There is no doubt that the American Gaming Association’s Hall of Fame includes truly worthy and impactful individuals who have left huge marks on the gambling industry. Just look at some of the luminaries of the business who have been honored. Bill Harrah. Benny and Jack Binion. Bill Bennett. Elaine Wynn. Sam and Bill Boyd. Frank Sinatra. Charles Mathewson. Celine Dion. Well over 100 of the most high-powered movers and shakers who pioneered the emergence of gambling as a legitimate thriving business.
I have no quibble with any of these Hall of Fame honorees (well, maybe one or two). My concern is for those who deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, but are highly unlikely to ever gain admittance.
I realize that choosing recipients of the prestigious honor of being enshrined into any Hall of Fame is necessarily a subjective process made up of some “voting” mechanism. A case could be made that any nominated Hall of Fame individual wasn’t inducted for any number of (perhaps legitimate) reasons. “He didn’t make a big enough difference.” “Her involvement in the industry was too short.” “He was too controversial.” Or my favorite, “They have some complicating issues.”
So once again, I’ve taken it upon myself to create what I feel is a necessary addition to the current Hall of Fame – one for those who will never get in, but are extremely worthy, at least according to me.
I thought about a few names for my “adjunct Hall of Fame.” The Hall of Under-Appreciated. The Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas. The Hall of Fame Almosters. The Hall for All.
I finally decided on the Pariah Hall of Fame. Is “pariah” too strong a term? Does it insinuate that there may be some form of collusion, or blackballing, going on with these spurned Hall of Fame candidates? No, I’m not suggesting that. But I am suggesting that whatever the myriad of reasons are for not including the individuals I’m about to highlight has indeed made them “pariahs” of sorts. I believe strongly that they should be recognized for their massive contributions to our industry. Instead of ignored.
So here you have, in no particular order, my Gaming’s Pariah Hall of Fame. There are many more worthy of this honor, but hey, it’s a start.
Gaming’s Pariah Hall of Fame
Richard Schuetz – Richard has had a varied and stellar career in the gambling industry. He was a senior marketing executive with Grand Casinos, one of the first Indian gaming management and development companies. He was the CEO of the Stratosphere in the early days and made a valiant effort to save it from financial ruin. He jumped to the regulatory side of the business, holding governments’ and regulators’ feet to the fire. He was an educator and a mentor to many, one of the first to talk publicly of his addictions. Very outspoken and direct, big pluses in the Pariah Hall of Fame.
Kate Spilde – Many of you may not have heard of Kate Spilde, the Endowed Chair of the Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming at San Diego State University. She was the director of research for the Indian Gaming Association in Washington, D.C. She was the executive director for the Center of California Native Nations and has been an expert presenter at numerous gaming conferences and tradeshows. It’s hard to find anyone who’s done more to advance the understanding of Indian gaming and Native American tribes than Dr. Kate Spilde. Being a smart lady, an influential academic. and a leading policy advisor gets you into this Hall of Fame.
John Romero (deceased) – John Romero was the leading casino marketer of all time. Period. His book Romero on Casino Marketing is the bible for casino marketers or at least it should be. John was the marketing guru for the Sahara Las Vegas and he pioneered the creation of blackjack tournaments. Most importantly, John became the casino-industry leader and advocate for measurable casino-marketing results, usually eschewing casino advertising with fuzzy impact for direct, personal, targeted techniques with real gamblers of known worth. The Pariah Hall of Fame always has room for great casino marketers like John Romero.
David McKee – David has been covering and writing about the gambling industry for some 35 years in a variety of writing and editing roles. Nowadays, he covers gaming companies as an analyst and industry observer. His candid opinionated style probably makes him have friends and enemies in equal numbers, but you will ALWAYS learn something true and important from David McKee (check out his Stiffs and Georges blog at the Las Vegas Advisor website).
Jean Scott – Jean Scott is a former Indiana school teacher who became an advantage player in casinos and began writing about it and sharing her wisdom under the brand of the Frugal Gambler. Dubbed the “Queen of Comps” by Dan Rather as she was winning a car in a casino promotion, Jean became a strong advocate for knowledgeable gambling and offering more gaming value to players, not less. Advantage players are usually reviled in the casino industry, but not in the Pariah Hall of Fame, especially if your only “crime” is helping to create more confident gamblers who are only looking to stretch their gambling budget and create a better gambling experience for themselves.
Michael Meczka (deceased) – The late great Michael Meczka was a market researcher who specialized in the gaming industry. As such, he talked formally and informally with more casino gamblers than anyone in the industry EVER. And those multitudes of players all told Mike the same thing, which he relayed to us casino executives over and over and over. “It’s The Gambling, Stupid!” And it’s still “the gambling, stupid” as we continually try to squeeze value out of the casino playing experience, because “we need to make our numbers” or the players “won’t know or care.” Wrong. An esteemed place in the Pariah Hall of Fame for Michael Meczka, posthumously.
Anthony Curtis –No one knows Las Vegas better or promotes it more enthusiastically than Anthony Curtis. He’s the owner of Huntington Press, a niche gambling publishing company that is the leader in books about all things casino world and casino gambling. Like Jean Scott, Anthony is often maligned for “wising up” casino goers. But the Pariah Hall of Fame has an honored place for someone who so loudly and consistently points out and calls out increasing casino price gouging on so many levels.
TJ Tejeda and Robin Powell – TJ and Robin are the co-creators of EZ Baccarat, one of the most successful new table games ever invented. The genius of EZ Baccarat is that, through a minor rules variation, it remarkably creates a baccarat game that is better for the casino and the players at the same time. They built a brand for EZ Baccarat and established a price for the game that’s the same for casino clients both big and small, allowing them to survive expiring patents and table-game companies looking to sell EZ Baccarat clones. A Hall of Fame-worthy duo with a Hall of Fame-worthy product and a Hall of fame-worthy approach to business and clients.
Dan Real – There is room in the Pariah Hall of Fame for someone who takes problem-gambling resources seriously. Dan Real was a 28-year senior executive with Caesars Entertainment who now is the founder/CEO of Exclaim Recovery, a service for those with a gambling addiction. Promising to revolutionize support and recovery for problem gamblers, Dan has taken on this issue head on. With his 28 years in senior casino leadership and acknowledging his own compulsive gambling, Dan gets into the Hall of Fame not only for his professional career, but also for his personal crusade. It’s sorely needed.
That’s it, my Gaming Pariah Hall of Fame. Many other talented and successful colleagues came to mind in developing this honor roll. The lesson: Don’t worry about being a pariah. Worry about making a real positive difference that is worthy of any Hall of Fame anywhere.
