2022 marks 45 years since the Casino Control Act was signed into law, ushering in the era of legalized casino gaming for New Jersey. Legalizing gaming has not only greatly impacted the state but also directly impacted Atlantic City.
Join us for an in-depth conversation about the process and impact of legalizing casino gaming in New Jersey, its impact over the past 45 years, and its possible future. Hear from community stakeholders and leaders involved in developing and stewarding the Casino Control Act from its inception to the present day and beyond.
This event is offered by the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism, part of the School of Business at Stockton University, in partnership with the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and with the involvement of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. It will be offered in-person and online via zoom.
Panelists:
Michael C. Epps
Former Exec. Director, AC Initiatives, NJDCA and CCC Commissioner
Michael C. Epps is currently in the Solicitor's Office for the City of Atlantic City. Until June 2022, he was the Executive Director of the Atlantic City Initiatives Project Office that was charged with developing an implementation plan for critical elements of the Atlantic City Transition Report under the direction of the NJ Department of Community Affairs.
Epps was born and raised in Atlantic City, attended Atlantic City public schools, and graduated from Atlantic City High School in 1984. Upon graduation, he attended the University of Maryland where he earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and later attended the Howard University School of Law where he earned a Juris Doctorate. After serving as an associate at two local law firms, he became the General Counsel for the Atlantic City Board of Education in 1997. In 2001, he was appointed to serve as a Commissioner on the New Jersey Casino Control Commission leaving in 2011. Epps was the first Atlantic City native to serve on the Commission.
Mark Giannantonio
President & CEO, Resorts Casino Hotel; President, Casino Association of New Jersey
Mark Giannantonio brings more than 30 years of Atlantic City gaming expertise to his role as President and CEO for Resorts Casino Hotel. He joined Resorts in September 2012 when it was announced that Mohegan Sun would take over the management of the property.
Before joining Resorts Casino Hotel, Giannantonio was a Senior Gaming Consultant with Spectrum Gaming, where he applied his experience in a more global atmosphere. He previously held various executive positions within the casino industry, most recently as President and CEO of Tropicana Casino & Resort.
A lifetime Atlantic County resident, Giannantonio serves on the Boards of the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA). He also serves as a Board Member of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University and on the Atlantic City Police Foundation.
Giannantonio graduated from Stockton University earning his BA in Economics.He currently resides in Northfield, New Jersey with his wife and two sons.
Lynne Levin Kaufman
Co-Chair Gaming Practice Group, Cooper Levenson
As Co-Chair of Cooper Levenson’s Gaming Law Practice, Lynne Levin Kaufman’s practice is exclusively devoted to gaming regulatory and business matters, including licensing, mergers and acquisitions, financings, operations and compliance. Lynne represents casino operators, gaming equipment manufacturers and suppliers, iGaming operators, sports betting operators, financial institutions, lottery-businesses, skilled game providers, sweepstakes providers, and non-gaming related vendors that conduct gaming related business. In her 25 years at Cooper Levenson, Lynne has counseled numerous clients from pre-development until opening, as well as through the merger process, to obtain the required regulatory approval to own, develop, invest in and/or operate land-based casinos, igaming platforms, and sports wagering operations.
Lynne has assisted in the drafting of legislation in new gaming jurisdictions and in drafting amendments to existing statutes and regulations in several states. Prior to joining Cooper Levenson, and after working as a corporate and securities attorney for a Philadelphia law firm, Lynne served as an in-house counsel to a New Jersey casino.
Lynne has served as Chair of the Casino Law Section of the New Jersey Bar Association, Counsel to and Board Member of the International Association of Gaming Attorneys, and Vice-President of the Gaming Law Committee of the American Bar Association.
She is the author of numerous articles with respect to gaming law, and is a frequent speaker and moderator at gaming industry, bar association, and global gaming women conferences. Lynne looks forward to continuing to advocate for women in the gaming industry.
Although born and raised in Philadelphia, after working in Atlantic City for 35 years and being the proud mother of two Atlantic City High School Vikings, she is hoping to be declared an honorary Atlantic County local.
Steven P. Perskie
Retired Superior Court judge, Legislator and CCC Chairman, Casino Control Act author
Steven P. Perskie served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1971 until moving to the New Jersey State Senate in 1978. He was the author and principal sponsor of the original New Jersey Casino Control Act, which brought legalized casino gaming to Atlantic City.Perskie served as a Superior Court Judge in Atlantic County from 1982 to 1989, after which he was appointed as Governor James Florio’s Chief of Staff, serving from 1989 to 1990. He was then appointed by Governor Florio as the Casino Control Commission’s third chairman. During his term as Chairman he led a comprehensive restructuring of the agency; he served as chairman until 1994.
From 1994 to 1996 Perskie was the General Counsel of Players International, a gaming company with operations in several states. Thereafter, he resumed the private practice of law in Atlantic City until he was again appointed, in 2001, as a Superior Court Judge, a position that he held until 2010.
Perskie currently serves as a policy advisor to the Mayor of Atlantic City. In 2018, he was named to the American Gaming Association's Hall of Fame.
Perskie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University (1966), a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law (1969), and a Master of Laws degree (in Taxation) from New York University School of Law (1970).
David Rebuck
Director, Division of Gaming Enforcement
David L. Rebuck was named by Governor Chris Christie in April 2011 to be Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
Rebuck had served for 23 years as a Deputy Attorney General for New Jersey, specializing in policy guidance and regulatory reform. He was assigned to the Governor’s Office as a Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Christie in February 2010.
During his tenure he has overseen numerous endeavors to modernize the regulation of gaming in New Jersey, including instituting regulatory reform initiatives, creating online casino gaming functionality and sports wagering options.
Recognized by the International Masters of Gaming Law as their 2013 Regulator of the Year, Rebuck also is a trustee member of the International Association of Gaming Regulators.He is a member of the New Jersey Bar.