Jacqueline Grace Resigns as GM of the Tropicana

Jacqueline Grace recently resigned from her position as vice president and general manager of the Tropicana casino in Atlantic City. As a result, now none of the city’s casinos is headed by a woman or a person of color.

Grace Departs from Her Position

Grace was the last of Atlantic City’s four female casino leads to depart from her post. She will explore other opportunities and is now serving as the chief executive of Beam Living, a NY-based full-service real estate management company. In the meantime, her position at Tropicana will be succeeded by Joe Giunta.

Grace is an ex-Wall Street tech and diversity manager who joined the gambling industry. She now has over two decades of experience in the sector and has previously served as the assistant general manager of Caesars’ Horseshoe Baltimore venue. As general manager of Horseshoe Baltimore, Grace helped the casino expand and ink partnerships with various celebrities. She also played a key role in the renovation of The Marketplace dining area and the opening of The Terrace, Horseshoe’s outdoor entertainment spot.

Grace spoke about her leave, saying that she is very happy with her new job. She said she is thrilled to join an amazing team that will help the local residents and communities.

Giunta, who will replace Grace, boasts years of experience with Tropicana’s ownership company, Caesars Entertainment. He has served the operator for over two decades and has recently had a tenure as the VP of operations at Harrah’s Casino, another Caesars-owned venue. While he may be experienced, his appointment signifies the end of diversity within Atlantic City’s casinos.

AC’s Casinos Are No Longer as Diverse as They Used to Be

Several years ago, Atlantic City’s casinos had a much more diverse leadership. Four women, including Grace, occupied leadership positions and ran four of the city’s nine casinos. In addition, two of these women were women of color, which further diversified the casinos’ cast.

The women were namely Jacqueline Grace as VP and general manager of Tropicana, Melonie Johnson as the head of the Borgata, Karie Hall, as the lead of Bally’s and Terry Glebocki, who ran Ocean Casino Resort.

However, this period is now over. With Grace’s leave, all leadership positions at the city’s nine casinos are now occupied by white men. Johnson returned to a Washington DC casino she ran before joining the Borgata. Hall, meanwhile, was replaced by Bally’s new owners in 2020. Lastly, Glebocki, departed in late 2021, a few days before half of the casino was sold to the Ilitch family.