Vol. 5 No. 2, February 2008
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From PA to NJ to Way Out West
Golden Gaming’s Steve Arcana made all the stops along the way
Steve Arcana likes having sand in his shoes. He even launched a career based on his love of the Jersey Shore. “When I got an internship,” he says, “I wanted it to be in a casino—so I could stay at the beach.”
The plan worked. Then it led Arcana to even sunnier climes. A Pennsylvanian who spent summers in Ocean City, Arcana got an excellent baptism here from 1985 to 1995, at the Sands. His food and beverage department helped the casino overcome substantial obstacles, like the lack of a big showroom and no connection to the Boardwalk. That mattered when career expansion dawned.
“I was flattered at the interest in my Atlantic City experience,” says Arcana, now vice president of operations for Vegas-based Golden Gaming Inc. “Those days provided a sound foundation for me.”
The early days, he says, were “an exciting time to be in Atlantic City. We catered to a high-end customer. With our amenities, clubs and world-class restaurants, we competed with Trump Plaza for all the high-end business. Every weekend in Atlantic City gave you something to look forward to.
“With food and beverage, we were in the middle of it all.” His department was a crucial crossover point for aspiring general managers and chief operating officers.
“Food and beverage offers the best training ground,” says Arcana. “You are dealing 24/7 with the demands of the players. It teaches you to know how to take care of the customers; it definitely prepared me for upper management. It provided the lesson that the business boils down just to pleasing your guest. From the slots to the hotel stay to the restaurant end, the aspects to be sure of are that your product is superior and your service is superior.”
For Arcana, the crossover occurred in Las Vegas, during the slot revolution that changed the face of gaming. As a food and beverage executive, he had already been part of the rise of Station casinos. Then Golden Gaming—founded by Stations’ executive Blake Sartini—enticed him to the gaming side.
Arcana now directs more than 2,000 employees of the Golden juggernaut, which operates three Colorado casinos in Black Hawk, near Denver. The company also serves as a management arm at Hard Rock, operates a Nevada tavern operation with 45 locations, and is a large slot-route operator in Nevada. It manages more than 2,500 machines in convenience stores, restaurants, bars and taverns.
The jump to Golden Gaming was a big one for Arcana, but he cleared the risk-reward hurdle, swinging into a management training program, then into a post as assistant general manager at Boulder Station. After that came a GM position at the Santa Fe and Texas Station properties.
“The most important education I received in Las Vegas came through slots,” he says. “You come to understand what the consumers want and what the best themes are. That means spending a lot of time with the manufacturers to understand what they have in store for the future, then analyzing the floor on a regular basis. You go over the themes, the denominations, the layout and the comfort of the different areas. You break down the video reels for poker, what works the best, where it will be the most profitable.”
At Golden Gaming, Arcana displayed instant versatility. He added new property development, marketing and human resource duties to his expertise in slots, hotel management and food and beverage.
The job provides a unique view of Nevada’s “tavern casinos.” The restricted gaming often limits a tavern to 15 machines, offering video poker, keno and blackjack. Smaller machine numbers provide an informal setting, where food and beverage plays prominently.
“It’s a whole different thing than you would see most other places,” Arcana says. “The gaming crowd comes in, they want to talk to the bar host, relax, have a couple drinks. The taverns have become so fun and diverse. There is a lot of energy and warmth. Everybody loves their favorite bar.
“We have a designated driver program and taxi programs, so we are very conscious of the alcohol. Players love the idea that it’s in-and-out, no valet, no garage.”
Arcana thrives on the energy of gaming, the thrill of assembling teams, and the variety of challenge. He remains an energized, focused and dynamic executive.
Steve’s “Golden” Pointers
• “Don’t be focused on salary at the beginning. Earning potential will grow with experience. Never walk in and demand money, just give them 110 percent. Show companies you want to learn. Vary your experience and those paydays will come. It burns me up when somebody says they need x, y, and z to make a job work. You’ll get your x, y and z, but you’ve got to prove it.”
• Show stability. Arcana’s extensive career has been spent only with three companies: the Sands, Station and Golden Gaming. “If I look at a resumé and someone has jumped around on a regular basis, I don’t like that,” he says. “Stay committed. Stay loyal. When people stay at least five or six years, they will take on a lot of jobs to help them grow.”
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