Saracen Casino Resort Names Rod Centers CEO Days After Terminating General Manager and Chief Marketing Officer

Saracen Casino Resort named Rod Centers chief executive officer effective Monday (Sept. 28). The appointment by the Downstream Development Authority followed the termination of General Manager Matt Harkness and Chief Marketing Officer Carlton Saffa by only a few days.

Centers previously served as chief operating officer for Seneca Gaming Corporation, overseeing operations at Seneca Niagara, Seneca Buffalo Creek, and Seneca Allegany. His background also includes leadership positions at Jack Entertainment, Penn Entertainment, and Caesars Entertainment. Saracen is a commercial casino owned by the Quapaw Nation of Oklahoma and operated by the authority.

Billy Shapp, chairman of the Downstream Development Authority, said Centers was selected for his track record. “Rod has run large properties for the biggest operators in the business and for a tribal nation, and he knows what it takes to win in a competitive market,” Shapp said. “The board is moving forward with new leadership and a new direction, and we chose the person who can take Saracen where it should go.”

Centers responded in kind. “Saracen is one of the finest properties in the South, and I am honored to lead it,” he said. “This team helped build Saracen into what it is today, and this is the team that will carry it into the future. My job is to take it further, and we start today.”

Circumstances of the Executive Terminations

The authority unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday (Sept. 24) in support of the terminations. It concluded that Harkness and Saffa had founded and marketed a gaming company called GamePhysics to third parties within the Arkansas gaming industry. The Quapaw Nation Business Committee later approved the resolution, making the firings official.

Saffa told Casino.org that his dismissal came as a “total shock.” Shapp stated that Saracen’s commitment to Pine Bluff and Jefferson County is “stronger than ever” and “it starts with the people who work here and the community that has supported us since day one.” Saffa joined the project in 2019 after Arkansas voters authorized a casino in Jefferson County in the November 2018 election.

Link to Recent Tribal Leadership Election

The tribe cited a conflict of interest with Harkness and Saffa running a separate gaming entity while employed at Saracen. A change in tribal leadership might also be in play. During the tribe’s annual election in July, Jesse “Manz” McKibben was elected chairman and Linda Valliere won secretary-treasurer. McKibben and Valliere, along with the other July winners, were sworn in on Aug. 15.

Saracen offers more than 1,500 slot machines, 30 table games, a sportsbook, and a 14-story, 318-room hotel and spa. The property includes a 1,600-seat event center that hosts national touring acts. This account is drawn from reporting by Casino.org News.

Reporting: Casino.org News

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