The little details about what a client likes are what a casino host lives off. The bottles are a birthday gift for a player not a “big player” but a “regular player” who, like the incoming bachelor party host, gets taken care of. Let’s ship them first thing in the morning.” DeFilippis takes out his notepad and double checks to make sure the six bottles in the crate are from the winery he requested. The sound of thunder briefly interrupts the infinite loop of ringing slot machines. DeFilippis has been monitoring the progress and altering plans every step of the way because the man hosting the bachelor party is one of his major “players” - a high-end client who needs to be taken care of.Ī casino employee carrying a wooden wine crate stops in front of us as the lobby door opens. Their connecting flight to Fort Lauderdale was held up and then a transport van had to be arranged to take them to the casino.

“They should be here any minute,” he says, referring to a bachelor party we’ve been tracking all night.įirst their flight was delayed in Maryland, then re-routed to Orlando because of the storm. His eyes dart back and forth between his Blackberry and the incoming vehicles. Jonathan DeFilippis, a player development executive for the casino, is watching from the lobby. Rivers of rain flow over the edges of the roof covering the main entrance, making it appear as if buses and cars are arriving through a waterfall. It’s Friday night and fists of black clouds are pounding the sky above the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. “You’re only as good as your last comp.” - Henry Pisano, vice president of player development, Seminole Hard Rock Casino

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