Jay Sarno, the visionary of themed casino resorts; Jackie Gaughan, the mastermind of coupons and slot promotions; Kirk Kerkorian, the visionary behind mega resorts; Si Redd, who recognized the power of video poker and slot machines; Howard Hughes, the reclusive billionaire who brought corporate legitimacy to casino ownership;
Benny Binion, perhaps the creator of the first ultimate selfie with free photos in front of the million dollar filled Horseshoe; the Perlman brothers, who turned sports and other special events into casino traffic drivers; Sheldon Adelson, who took convention goers and turned them into casino patrons and turned sleepy dingy Macau into a Las Vegas on steroids and of course Steve Wynn, who in my opinion could have taught P.T. Barnum more than a few lessons in marketing and brand promotion.
All seem to be of a different time, mindset and risk- taking talent pool that may just be fading if not already faded away. All are or were gaming pioneers of their time and helped make the oddity of Las Vegas gambling of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s into a regarded global industry.
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Gaming Today’s The Analyst is an experienced gaming industry executive who offers insight each week on events and issues affecting the industry. The Analyst’s opinions are his own and may not reflect those of Sports Handle.
