BEVERLY HILLS, Calif / Hilton Gaming Corp. announced the appointment of several senior gaming executives: Wallace R. Barr, executive vice president-eastern region operations and president and chief operating officer-Atlantic City operations; Mark Dodson, senior vice president-gaming operations and treasurer; Robert G. Conover, senior vice president and chief information officer; and Steven D. Shaiken, senior vice president-retail and leasing operations.

The executives report to Arthur M. Goldberg, executive vice president, Hilton Hotels Corp., and president-gaming operations. As previously announced, Goldberg assumed his new role in December 1996 after Hilton's acquisition of Bally Entertainment was completed.

Barr, 51, is responsible for overseeing operations and regional support services at Hilton's two recently acquired Atlantic City, N.J., properties, Bally's Park Place and The Atlantic City Hilton (formerly The Grand); Bally's Saloon-GamblingHall-Hotel in Robinsonville, Miss.; the Flamingo Casino-Kansas City; Bally's Casino Lakeshore Resort in New Orleans; and The Flamingo Casino-New Orleans.

Barr's extensive 24 years of industry management experience includes senior-level positions in Nevada, New Jersey, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Barr earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from California State Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo. He was named "Atlantic City Casino Executive of the Year" for 1994 by Casino Journal, the gaming industry's leading national trade publication. He lives in Linwood, N.J.

Dodson, 34, is responsible for the implementation of the consolidation programs for Hilton and Bally property operations as well as western region support functions.

Previously, Dodson served as senior vice president at Bally's Park Place in Atlantic City, where he coordinated expansion efforts into new gaming jurisdictions and assisted in the operations of Bally's riverboat operations. He joined Bally Entertainment Corp. in 1993. Prior to joining Bally, Dodson served as senior manager- mergers and acquisitions for Ernst and Young.

Now residing in Las Vegas, Dodson earned a bachelor of business administration-accounting and management information services degree at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Conover, 51, is responsible for overseeing information services and the implementation of state-of-the-art information technology and telecommunications for Hilton's gaming operations.

Conover joined Bally's in 1979 as director of MIS and became vice president of MIS in 1983. He was elected vice president-MIS and chief information officer of Bally's in December 1992. He has been senior vice president-MIS since January 1993.

Conover also served as vice president and chief information officer for Bally Manufacturing Corp., where he was responsible for the technology and management of the Health and Tennis Information Systems Department. Conover has also served as president of the Bally Systems Division of Bally Gaming International, a former subsidiary of Bally Manufacturing.

Conover began his career with IBM Corp. In his 12 years of service with that company, he held a variety of positions, from engineering to technical sales.

He now resides in Somers Point, N.J.

Shaiken, 50, joined Hilton Gaming in 1994 as vice president-retail operations. In his new position, he will continue to have responsibility for developing and implementing a targeted retail, merchandising and leasing program for the company's domestic gaming and hotel operations.

Shaiken has more than 20 years of broad-based national and international retail experience. Previously, he worked as vice president-retail for Universal Studios Florida, where he created complete merchandise programs and directed product development at dozens of retail locations.

He began his career in 1977 as a district manager at Stride Rite Retail Corp. From 1981 until 1988, he held several management-level positions with Host, where eventually he had profit/loss accountability for 30 airport gift and duty-free shops in the Western region of the United States and Japan.

He also has held vice president-retail positions at Ken Done Retail and The Vitamin Healthcenters.

Shaiken earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Denver.

"I am delighted to be working with senior executives with the experience and management skills that each of these gentlemen possess. They will have instrumental roles in Hilton's continuing growth in the worldwide gaming industry," said Goldberg.

Hilton Hotels is the world leader in lodging hospitality and casino gaming. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises hotels, hotel-casinos, resorts and vacation-ownership properties.

Kathy Shepard
310 205-7676
Hilton Hotels Corp.