Panelist urges women in gaming to be aggressive

Kevin Ferguson

Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2001 | 9:22 a.m.

The casino industry has been on par with corporate America in promoting women to executive levels, some observers say. But a panelist at a Las Vegas gaming conference said that's not good enough.

"Is there a glass ceiling (for women employees)? Absolutely. That's why we are having this discussion," said Jane Silker, president of the Louisiana casino consulting firm JSS Solutions.

She was on a panel at last week's Global Gaming Expo.

Silker didn't criticize specific gaming operators. Instead, she laid out steps for women to move up the ranks. She said women need to know their talents and aggressively go after jobs in which they can succeed.

"Don't go after a position that's just open, if it doesn't match your talents. If you do, you're not going to be anything more than mediocre," she told an audience dominated by women.

Panel moderator Sara Beth Brown stressed that much progress has been made in the gaming industry and corporate America, referring to the "glass ceiling" as one actually made of "Saran Wrap."

"We are constantly poking holes in the Saran Wrap," said Brown, who has been general counsel for slot making giant International Game Technology for the past two years.

She said women who show patience in climbing the ladder shouldn't be mistaken for people who are passive.

"Many women who have earned high-ranking positions in major corporations have done so by learning the business at every level," Brown said.

The panel said women in management roles in the gaming industry tend to be under-represented in the operations side of the casino, but well-represented in the areas of legal, regulatory and human resources.

John Gallaway, president of Isle of Capri Casinos, said that's because those were the areas women started to get trained in 20 years ago during the push for women's rights in the work force.

Brown said IGT is one of the leaders in the gaming industry in promoting women. Women hold three, or 25 percent, of the company's vice president and above positions. In addition, 50 percent of the company's directors are women.

IGT's percentages mirror those of panelist Yvette Landau's company Mandalay Resort Group. Three out of the company's 16 general manager positions are held by women, including Terri Porcaro at Mandalay Bay.

"Most of (Mandalay's women executives) were promoted from within," she said. "If a woman and a man seek a certain promotion and they have equal skills, you can bet the woman will get it."

Citing statistics in an upcoming Fortune magazine article, Brown said women make up 46.5 percent of the U.S. labor force and 49.5 percent of managers and professionals.

But women only make up 12.5 percent of corporate officers in Fortune 500 companies and only 4 percent of Fortune 500 top earners, she said.

Audience member Steven Batzer, senior vice president of insurance firm Marsh USA Inc., referred to the "good old boy" theory in explaining why corporate America struggles to promote women at a faster rate.

"When you get up to the top in most major industries, it becomes a social club. It's the guys they play golf with or squash that get the promotions," Batzer said.

Brown said women should seek a mentor in their area of expertise, male or female, and also learn from other women who have climbed the ranks.

"Women in the gaming industry can benefit from the advice from other women executives, learn about (their) company and take that knowledge up the ladder," she said.