Casino Data CEO resigns

Casino Data Systems of Las Vegas said Friday that Kenneth Hardesty has resigned after a five-month stint as chief executive officer "due to his inability to obtain required gaming licenses in a timely manner."

While he declined to disclose the exact nature of the licensing problem, CDS Chairman Steve Weiss said today the issue would have taken "six months to a year" to resolve.

Weiss credited Hardesty with helping the Las Vegas-based slot machine and information systems manufacturer post a $320,000 first-quarter profit after recording losses in the five previous quarters.

"I'm really disappointed a quality executive such as Ken had to leave the company," Weiss said. "Here's a man who lost a job in the gaming industry because of an event that allegedly occurred 35 years ago that he says didn't happen."

Weiss said the disputed incident jeopardized Hardesty's ability to gain a gaming license in a state other than Nevada at a time when CDS is preparing to introduce several new slot machines and tracking systems.

"There weren't any apparent problems in New Jersey or Nevada, where regulators look at an applicant's whole life and have some balance," Weiss said.

The Nevada Gaming Commission is expected to approve distribution of CDS' newest game, Safebuster, later this week following trials at three Las Vegas resorts.

"This will be the culmination of a 16-month development process and our distribution partner, Anchor Gaming, has already ordered about 300 of the machines," Weiss said. "We expect to introduce several more new games throughout the year."

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