Country Artist Lee Greenwood and AEG Promoter John Meglen to Receive Casino Entertainment Legend Awards
Nine Casino Artists, Executives, and Venues also will be Honored at Eighth Annual Casino Entertainment Awards in Livestream Virtual Awards Show
Award-winning recording artist Lee Greenwood who got his start in casinos will receive a Casino Entertainment Legend Award at the eighth annual Casino Entertainment Awards (CEA), which will be live-streamed as a virtual award show on Thursday, November 17, 2020.
The Casino Entertainment Awards (CEA) are the official awards exclusively honoring outstanding artists, executives, and venues in the casino entertainment industry. The Casino Entertainment Legend Award recognizes lifetime achievement in the casino entertainment industry.
An ACM, CMA, and Grammy award winner, Lee Greenwood has released more than 20 major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the Billboard country music charts. He is known for his patriotic signature song “God Bless the U.S.A.” Greenwood is represented by Jeff Hill at APA Nashville.
John Meglen is President & Co-CEO of Concerts West, a global touring division of AEG Presents. A music industry veteran, Meglen has promoted casino tours for Celine Dion, The Rolling Stones, Brad Paisley, Katy Perry, Chris Young, and many other A-list artists. Casino Entertainment Awards will be presented to artists, executives, and venues in nine categories in casino entertainment. Selected from more than 1,500 online nominations, the nominees for 2020 CEAs include:
Casino Entertainer of the Year
- Patti LaBelle
- Johnny Mathis
- Barry Manilow
- Pitbull
- Reba, Brooks & Dunn
Casino Comedian of the Year
- Ken Jeong
- Jo Koy
- Sebastian Maniscalco
- Adam Sandler
- Sinbad
Casino Musical Artist of the Year
- 98 Degrees
- Pepe Aguilar
- The Beach Boys
- Lorrie Morgan
- • REO Speedwagon
Casino Production Show of the Year
- The Clairvoyants
- Fantasy
- Price Is Right Live
- So You Think You Can Dance
- Thunder From Down Under
Casino Entertainment Executive of the Year
- Chris Baldizan, MGM Resorts International
- Damian Costa, Caesars Entertainment
- Tammy Kite, Golden Nugget Casino
- Joe Lupo, Hard Rock Atlantic City
- Dan Pferschy, Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa
Casino Showroom/Theater of the Year
- Encore Theater at Wynn
- The Music Box, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
- Mystic Lake Showroom, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
- Pechanga Theater, Pechanga Resort Casino
- The Show, Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa
Casino Arena/Amphitheater of the Year
- BECU Live, Northern Quest Resort & Casino
- Hard Rock Live at Mark G. Etess Arena, Atlantic City
- Hard Rock Live, Hard Rock Hollywood
- Ovation Hall, Ocean Resort Casino
- Park Theater at Park MGM Las Vegas
Casino Booking Agent of the Year
- Adam Kornfeld, AGI
- Mark Roeder, WME/Nashville
- Darius Sabet, UTA
- Seth Shomes, UTA
- Christianne Weiss, APA
Independent Casino Talent Buyer of the Year
- Judy Alberti, Alberti Entertainment LLC
- Jordan Huneryager, C3 Presents
- Leslie Master, Live Nation Entertainment
- Michael Scafuto, The M&M Group, Inc.
- • Danny Zelisko, Danny Zelisko Presents
Established in 2013, the CEA awards gala has traditionally been held at a Las Vegas casino during Global Gaming Expo week but will shift this year to The Vegas Virtual Studio for a live stream broadcast due to pandemic restrictions.
“Although most casino arenas, showrooms, and other entertainment venues are closed due to the pandemic, we are pleased to still be able to honor the outstanding casino artists, executives, and venues nationwide that were active during the nomination period of April 2019 to March 2020,” said Traci Peel, CEA producer.
“Awards presenters will be pre-recorded with an emcee opening the awards envelopes live in a TV studio to reveal this year’s CEA recipients. In show business tradition, the show always goes on,” added Ms. Peel.