BY TOM SOMACH

PokerTek Inc., a company that manufactures automated poker tables for casinos, announced that company co-founder Lou White is out as the company’s chief executive officer.

He has been replaced as CEO by Chris Halligan, the company announced. White will remain with the company in a new position, vice-chairman of the board, PokerTek announced.

“As our company has grown, it has become clear that we need to add accomplished professional managers to lead our company,” said White in a news release announcing the move. “Chris Halligan fits that description perfectly.”=9D

According to company officials, under White’s tenure as CEO, PokerTek went from a ground-floor start-up to a gambling industry pioneer, growing from one employee to over 70, increasing the install base to over 130 casino tables and introducing a new product into the amusements category.

“I’m honored and excited about this opportunity,”=9D said Halligan in the news release. “PokerTek has a tremendous product offering, strong strategic relationships and great people. Our products are the future of poker.”

Halligan began his tenure with PokerTek as vice-president of sales and planning a year ago, the company said, and began his professional career at Dell Computer Corporation in 1989, where he held managerial positions spanning sales, marketing and business development.

PokerTek, headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina, USA, describes its business as “developing and marketing automated poker tables and related software applications developed to increase casino revenue, reduce expenses and attract new players into poker rooms.”

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)