Ron Lurie served just one term as the Mayor of Las Vegas.
But to customers and employees of Arizona Charlie’s, a locals casino west of downtown, he was their mayor. In fact, the property’s signature restaurant carries his name – Ron’s Steakhouse.
Lurie, 79, died earlier this week. In addition to his long career as executive vice president and general manager of Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, Lurie worked as a sales executive for several gaming equipment providers, including Sigma Games and International Game Technology, a pioneer in video poker machines.
Ron Lurie
Lurie worked for IGT founder Si Redd.
“Si was a tremendous mentor. He taught me that you had to know your customers as well as you know your whole family,” Lurie said in a 2007 interview for the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s “Nevadan at Work” feature.
Lurie became Arizona Charlie’s general manager in 1999 after spending several years in marketing and player development. He moved into a player development and community relations role after Golden Entertainment acquired Arizona Charlies, along with its sister property of the same name on the east side of Las Vegas in 2017.
Lurie retired in January, but he remained “an ambassador” for Arizona Charlie’s.
In a statement Wednesday, Las Vegas-based Golden said Lurie “was a champion for our community and was committed to making Las Vegas a better place for future generations.”
The company added that Lurie, “made an indelible mark on Las Vegas through his work as a leader in the gaming industry, as a philanthropist, and as the former Mayor of Las Vegas.”
Lurie spent 14 years on the Las Vegas City Council before serving as the city’s mayor from 1987 to 1991.
In his 2007 interview, Lurie said it’s was a daily occurrence when he was called “mayor” by an Arizona Charlie’s guest or employee.
“Being the general manager of a property is just like being a politician,” Lurie said. “You have to be able to communicate well. You’ve got to research some of the issues customers bring up. Local customers are pretty savvy, and to be successful, you have to know what’s important to them.”
In a statement on Twitter, current Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman called Lurie’s passing “a loss for our community.” Goodman said Lurie “enthusiastically supported our transit system growth (and) the birth of our museums. Ron was a man with a giving heart and a huge smile. A friend to all, like his dad, Art, Ron made a difference in Las Vegas.”
Lurie’s father, Art Lurie, co-owned Wonder World Liquors in Las Vegas from 1966 to 1978. He also served on the Nevada Boxing Commission under four governors.
“To this day, I still think of myself as Art’s son,” Ron Lurie said in a 1996 story in the Las Vegas Sun. “To many people in this town, my dad will always be ‘Discount Art,’ the man who gave everyone who came into his store a bargain.”
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said on Twitter, “I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of former Las Vegas Mayor Ron Lurie. Ron was a dear friend and an exceptional public leader who devoted two decades of his life to public service. Kathy and I are holding the Lurie family close in our hearts.”
As Arizona Charlie’s general manager, Lurie piloted the 258-room casino as it has battled for local customers with newer, larger properties that came into existence in the 1990s and 2000s.
“I know I’m doing something right when I see our competition walking through here looking at my games or looking at my menus,” Lurie said. “They might try to pick up on something we’re doing, and they want to try and do it better. I just think we have to continue to build a better mousetrap.”
“This is a tremendous loss for Las Vegas and our hearts and condolences are with his family,” said Golden Entertainment.
Lurie’s wife, Beverly, died a few years ago. He is survived by children Benjamin of Las Vegas and Ronda of Arizona.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
