Loveman Steps
Up
As reported by the Boston
Herald: "Despite reigning over one of the world's
largest gambling empires, Boston's own Gary Loveman
– a former Harvard professor who quietly lives
in the suburbs – has managed to stay relatively
anonymous.
"That is, until the disaster that was Katrina
upended the nation's economy, flattened two Harrah's
casinos in Mississippi and left a third stranded
in a flooded New Orleans.
"And Loveman, as head of gambling behemoth
Harrah's Entertainment, has stepped out of the background
– and into the media spotlight – to
become the kindly public face of a suddenly compassionate
casino industry.
"He has pledged to spend some of his company's
huge gambling trove to pay for an impressive array
of good works, from turning part of a casino into
a relief center to three months of pay for employees
of a trio of now-shuttered Harrah's gambling halls.
"Other Vegas gambling czars with casinos on
the battered Gulf Coast have been less outspoken.
"…While other casino giants have aimed
for the flashy high-rollers, Harrah's has made a
fortune bringing casino gambling to middle-class
patrons in cities and towns across the country.
"… Loveman's plans also call for winning
permission from Mississippi's governor to open a
``temporary' casino…"
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