Gaming Industry Notes Passing Of Casino Pioneer Steve NortonExecutive Ran First Legal Casino Outside Nevada |
|
The gambling industry lost a pioneer with the death of Steve Norton at age 89 on Nov. 12. He is remembered as the first to run a casino outside the state of Nevada, opening the Resorts Casino Hotel in the New Jersey gaming mecca of Atlantic City in 1978.
A giant in the industry, Norton spent more than five decades in gaming and casino management. He also worked in expanding gaming to other parts of the country and helped found the Casino Association of New Jersey and the American Gaming Association.
“Steve was an early and influential gaming executive in Atlantic City and at Resorts,” Resorts President Mark Giannantonio told the Associated Press. “He was an important leader in the Atlantic City market dating back to the 1970s. He was always a pleasure to speak with over the years, and a true gentleman in our business.”
Adding Casinos In Atlantic City
When the Resorts debuted on May 26, 1978, Norton oversaw a massive turnout as gamblers on the East Coast hoped to take advantage of a new casino option not just locally, but as the first full casino option outside of Las Vegas and Reno. More casinos would open up in Atlantic City in the coming years, but that first day saw a mad rush of people just hoping to get inside.
“It was incredible, it was a madhouse,” Norton told the AP last year. “There were so many cigarettes stubbed out on the floor that before long you couldn’t tell what color the carpet was.”
A Leader In The Casino Industry
Prior to his work at Resorts, Norton worked at hotels in the Bahamas before moving on to gaming with the Sands Corp. and other companies in the industry. In the 1990s he also worked as a consultant to expand riverboat gambling throughout the south and other regions.
Norton’s work also reached outside the U.S. in Singapore, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Andorra, and more to help establish casinos. Throughout these efforts, problem gaming was always a focus as well, according to his son Rob, who now serves as president of Cordish Gaming.
“He recognized early that the industry’s biggest threat to growth was the issue of problem gaming,” he said, “so he led the charge in changing the way the industry addresses the critical issue and helped create the first programs that embraced education, recognition, and treatment of the disease.”
Rob Norton said that his father died after suffering an accident at his home in Oceanport, California. He leaves behind six children. This is the second major death in the industry recently after Don Laughlin passed away in October.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
