MAR 29 Mark Giannantonio got 2 Atlantic City casinos through crises
Mark Giannantonio’s first casino job was bringing food to gamblers at an eatery on the casino floor at Resorts Casino Hotel as a college freshman looking for pocket money.
Now he runs the casino.
An Atlantic City native and relentless booster of his hometown, Giannantonio helped lead two casinos through crises that threatened their very survival and has since become the face of the local casino industry.
Tropicana Atlantic City and Resorts, of which he is president, might very well not exist today had it not been for Giannantonio’s steady leadership and unflappability during periods when each was in danger of closing.
Giannantonio, 61, grew up on Kingston Avenue in the city’s Chelsea neighborhood. Enthralled by the beach and Boardwalk, he also went to Mass regularly at St. Michael’s and spent a lot of time with his extended family, led by his grandmother and filled out by many cousins.
Sunday evening was family dinner night at Grandma’s, with Italian delicacies overflowing the table.
He graduated from Atlantic City High School and earned a degree in economics at Stockton University, the first in his family to go to college.
It was there that he got his first job at Resorts in 1982 as a waiter at the Cafe Casino. Next was a job delivering room service orders to hotel guests.
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"I was able to learn the business and save some money,” he said. "It was phenomenal, and it was great experience. I just loved every aspect of Resorts.”
After college, he worked at the Tropicana, Bally’s Grand and Trump Castle casinos, doing every job from room service supervisor to labor analyst to marketing and financial analysis — soaking in as much as he could about every aspect of the business.