Fred Buro Casino
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Pala Casino Spa & Resort is scheduled to reopen at the end of the week, it was announced Wednesday.
The Pala Band of Mission Indians said the casino will open -- in a limited capacity -- to the public on Friday, May 22, at 10 a.m. Pala Casino, and other San Diego County casinos, temporarily shut down in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Viejas and Sycuan casinos have reopened this week, with Jamul slated to reopen Thursday. Valley View and Harrah's are scheduled to reopen on Friday.
Pala Casino’s reopening will be in phases, and officials said numerous health and safety measures will be in place to protect guests and staff.
Fred Buro Pala Casino
In a statement, casino officials said the protocols include:
- “The Pala Band of Mission Indians and the entire leadership team at Pala Casino Spa & Resort maintain an unwavering commitment to the health and safety of our guests and our employees as we navigate these challenging circumstances together,” said Fred Buro, CEO of Pala Casino Spa & Resort.
- Buro, a casino businessman, will replace former CEO Bill Bembeneck, according to a Pala Casino spokesperson. 6, Buro sent a letter to his Pala employees, in which he introduced himself but also acknowledged what he has observed his first week on the job. “This property is absolutely beautiful,” he stated in the note.
- O n December 19, 2014, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (“Tribe”) reported in the Win Awenen Nisitotungthat Mr. Fred Buro has been hired as the temporary Chief Executive Officer for the Tribe’s Kewadin casinos. He will oversee the five Kewadin casino properties and will report to the Kewadin Casinos Gaming Authority.
- (US).- Tropicana Casino chief Fred Buro, who had overseen the layoffs of about 1,000 employees at his Atlantic City casino this year, confirmed last week that he was fired by Columbia-Sussex Corp.
- Increasing cleaning and disinfecting protocols which focus on “high touch” areas like handrails, elevator buttons, doors and countertops and coordinating with vendors to ensure that they are following similar practices
- Placing non-invasive thermal camera scanners at all team member and guest entrances. If a temperature is detected, the individual will be asked to leave the property.
- Encouraging social distancing by reconfiguring the casino floor, reducing the number of seats offered at each table game and reducing the number of operational slots
- Enforcing social distancing of 6 feet where lines congregate, including the Cage, Privileges Club counter and all restaurants
At the time, Fred Buro was the Chief Marketing Officer for MTR Gaming Group. There he designed, built, and deployed, an online casino and player's club using personalized URLs. He engaged ORACLE to provide the SRM platform.
- Meticulously sanitizing chips and changing cards on handheld games more frequently
- Requiring that all team member who come in close contact with guests wear protective facemasks
- Providing hand sanitizing stations for team members and guests throughout the property
- Placing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signage throughout the property, which encourages good personal hygiene and provides guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19
- Proactively monitoring and removing guests who are outwardly showing flu-like symptoms
- All processes that require the exchange of personal items like currency, credit cards and luggage will be handled using personal protective equipment and sanitization methods to minimize exposure.
- Updating the Pala Casino website daily to provide current information about the resort, scheduled events and COVID-19 updates
In addition to the health and safety measures, casino officials said maximum guest occupancy will limited to 50 percent in all of its gaming areas.
There will also be limited menus and hours for food and beverage service. Officials added, “The reduced hours of operation for food outlets will allow for thorough daily sanitizing of each restaurant.”
Fred Buro, CEO of Pala Casino Spa & Resort, said, “We look forward to welcoming our guests and team members back to the property. Over the last several weeks, the leadership team at Pala Casino Spa & Resort has been working diligently to develop a customized reopening plan that encourages social distancing, increases cleaning and disinfecting protocols and further protects the health and safety of our guests and employees. While we are eager to reopen, we remain dedicated to carefully monitoring this evolving situation and following the advice and guidance of federal and state officials and public health agencies.”
Fred Buro Ceo Pala Casino
e said the termination occurred late Wednesday. Columbia-Sussex announced Buro’s replacement yesterday. 'I was asked to leave,' Buro, the Tropicana’s President and Chief Operating Officer, said yesterday. He declined to go into the specifics, saying only that he was in the process of getting an attorney.
Columbia-Sussex, of Fort Mitchell, took over the Tropicana in January. Yesterday, it named Mark Giannantonio president and general manager of the hotel and casino. Giannantonio, most recently its executive vice president of operations, assumed his new position immediately.
Fred Buro Casino
People familiar with the situation say Buro complained to his superiors about the extent of the layoffs and deteriorating conditions at the casino. They included filthy bathrooms and hallways, unmade hotel beds, and violations of the health code, according to leaders of UniteHere Local 54 - the union representing 17,000 hospitality and casino workers - which has been monitoring the casino.
'I think Fred Buro is the latest victim of Columbia-Sussex’s takeover of Tropicana,' said Local 54 president Bob McDevitt. 'He’s a gentleman, and I knew in my heart he could not operate under the conditions that Columbia-Sussex was asking him to operate under.'
McDevitt said his union was preparing to oppose Columbia-Sussex’s permanent license application that goes before the state’s gaming commission in January. 'Columbia-Sussex doesn’t operate casino properties,' he said.
Yung said in an interview earlier this year that the massive layoffs at the Tropicana were part of management’s attempt to lower costs and bring the Tropicana’s employment level in line with the other casinos in Atlantic City. New slots competition has cut into Tropicana’s total revenue. It was down 7 percent year-to-date in June 2007 from a year earlier.
Fred Buro Casino
'In order to compete in the Atlantic City market, Tropicana cannot solely focus on cost-reduction measures,' said Andrew Zarnett, gambling analyst with Deutsche Bank AG in New York. 'They need to undertake and implement a complimentary program, in addition to enhancing customer service. Without doing that, they will be prone to declining market share.'
Tropicana was recently targeted by the United Auto Workers, which is trying to unionize the city’s 8,000 dealers. The UAW secured an August 25 union vote for its 1,000 dealers from the National Labor Relations Board.