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President of Vegas casino company dies in Michigan watercraft accident

Richard J. Haskins dies in jet ski crash

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 21: An aerial view shows the Rio Hotel & Casino (front), and Palms Casino Resort, both of which have been closed since March 17 in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on May 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is still unclear when casinos in the state will be allowed to reopen. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) (Ethan Miller, 2020 Getty Images)

The head of a casino company died Saturday in a watercraft accident while vacationing in Michigan, the company announced.

Richard J. Haskins, president of Red Rock Resorts Inc. and Station Casinos LLC, which owns 20 casinos in Nevada, died, the company said in a statement. Its properties include the Palms Resort near the Las Vegas Strip. Haskins was 56.

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The company did not provide details about the accident. According to 9 and 10 News, the boating accident happened in Harbor Springs.

“The Emmet County Sheriff’s Office says Haskins was on his jet ski when he collided with a 27-foot powerboat driven by a 77-year-old from Vero Beach, Florida,” reads a report from 9 and 10 News.

Haskins joined Red Rock in 1995 as general counsel of the company's Midwest operations. He had served as president of Red Rock Resorts and Station Casinos since October 2015

Frank Fertitta III, the CEO and chairman of the board of directors, praised Haskins.

“Words cannot express what Rich has meant to the Company and to me in the 25 years he has been with Station Casinos. He was a trusted advisor, a brilliant strategist, a steady hand in good times and in bad and most important – a friend to all," Fertitta said.

The company said it will start efforts to find a successor.