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Casino Control Commission elects Alicia B. Cooper vice chair, approves multiple key‑employee licenses
Summary
At its Dec. 11, 2024 meeting the New Jersey Casino Control Commission elected Alicia B. Cooper vice chair through the January 2026 reorganization, ratified minutes and approved initial, resubmitted and temporary casino key‑employee licenses — including an initial license for Jeffrey Hook at Hard Rock — and remanded one application for contested hearing.
The New Jersey Casino Control Commission on Dec. 11, 2024, elected Alicia B. Cooper to serve as vice chair until the January 2026 reorganization meeting, ratified the prior meeting minutes and approved a series of licensing and administrative actions affecting Atlantic City properties.
Commissioners moved and approved the ratification of the Dec. 11, 2024 minutes, then nominated and confirmed Alicia B. Cooper as vice chair; Cooper thanked commissioners for the nomination and support. Patrick Ealer, manager of licensing and financial evaluation, summarized delegated staff approvals between Dec. 1 and Dec. 25, 2024, memorializing temporary casino key licenses issued to employees at Bally’s, Hard Rock, Borgata and Resorts Atlantic City.
On motions from commissioners, the Commission granted four initial casino key‑employee licenses (applicants named on the record), approved 10 resubmitted key‑employee licenses, and voted to inactivate five licenses at the request of those licensees (individuals may remain on the inactive list for up to five years). The Commission also found five licenses lapsed for failure to file required review applications and adopted staff recommendations recorded under applicable NJAC provisions.
In contested‑process scheduling, the Commission voted to remand the James W. McGowan Jr. application for initial licensure as vice president of security for Tropicana Atlantic City Corp. to the contested‑case process for plenary qualification. Separately, the Commission approved a petition granting a temporary casino key employee license to Travis T. Truong of Marina District Development Company LLC to serve as vice president of Asian marketing pending plenary qualification; the Division of Gaming Enforcement stated no objection. The Commission also approved a joint petition to issue an initial casino key employee license to Jeffrey Hook, including multi‑casino endorsements and a waiver of the residency requirement, to permit him to serve as chief operating officer and related executive roles for Hard Rock and affiliated entities.
The actions were taken by voice vote or roll call as noted in the meeting record. The Commission announced its next closed session for Feb. 12, 2025, and closed the public participation portion with no public speakers.
Why it matters: these approvals fill senior operational and security roles at major Atlantic City casino properties and document staff‑level delegated actions that keep properties staffed and compliant with state licensing rules. The remand and contested‑case referral preserve procedural protections for contested applications.
