Gaming and hospitality business Rush Street Gaming announced Monday that two of its longest-tenured executives have received new promotions: Bill Keena, a 35-year casino veteran, has been named Chief Operating Officer; while Marc Arndt, a 24-year finance executive, has been appointed Chief Financial Officer. Last month, Tim Drehkoff had been promoted from CFO to CEO, after the departure of Greg Carlin, former CEO and Co-Founder.
CEO of Rush Street Gaming, Tim Drehkoff, stated: “Bill Keena and Marc Arndt have been part of the Rush Street family for over a decade. Their unique combination of institutional history, operational expertise and financial acumen made them the ideal choices for COO and CFO. We’re delighted they’ve accepted these exciting new roles.”
Keena most recently served for three-plus years as general manager of Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. Under Keena’s leadership, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh set new performance precedents and successfully navigated pandemic shutdowns amid fluid health and safety measures. Rivers Casino Pittsburgh will open its new hotel later this year.
Keena’s work for Rush Street began in 2011 when the company opened Rivers Casino in Des Plaines with him as general manager. The Chicago-area venue quickly became Illinois’ top-performing casino and has been so ever since, according to RSI. Rivers Casino Des Plaines recently completed an $87 million expansion that added 78,000 square feet of gaming, event space, and other amenities.
Between his appointments as the top local executive for Rivers Casino in various markets, Keena served Rush Street Gaming as an enterprise-wide casino industry consultant.
Keena began his gaming career in 1988, after graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He joined Harrah’s finance department, where his responsibilities grew to include casino and hotel oversight as general manager of Harrah’s Laughlin, Nevada, and Harrah’s St. Louis, Missouri. Thereafter, he was promoted to regional president for Harrah’s, simultaneously overseeing four full-service casinos and resorts, two in Missouri and two in Iowa.
“Rush Street gaming has been exemplary in developing a positive team member culture, strong community engagements and superior guest experiences. I’m looking forward to working alongside our tremendously talented and dedicated teams to continue their great momentum,” Keena said.
Meanwhile, Arndt was the first team member to join Rivers Casino in Des Plaines prior to the property’s ribbon-cutting in 2011. He was instrumental in launching that operation and was closely involved in hiring key team members, contract negotiations and project management.
Today, Arndt oversees and manages the finance functions across all gaming operations including Rush Street’s land-based casinos and their affiliated entities. He has extensive experience in financial management, business leadership and corporate strategy.
Prior to joining Rush Street, Arndt was the CFO of Bethesda Home, a regional acute care nursing and rehabilitation center. Earlier, he was a director with Bridge Finance Group and focused on structuring, closing and managing senior secured debt, mezzanine debt and preferred equity.
“I’m excited about Rush Street’s tremendous growth over the past decade and proud of the team’s many accomplishments,” said Arndt. “We have strong and thoughtful leadership across the entire enterprise. I’m looking forward to continued collaboration and even more great things ahead.”
