An inside look at the future of slots with Next Gaming’s CEO Michael Darley By J. Phillip Vogel Next Gaming, headquartered in Las Vegas, NV
4171 Distribution Circle Suite 101Terry L. Caudill serves as the President of TLC Enterprises and is responsible for establishing the strategic direction for his multiple holdings. Within Next Gaming, Terry works closely with his executives to identify market trends and capitalize on being the only casino owner to operate two casinos multiple bar locations and a slot manufacturing and distributing company.
In 2003, with Caudill’s leadership, TLC Casino Enterprises purchased the Four Queens Hotel & Casino and began a four-year strategic plan to streamline operations as well as renovate and refurbish the property. The success of these efforts armed the owner with the knowledge and experience to purchase Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel, finalizing the acquisition of this iconic Las Vegas property in 2008. With a current foothold in downtown Las Vegas, Caudill is positioned to take this historic area to new levels in the gaming marketplace.
Early in his career, Caudill started as a Keno writer and craps dealer in Reno leading him to over 30 years in the gaming industry. His humble beginnings and drive resulted in a position as Corporate Treasurer of Circus Circus Enterprises, which later became Mandalay Resort Group, and finally acquired by MGM Mirage. Caudill went on to own 15 bars and restaurants as well as two prominent, historic Las Vegas casinos.
Caudill earned an Accounting degree from University of Nevada and graduated with honors with a Mathematics degree. He has resided in Nevada for 37 years and held multiple Nevada Gaming Licenses for more than 20 years. His career has spanned from craps dealer, to Wall Street strategist, to entrepreneur earning him the respect of his peers and industry experts alike. Terry is an avid golfer and enjoys playing new and challenging courses.
Michael L. Darley is Chief Executive Officer responsible for the management and strategic direction of Next Gaming, LLC. He brings over 30 years of operational and executive management experience within the gaming industry providing leadership, growth opportunities and proven, service-oriented teams.
Previously, he held positions as Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer with Majestic Star, LLC, Sr. VP and General Manager for Fitzgerald’s Hotel and Casino, and VP of Casino Operations with Trump Casinos. This extensive background has provided him with a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience in all aspects of gaming. His operational expertise, and business acumen and leadership abilities, has allowed him to build strong partnerships and diverse relationships within the business community.
Earlier in his career, Darley lead casino operations and service management for Harrah’s Entertainment Corp. and showcased his skills leading casino start-ups, casino design, branding, operations, slot floor revenue maximization, cost controls, CMS systems, OEM purchasing, compliance and multi-jurisdictional management.
Darley conducted his Master’s Degree work in Curriculum Development at California State University Dominguez Hills and earned his Bachelor’s Degree and Teaching Credential in Secondary Education from California State University Long Beach. He’s received the Harrah’s Excellence in Management and Leadership Certifications and Award of Excellence. He has been involved in many community organizations such as The Shade Tree, Nevada Youth Alliance, Southern Nevada Youth Gang Task Force and Las Vegas Centennial Optimist Club. He is married to his wife Kathy of 29 years and has three children and four grandchildren. His hobbies include surfing, snow and water skiing, boating and fine arts.
Robert Piechowiak is Next Gaming’s Chief Technology Officer of Product & Game Design, responsible for overseeing the design, development, and delivery of state-of-the-art platforms, products, services and gaming technologies for national markets. He supports all stages of the sales process and technology leadership to optimize investment decisions and managing processes.
Piechowiak has spent the last 36 years working in the gaming industry, specializing in game design, gaming product development and integration. He has work for various gaming manufacturers and operators including Games of Nevada, Sigma Games and is the owner of Advanced Gaming Solutions. As owner of Advanced Gaming Solutions, he oversaw the development of the ICE Platform and several games, which have been certified by NVGCB, GLI & BLM. The ICE platform, in partnership with Next Gaming, developed and received NVGCB approval for the first true Server Base System in Nevada.
He has been instrumental in the introduction of several new technologies including the Laser Disk Video Horse game, Automated Roulette game, integrating the Bill Acceptor into a gaming cabinet and the first ticket-in, ticket-out system used in Nevada.
Rob gained his multiple skill disciplines through progressive research and application of those skills within the Gaming industry. As the industry evolved, Rob stayed on the forefront of product development and design applications. He enjoys mentoring youth and provides them guidance and direction within their lives. Rob enjoys golf, bowling, softball and is a skilled mechanic and a classic car enthusiast.
Mark DeDeaux is Vice President of Sales and Business Development responsible for game development, product management, strategic initiatives, business development and sales and marketing. With over 25 years of gaming experience on both the casino operations and gaming equipment/sales side, DeDeaux provides a diverse background and strategic vision for the organization. He excels in managing multi-departmental operations, budgets and forecasting, loss prevention and risk management as well as the recruitment, training, and professional development of cross-departmental teams.
Before joining the leadership team at Next Gaming, DeDeaux held positions as Director of Sales and Director of Operations managing a six-state territory for Bally Technology & Gaming, one of the largest and most recognized game and system manufacturing companies. His leadership in these roles consistently exceeded annual revenue, increased regional sales and surpassed his annual forecasts.
DeDeaux began his career with Harrah’s Entertainment Corp. in Lake Tahoe and was part of the opening team at four Harrah’s locations. He also directed slot operations at Trump Casino, managing data analytics, capital purchases, floor design layout and supervision of over 50 employees.
DeDeaux studied Business Administration at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri and a scholarship recipient at Santa Rosa Jr. College in Santa Rosa, California. Mark works with at risk youth to inspire them to believe in themselves, and assists them in creating plans to improve their lives. Additionally Mark has a passion for wellness and is an avid Yoga practitioner
Brian Arlin serves as the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer responsible for overseeing the organizations financial plans, policies and accounting functions. With over 34 years of industry experience, Brian is well versed in the many aspects of gaming and accounting practices.
Arlin brings over 25 years of experience within the gaming industry to this role. In 2003, he was part of the downtown Las Vegas Four Queens Hotel & Casino acquisition as the Senior Executive Director of Finance and Administration. Oversight responsibilities included accounting, auditing human resources, payroll, contact negotiations, purchasing, insurance and gaming regulatory issues. He was also Resident Agent receiving and handling all legal documents served on the property. Prior to this acquisition, Arlin served as the Controller with TLC Enterprises (Magoo’s Gaming Group) consisting of 15 local gaming establishments, 12 restricted and three non-residential, a 100,000 square foot office complex and other various commercial and rental properties.
Early in his career, Arlin held the position of Chief Accountant for Circus Circus Reno providing him with extensive experience operationally and evolved to include all areas of hotel/casino accounting, Regulation 6A requirements, gaming audits, management and supervision.
Arlin received his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Nevada Reno at the top of his class. He continued his education to earn his CPA and currently maintains an active license in Nevada. After graduation, Arlin was hired by Grant Thornton, the largest accounting firm in Reno and worked primarily with gaming clients providing opportunities to gain significant experience in gaming audits. Brian is a world traveler and enjoys exploring various countries with great historic value.
Danella Soeka is the Director of Marketing and Advertising responsible for product marketing, creative development and brand awareness, event planning and logistics as well as content and strategic communications efforts. Soeka brings over 14 years of experience to this role within the hospitality, gaming, higher education and business development industries.
As a creative marketer, and entrepreneur herself, Soeka founded her own marketing consulting company helping startups and small business owners analyze their competitive landscape, create strategic marketing plans, identify partnerships opportunities, and branding initiatives to help her client increase their bottom line. Before her consulting role as Creative Commander, Soeka was the Director of Marketing and Strategic Alliances for a science education company and Director of Marketing and Media Distribution for Governors State University in Illinois.
Soeka’s gaming career started as the Corporate Advertising Supervisor for Empress Casino Hammond and held previous marketing, advertising and communication supervisory roles for Harrah’s Entertainment Corporation, Trump Casino Hotel and Argosy’s Empress Casino Joliet. Soeka was also recruited by senior leadership during four casino acquisitions to open and/or rebrand these Midwest properties.
Soeka earned her Master’s Degree in Communications from Purdue University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management from Calumet College of St. Joseph. She currently serves on the Purdue Alumni Board and was previously awarded the United Way Campaign Manager of the Year for two consecutive years. She currently volunteers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Events Committee and “Airport Angel” program. Soeka also received the J.O. Grantham Leadership Award, presented to individuals who have demonstrated strong leadership qualities in the field of education technologies. She has two children and her first grandchild on the way. She loves to socialize with friends and family, plan events, travel and play golf.