California's Jamul Casino appoints seasoned IT and casino exec Ram Patrachari as new CIO

Jamul Casino in San Diego County, California, announced last week that it has recruited Ram Patrachari to its team as its new Chief Information Officer. With over two decades of IT and casino experience, he is a gaming technology industry expert, speaker, and award-winning executive. 

In his new role at Jamul Casino, Patrachari will help build new technology systems, offering a secure and seamless experience for all guests of the casino, a $430 million property that opened in 2016 and is owned and operated by Jamul Indian Village Development Corporation (JIVDC).

President and General Manager of Jamul Casino, Mary Cheeks, spoke about Patrachari's appointment and said: “Ram’s experience and expertise will be absolutely invaluable as we continue to develop our property and grow our casino services. As we’re planning for the next 5-10 years, it became clear that Ram was the perfect fit. We’re delighted to welcome him to the team.”

President and General Manager of Jamul Casino Mary Cheeks

The executive brings more than 25 years of experience in Information Technology (IT).  Throughout his career, he has worked for companies like Bell Labs, Compaq, Exodus Communications and AT&T Wireless. He enters the company after a 15-year tenure with another major Southern California casino, where he was instrumental in building the IT infrastructure to support the building and operation of hotel towers with 400 VIP guest rooms.

He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified ScrumMaster, and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) professional association. 

Patrachari is also described as a widely recognized expert and technology executive. For the past seven years, he has served on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. He has also served as an Advisory Board Director for Tribalnet for 11 years and Advisory Board Director for Gaming & Leisure for 10 years. In 2015, his IT team won the Tribalnet Game Changers Technology award.

On his appointment, Patrachari stated: “I joined the Jamul Casino team because of the culture that Mary Cheeks has built, how the team interacts with each other, and how they treat guests on the floor. For me, it’s less about the technology and more about the people."

"I aim to cultivate an environment where team members feel free to share their ideas on how to make our workplace even better," he added. "This culture is completely aligned with my goals.”  

Patrachari holds an MBA degree from Monmouth University and a master's degree in electrical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. He has also obtained credentials from the CIO Institute at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and the University of Chicago's Kellogg School of Business.