Palms Casino Resort, which could use some casino-savvy brainpower at its helm, believes it has found it in new CEO Dan Lee. Out the door, unceremoniously, goes the much-bounced-around Joseph Magliarditi, who ricocheted to the Palms by way of M Resort and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. “I would like to thank Joe for his many accomplishments at the Palms, including the refurbishment of the Ivory Tower, Ghostbar and numerous improvements to the casino environment and our entertainment venues,” said Lee, giving Magliarditi one last shove out the door. (The Palms offered the old ‘resigned to pursue other business interests’ excuse.) We don’t know if the sudden closure of restaurant Heraea — two days after a promotional event — had anything to do with Magliarditi’s ouster but it certainly forms a punctuation mark to his tenure.
Still, it has to be chastening for Lee to be reentering the casino industry as a single-property executive. He used to be Steve Wynn‘s right-hand 
man, then become CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment. Once there, he flew too high and reached too far. Lumiere Place (pictured) was a moderate flop and his venture into Atlantic City was a costly disaster. Lee’s high-handed manner with St. Louis-area politicians eventually got him canned. Effectively starting from scratch — and having to answer to private-equity firms Texas Pacific Group and Leonard Green & Partners must mean eating a lot of humble pie. But if you want somebody in charge of the Palms who’s going to think big, Lee’s your man.
Congratulations to both Penn National Gaming and to Mohegan Sun. Those companies were cleared by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to operate in the Bay State, without controversy. Well done, ladies and gentlemen.
Jon Basso, the founder of Heart Attack Grill is a sick piece of work. Period.
Agreed. Dan brings some big level experience to a resort that frankly is big, but does not know it. I think the message that the Palms was trying to sell over the past few years was a bit lost. Hopefully Dan can give it a new one.