2016 Casino Entertainment Awards

Grammy Hall of Famer Brenda Lee will be presented with a Casino Entertainment Legend Award at the fourth annual Casino Entertainment Awards (CEA) on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, inside the Vinyl showroom at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Veteran casino entertainment executive Tom Cantone, Senior Vice President of Sports and Entertainment of Mohegan Sun Tribal Gaming Authority, also will be honored with a Casino Entertainment Legend Award.

Sponsored by the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) and the American Gaming Association (AGA), the Casino Entertainment Awards are the only awards exclusively honoring outstanding artists, executive and venues in the casino entertainment industry. The Casino Entertainment Legend Awards recognize lifetime achievement in the casino entertainment industry.

With more than 100 million units of her music sold globally, Brenda Lee has been a superstar since childhood, releasing her first single when she was 11-years old, sharing the stage with Elvis Presley at 12, and having The Beatles open for her European tour before she turned 20. Her classic hits include “I’m Sorry” (which sold over 20 million copies), “Break It To Me Gently,” “All Alone Am I,” “Losing You,” “Emotions” and “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” a holiday standard for more than 50 years. She is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Lee was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.

Tom Cantone oversees all aspects of the entertainment offerings at all of the Mohegan Sun Tribal Gaming Authority properties, including Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He previously served as vice president of sports and entertainment of the flagship property in Connecticut. Prior to Mohegan Sun, Cantone held positions at Foxwoods Resort and Casino, Sands Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, Hershey Entertainment & Resort Co., Hollywood Casinos and various Trump properties. Cantone is the author of “Book ‘Em, The Man Who Revolutionized Casino Entertainment.”

Casino Entertainment Awards also will be presented to artists, executives and venues in eight categories of casino entertainment. CEA nominee finalists were selected from more than 500 online nominations and include:

Independent Casino Talent Buyer of the Year
• Andrew Blank, C3 Presents
• Billy Brill, Billy Alan Productions
• Mike Moloney, Mike Moloney Entertainment

Casino Booking Agent of the Year
• Guy Richard, Agency for the Performing Arts (APA)
• Jennifer Bluestein, The Feldman Agency
• Seth Shomes, United Talent Agency (UTA)

Casino Showroom/Theater of the Year
• Fox Theater, Foxwoods Resort
• Hard Rock Live, Hard Rock Biloxi
• Starlight Theater, Pala Resort Casino

Casino Arena/Amphitheater of the Year
• Sandia Casino Amphitheatre, Sandia Resort & Casino
• Soaring Eagle Outdoor Arena, Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
• Thunder Valley Amphitheatre, Thunder Valley Casino Resort

Casino Entertainment Executive of the Year
• Angela Gozzi, Resorts World New York
• Fedor Banuchi, The Cosmopolitan
• Monique Sebastian, Foxwoods Resort

Casino Comedian of the Year
• Gabriel Iglesias
• Jeff Foxworthy
• Sinbad

Casino Musical Artist of the Year
• Clint Black
• The Commodores
• Three Dog Night

Casino Entertainer of the Year
• Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
• Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
• Tony Orlando

Award festivities will include a celebrity red carpet and reception at 6:00 p.m. and the awards presentation at 7:00 p.m. Complimentary tickets will be distributed to G2E attendees on a first-come, first-serve basis (subject to availability) on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 27-28, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the Casino Entertainment Awards booth (#6745) in the Integrated Resort Experience at G2E located in Hall D of the Sands Expo & Convention Center.

More information at http://globalgamingexpo.com.