on the state application is Goldman) was denied a license in a 4-1 commission vote Thursday, and is no longer with GameCo.
A spokesman said the company “will be appointing a new CEO in due course,” and didn’t say whether Graboyes stepped down or was dismissed by GameCo’s board of directors. Efforts to reach Graboyes were unsuccessful Monday.
The company now is under the direction of senior company executives, including Art Hamilton, chief financial officer and chief administrative officer; Rich Maryyanek, head of global business development; Robert Montgomery, chairman of the company’s board of directors; and Seth Schorr, a board director. Board observer Adam Rosenberg also is providing further guidance to the executive search process.
“GameCo’s senior team has been instrumental in the company’s success to date in driving forward a mission to create new casino gaming experiences,” the company’s statement said.
Graboyes’ biography has been removed from GameCo’s website.
The license denial prevents Graboyes from operating in Nevada or collaborating with gaming licensees in the state. There was no indication after Thursday’s commission meeting whether Graboyes would appeal the decision in court.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Feb. 3 voted unanimously to recommend a one-year temporary license be issued to Graboyes. On Thursday, the commission spent four hours taking sworn testimony from Graboyes and in deliberations before denying the license.
At issue before the commission was Graboyes’ role as a consultant and CEO for Toledo, Ohio-based Beyond Gaming. Executives at Beyond accused Graboyes of driving the company into bankruptcy so that he could take abandoned software for GameCo’s use.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.
