Saracen Casino Resort Names Rod Centers CEO Just Days After Firing GM and CMO

As of Monday (Sept. 28), Saracen Casino Resort has a new leader in Chief Executive Officer Rod Centers. His appointment came only days after the Arkansas casino resort in Pine Bluff shocked the state gaming industry by terminating General Manager Matt Harkness and Chief Market Officer Carlton Saffa. A rainbow shines over Saracen Casino Resort in Arkansas. The casino’s 14-story hotel opened in June 2026. The property underwent a leadership shakeup in recent days. (Image: Saracen Casino Resort) The Downstream Development Authority named Centers as the casino’s top executive, effective immediately. Centers arrives from Seneca Gaming Corporation, where he served as chief operating officer of the New York tribe’s gaming operations at Seneca Niagara, Seneca Buffalo Creek, and Seneca Allegany. His leadership roles also include stints at Jack Entertainment, Penn Entertainment, and Caesars Entertainment. Rod has run large properties for the biggest operators in the business and for a tribal nation, and he knows what it takes to win in a competitive market,” said Billy Shapp, chairman of the Downstream Development Authority. “The board is moving forward with new leadership and a new direction, and we chose the person who can take Saracen where it should go.” Saracen is a commercial casino owned by the Quapaw Nation of Oklahoma and operated by its Downstream Development Authority. The property offers more than 1,500 slot machines, 30 table games, a sportsbook, and a 14-story, 318-room hotel and spa. The 1,600-seat event center regularly hosts national touring acts. “Saracen is one of the finest properties in the South, and I am honored to lead it,” said Centers. “This team helped build Saracen into what it is today, and this is the team that will carry it into the future. My job is to take it further, and we start today.” Harkness, Saffa Exits The Downstream Development Authority, a commercial enterprise owned and operated by the Quapaw Nation of Oklahoma, unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday (Sept. 24) in support of Harkness’s and Saffa’s terminations. The company concluded in the resolution that the two executives had founded and marketed a gaming company called GamePhysics to “third parties within the Arkansas gaming industry.” Saffa told Casino.org that his dismissal came as a “total shock.” The resolution was later approved by the Quapaw Nation Business Committee, which made their firings official. Shapp said Saracen’s commitment to Pine Bluff and Jefferson County is “stronger than ever,” and that “it starts with the people who work here and the community that has supported us since day one.” Saffa was with the casino before day one, joining the project in 2019 after Arkansas voters authorized a casino in Jefferson County during the November 2018 election. Leadership Changes While the tribe cited a conflict of interest with Harkness and Saffa running a separate gaming entity while employed at Saracen, a change in tribal leadership might also be in play. During the tribe’s annual election in July, Jesse “Manz” McKibben was elected chairman and Linda Valliere won secretary-treasurer. McKibben and Valliere, along with the other July winners, were sworn in on Aug. 15. The post Saracen Casino Resort Names Rod Centers CEO Just Days After Firing GM and CMO appeared first on Casino.org.