Howard Dreitzer, who led the introduction of table games at three Seminole Casinos in Florida, has been named Chief Operating Officer for Seminole Gaming.

“I am confident that his future contributions to the Tribe’s gaming operations will be even more significant,” CEO James Allen said. (On the opening night of blackjack at the Hard Rock in June 2008, Dreitzer was the big guy that Allen joked with about a $100 bet whether they'd get it done on time.)

Dreitzer will run gaming for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Hollywood and Tampa, as well as the Seminole Casinos in Coconut Creek, Hollywood, on the Immokalee Reservation near Naples, on the Brighton Reservation northwest of Lake Okeechobee and on the Big Cypress Reservation south of Lake Okeechobee, the tribe's press release says.

Dreitzer had been senior VP of table games for Seminole Gaming since March 2008. Before that, Dreitzer was Senior VP and GM for the Conrad Jupiters Gold Coast gaming resort in Queensland, Australia. Dreitzer worked directly for Caesars Entertainment, which managed the resort, and he directed overall resort operations for Conrad Jupiters and Conrad Treasury. He previously was Vice President and General Manager and Vice President of Casino Operations of the Conrad International Treasury Casino & Hotel in Brisbane, Australia.

U.S. casino executive work included at Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans, the Atlantic City Showboat Hotel & Casino and the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, NJ. He also was a senior manager with Golden Nugget and the Sands.

Dreitzer was born in Miami Beach and studied at the University of South Florida, Miami-Dade Junior College, the University of Las Vegas, and executive development programs at Columbia University, Wharton Business College, Harvard University and Cornell.