Robert L. Johnson, CEO and chairman of BET Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Black Entertainment Television (BET), recently announced that the Nevada Gaming Commission has found him suitable to hold a gaming license as a director in the Hilton Hotels Corporation.

Johnson is now the first Black to be approved by Nevada as a director of a major public corporation. Public corporations account for approximately 75 percent of Nevada's gaming industry.

Last November, BET Holdings and Hilton Hotels Corporation announced plans to explore the feasibility of building a BET SoundStage Casino in Las Vegas that would be targeted toward the more than 2 million Blacks who visit the city each year.

Johnson said, "We are very excited about this gaming opportunity and look forward to providing a unique brand of entertainment to African-Americans who visit the entertainment capital of the world each year."

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