MGM National Harbor Names Chris Gumiela President as Melonie Johnson Retires

MGM Resorts has handed Maryland's highest-grossing casino to the executive who has run its work tying BetMGM to the land-based resorts since 2021. He takes over a property whose revenue fell in two of the last three months, with a Sphere venue planned next door.

• MGM National Harbor named Chris Gumiela president and chief operating officer on 9 November, following the retirement of Melonie Johnson
• Gumiela has been Senior Vice President of Interactive Operations at MGM Resorts since 2021, working on alignment between BetMGM and the company's resorts
• He was the property's Vice President of Marketing from August 2017 to July 2020
• MGM National Harbor won $66.2m from slots and table games in October, 2.6% less than a year earlier and 41% of Maryland's casino total, according to Maryland Lottery and Gaming
• Prince George's County enacted bond legislation on 27 October to help finance a planned 6,000-seat Sphere venue at National Harbor

A Digital Executive Returns to Run the Property

MGM National Harbor announced on 9 November that Chris Gumiela is its new president and chief operating officer, following the retirement of Melonie Johnson. The release gives no start or leaving dates. It says Gumiela will oversee day-to-day operations and set strategic direction "with a renewed focus on employee engagement and community relations".

Since 2021 Gumiela has been Senior Vice President of Interactive Operations at MGM Resorts, where, according to the release, he directed "omnichannel alignment" between BetMGM and the land-based resorts, sat on the five-member steering committee for LeoVegas, and was appointed to the MGM Resorts Capital Committee in 2026. He was the resort's Vice President of Marketing from August 2017 to July 2020 and later oversaw marketing for both MGM National Harbor and Borgata in Atlantic City. The release credits him with helping drive "nearly $1 billion in property-wide revenue" without defining the period. He joined MGM Resorts in 2006 at Mandalay Bay. Gumiela said he was "thrilled to be back in the DMV", the shorthand for Washington, Maryland and Virginia.

The Property He Inherits

Maryland Lottery and Gaming reported on 5 November that MGM National Harbor generated $66.2m from slots and table games in October, down 2.6% on October 2025, while the six Maryland casinos together fell 1.4% to $159.7m. Live! Casino & Hotel, the nearest rival, took $59.4m from 3,531 slot machines against MGM's 2,209. From July to October MGM National Harbor won $256.8m against $229.5m at Live!, according to the agency's worksheets.

Next door, Sphere Entertainment, the State of Maryland, Prince George's County and developer Peterson Companies said in January that they intend to build a 6,000-seat Sphere at National Harbor, supported by about $200m in incentives and subject to definitive agreements. On 27 October the county council enacted CB-111-2026, which authorises up to $215m of special obligation bonds, partly to fund an "immersive entertainment venue". The Sphere announcement did not mention MGM.

The Hire Points to MGM's Omnichannel Priorities

MGM has put the executive whose recent job was linking online and land-based customers in charge of Maryland's top-grossing casino. His seats on the LeoVegas steering committee and the capital committee give him a view of the group's digital and investment plans. The release does not say how that will shape the job, and the priorities it names are staff and community, so the omnichannel reading is an inference from his record, not a stated strategy.

The Revenue Lead Is Secure, the Growth Is Not

The regulator's monthly releases show MGM National Harbor down 5.1% year on year in August, up 1.1% in September and down 2.6% in October: a soft run rather than a decline. In October its slots won $615 per machine per day against $386 at Live!. Across the group, MGM's third-quarter results showed Regional Operations up just 1% on a same-store basis. A Sphere could add visitors, but the January announcement gave no opening date, so it will not help the numbers Gumiela is judged on first.

Gumiela returns to a property whose brand he helped build, with a clear lead over its rival and little recent growth. His digital record is what makes this appointment worth watching beyond Prince George's County.