My name is Richard Schuetz and it is my great honour to have been recently appointed as the executive director of the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission.

I am 65 years old and a citizen of the United States. I started my career in gambling 45 years ago as a college student when I worked in the casinos at night to pay for my education.

Since that beginning, I have travelled about the world in gaming, having worked in casino environments in Nevada, Minnesota, New Jersey, Louisiana and several other US locations. I have also lectured on gaming in universities across the United States, including both of the University of Nevada campuses, the University of Houston, San Diego State University and several others.

On a global basis, I have taught Casino Management and Regulation at the University of Macau and Macau Polytechnic Institute in Macau, SAR China, and at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

I have published more than 60 articles on gaming, gaming regulation and related topics. I have been a dealer, a manager, an executive, and a chief executive officer of gaming firms, and sat on several boards involving casino operations, gaming device manufacturing, gaming publications and gaming educational efforts.

I have been involved in commercial casinos, American Indian tribal casinos, as a consultant to jurisdictions introducing casino gaming and as a gaming regulator. In short, essentially all of my adult life has been involved with gaming.

On September 5, 2015, I landed on this amazing island to assume my duties. The commission has been tasked with introducing up to three integrated casino resorts in Bermuda, with the stated goal of increasing employment and investment for the island.

Over the course of the foreseeable future, I will be appearing in this space and discussing with you the issues and challenges of moving forward in this effort.

Over my lifetime, I have witnessed jurisdictions around the world introduce gaming, and I would like to think that I have acquired a sense of what works, and what doesn’t.

So, as we move forward, I will work to communicate these experiences, and what we are trying to accomplish for the people of Bermuda. And I will make one promise to you, and that is this — I will make every effort to communicate honestly and directly in this effort.