“The chance to build strong relationships with players and corporate partners is what I strive to do,” he said.

        Mr. Jacquot polished his craft with six years in the gaming industry with Lotto-Quebec, Casino Division, and seven years in the hospitality industry with giants such as Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton.

“When I accepted this position in August I immediately set goals for our department, and they are twofold: 

·        “The first, increasing revenue and traffic of premium players.  I want Gulfstream to be the destination of choice for premium players. It’s a beautiful facility and, by the fall of 2008, when the first phase of (retail) construction is complete, Gulfstream Park will be a landmark in South Florida. 

·        “The second, implementing an aggressive plan to generate more revenue from premium players.  Senior management believes in the plan, which is crucial to the development of a casino.

Mr. Jacquot was born in France and his family moved to Quebec when he was quite young. He grew up in Montreal and became enamored with the thrill and excitement he saw in local casinos, both in real life and in the movies.

“I traveled around the world to visit casinos:  Macau, China, Las Vegas Nevada, Atlantic City, Europe and cruise liners. Casinos are fascinating places: the lights, sounds and the energy reminds me every day why I chose this path.”

Mr. Jacquot served as Executive Host, VIP Manager and eventually Marketing Advisor for all Lotto-Quebec's properties: Casino Montreal, Casino Lac-Leamy and Casino of Charlevoix.

 During his career he became acquainted with such luminaries as Paul Anka, Quincy Jones, Celine Dion, Quebec Premier Jean Chrétien, Pamela Anderson, Oprah Winfrey, Gene Hickman and several athletes, including many from the Montreal Canadians, Ottawa Senators and the Denver Broncos.

His brother Luc is the Senior Adviser for Lotto-Quebec, operator of that province’s three casinos, and his sister-in-law Lynn is an executive host at Casino Montreal.

Mr. Jacquot first came to South Florida in 1992 and went to work as an analyst with the National Council on Compensation Insurance, based in Boca Raton.

 “As a business analyst I didn’t have much of a chance to build relationships since I build reports every day,” he said. “Coming to Gulfstream gave me the opportunity to resume that contact.

“I’m on the floor every day, listening to our customers and employees. I make it a mission to talk to all the premium players whether on the racing side or the casino side, whether it is during the week, weekends, days or nights. A large majority of our revenue (close to 80%) is generated by our premium segment, 5% of our players, so it's important that our team is present for them, to listen to their needs and wants and, most importantly, to act quickly.”

The seriousness with which Mr. Jacquot approaches his job tells you he’s more than a meet-and-greet glad-hander.

“Player development is crucial to a gaming organization,” he said. “It’s a huge component to any successful organization and the key to a casino’s growth. It's taken root here: more assets and monies have been allocated toward our plan and I’ve been given a free reign. With the backing of senior management and a solid rapport with our customers, everything is in place for us to be a success.”