Gaming briefs for July 16, 2003

Wednesday, July 16, 2003 | 11:34 a.m.

New delegates take seats

Three new faces were among six appointees who took seats on the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors last week.

Las Vegas Councilman Larry Brown, Boulder City Councilman Mike Pacini and Anthony Sanfilippo, president of the Western Division of Harrah's Entertainment Inc., were sworn in to the public-private LVCVA board, which makes policy decisions on funds generated by room taxes.

Brown replaces former Las Vegas Councilman Michael McDonald while Pacini succeeds Mesquite Councilman Paul Henderson for a seat that rotates every two years between Boulder City and Mesquite. Sanfilippo replaces Ed Crispell as one of two nominees from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Slot maker names CFO

SYDNEY, Australia -- Aristocrat Leisure Ltd., the world's second-largest slot machine maker, said it hired Simon Kelly as its new chief financial officer.

Aristocrat, the worst performing stock on Australia's benchmark index in the past 12 months, dumped its top two executive officers in April. It cut earnings forecasts three times this year, once for its 2002 year and twice for its 2003 first half. It is set to report a net loss in the half ended June 30.

Kelly is chief financial officer of the consumer foods unit of Goodman Fielder Ltd., where he worked for eight years. He will begin work in early September, Aristocrat said in a statement to the stock exchange.

Shares in Sydney-based Aristocrat fell 5 cents, or 3.1 percent, to A$1.54 at the 4 p.m. market close in Sydney today. Its shares have fallen 67 percent this year. Aristocrat made the announcement after the market closed.