DeKalb GA News

A marketing director at MGM Resorts in Springfield, Massachusetts, has made controversial statements regarding hiring practices. Albie Velarde, the Director of Casino Marketing at MGM Springfield, admitted to an undercover journalist from O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) that he deliberately avoids hiring white candidates.

Velarde stated, “No matter how great they [Whites] look on paper, they don’t fit well with my team.” He added that he intentionally seeks diverse-based hires. Velarde also disclosed that MGM tracks the racial composition of its workforce through monthly reports from HR, which detail employee turnover by gender and race.

According to Velarde, these reports influence their hiring strategies: “Hey guys, we’re losing all of our female workforce. Let’s try, you know, let’s put more females through the pipeline.” He explained that race and gender are considered when hiring replacements for employees who leave.

For example, Velarde said if a female host left his team, he would aim to replace her with another female. He gave an instance involving one of his hosts: “Selena, she’s my Vietnamese host... I would replace her with somebody who is, in some capacity, that culture.”

MGM Resorts responded to OMG's inquiry regarding these remarks. The company clarified that Velarde did not have hiring authority during his tenure at MGM Springfield and emphasized that his comments do not align with MGM's policies or practices.

James O'Keefe shared this information on Twitter alongside a video clip featuring the interview with Velarde.