The developer of a gaming industry innovation that changed video poker, the founder of a nearly 25-year-old gaming technology company, and the quiet, back-of-the-house partner of Las Vegas casino pioneer Jay Sarno are the newest members of the Gaming Hall of Fame.
The American Gaming Association, which manages the Hall of Fame, announced the 2019 inductees Tuesday: Ernie Moody, a long-time slot machine and video poker inventor and developer; Elaine Hodgson, co-founder and CEO of Incredible Technologies; and Stanley Mallin, a Las Vegas Strip casino developer and manager.
The three will formally join the Gaming Hall of Fame during the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. The induction will be part of the Chairman’s Reception on Oct. 15 at the Palazzo.
“Elaine, Ernie, and Stanley are pioneers in the gaming industry and have earned their well-deserved induction into this elite group,” AGA CEO Bill Miller said in a statement.
“Under Elaine’s leadership, Incredible Technologies introduced the most successful pay-to-play game in the U.S., Ernie’s resilience and innovation changed the landscape of video poker, and Stanley’s contributions to the trend of themed casino properties are ubiquitous,” Miller said. “We’re pleased to honor them with this great distinction.”
Moody is credited with providing game titles to more than 5% of the slot machines used on casino floors throughout the U.S. He invented and patented a concept that became known as “multi-hand poker.” His development converted low-earning games into financial powerhouses, generating three-to-five times the house average revenue.
The invention propelled IGT – his longtime manufacturer and distributor – into the dominant supplier for video poker machines.
Some 20,000 slot machines across North America utilize Moody’s patents and inventions, which include Triple Play Poker, Five Play Poker, Spin Poker, Super Times Pay Poker, Ultimate X Poker, All-Star Poker, Super-Star Poker and dozens of other unique titles.
Moody’s games have remained popular for decades, providing value to the industry.
Hodgson co-founded Incredible Technologies in a Chicago suburb basement with less than a dozen employees in 1985. The business was established as a pinball and amusement gaming hardware manufacturer.
She soon brought Incredible Technologies into video games and coin-operated gaming, which led to the creation of Golden Tee Golf, recognized as the most-successful pay-to-play video game in history.
The company, which specializes in the design and development of digital entertainment products for game operators and players, has overcome adversity and barriers to entry to produce a growing market of original game content.
Incredible Technologies is the largest manufacturer of coin-operated video games in the U.S., with a staff of more than 230 employees. Hodgson oversees all aspects of the company including game development, strategic business planning, marketing and sales of the company’s products, as well as intellectual properties.
Mallin was the business partner of Las Vegas Strip casino developer Jay Sarno and started the trend of themed casinos. They opened Caesars Palace, a Roman-inspired casino, in 1966, and introduced the modern concept of a family-friendly Las Vegas with Circus Circus in 1968.
Sarno’s bombastic personality was the face of the business, while Mallin was the quiet operator who managed the properties. Sarno was part of the Gaming Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1989.
As testament to his mark on the Strip, Stan Mallin Drive runs parallel to Jay Sarno Way, with both connecting from Frank Sinatra Drive into the back end of Caesars Palace.
In 1969 they sold Caesars to Lum’s, a Florida-based restaurant company that subsequently renamed itself Caesars World. Caesars Palace cost $24 million to build and was sold for $60 million. In 1974 Circus Circus was leased, then eventually sold, to William Bennett and William Pennington.
#exclusive – ‘Pioneers’ Moody, Hodgson, Mallin set to join to Gaming Hall of Fame during G2E. –@howardstutz, CDC Gaming. https://t.co/6GvLPKJfDn @G2Eshows @AmericanGaming #CDCgaming
— CDC Gaming (@CDCNewswire) October 1, 2019
Mallin is a World War II veteran. Following the war, he and Sarno worked together as tile contractors in Miami and house builders in Atlanta. They opened the Atlanta Cabana Hotel in 1958 with the financial help of investors, including Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa and his confidant Allen Dorfman, a consultant to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Central States Pension Fund.
Mallin retired from the gaming industry after the sale of Circus Circus to focus on other business interests. At age 96, he still lives in Las Vegas
(Disclosure: CDC Gaming Executive Editor Howard Stutz was a member of the Gaming Hall of Fame selection committee.)
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
