Categories: Business, News, Saratoga County, Schenectady County

SCHENECTADY — The general manager of Rivers Casino & Resort has left the Schenectady site to run another casino operated by the same corporate parent.





Rob Long came to Rivers in December 2017 after 40 years in the gambling industry, most recently at Bally’s and Resorts casinos in Mississippi.

He has now taken over leadership of SugarHouse Casino, on the waterfront in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rivers and SugarHouse both are owned by Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming.

Long came to Schenectady to replace Mary Cheeks, who had been general manager of Rivers for 20 months before its February 2017 opening, and had led much of the extensive recruitment, training and other preparation needed to get the casino ready for its debut.

Cheeks joined Rush Street Gaming in 2010 and left Rivers in November 2017 to pursue other opportunities, the company said at the time.

Assistant general manager Justin Moore has been named acting general manager of the Schenectady casino in the wake of Long’s departure. He filled the same role in 2017, between Cheeks’ departure and Long’s appointment.

In the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, Rivers has averaged $12.83 million in gross gaming revenue (the money lost by gamblers), of which an average $4.35 million was paid in taxes to the state and local municipalities. The bulk of this revenue comes from Rivers’ 1,150 slot machines and electronic games, in which guests gambled an average $101 million a month.

Rivers has a gaming floor, hotel, five restaurants performance space and event venue run by approximately 1,200 employees.