The daughter of a casino industry icon who has become a successful casino developer and philanthropist, a truck driver turned gaming inventor, a legendary slot machine designer, and a prominent Nevada businessman are the four 2017 inductees into the Gaming Hall of Fame.
The American Gaming Association said Tuesday Diana Bennett, John Breeding, Joe Kaminkow and Melvin B. Wolzinger would be honored with induction on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas at the Chairman’s Reception during the Global Gaming Expo.
“The Class of 2017 was instrumental in shaping the casino-gaming industry,” AGA President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement. “From revolutionizing the way games are seen and experienced, to reshaping employee operations and business development, these leaders’ achievements extend throughout the nation, and even the world.”
Bennett, initially joined her late father, William Bennett, at the helm of Circus Circus Enterprises. William Bennett was inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame in 1990. Diana Bennett helped lead the development of several landmark properties with her father, including Luxor Las Vegas and Excalibur.
She served as president of Casino Data Systems and eventually formed Paragon Gaming. The company developed casinos in Canada and managed such properties as the Riviera, Westgate and Hooters in Las Vegas and the Hard Rock Lake Tahoe. Paragon developed and is opening Parq Vancouver in British Columbia on Sept. 29, the largest casino in western Canada. As president of the Bennett Family Foundation, Diana Bennett has become one of Nevada’s most recognized philanthropists.
Breeding, a long-haul truck driver, came up with the concept of an automated card shuffler in the early 1980s after reading a Wall Street Journal article about blackjack card counters. After years and trial and error, Breeding founded Shuffle Master Gaming, which he initially ran out of his home in Minnesota.
He developed dozens of card shufflers, electronic table games, slot machines, Internet games and table games – notably Let It Ride – and the company grew in stature and influence. After Breeding retired, Shuffle Master was sold to Bally Technologies, which was eventually acquired by Scientific Games.
Kaminkow pioneered slot machine design, creating games for International Game Technology that were tied to licensed brands from movies, television shows, quiz shows and personalities. His creations have become some of the most successful games on casino floors including Wheel of Fortune, Sex and the City, and more recently, Game of Thrones and Britney Spears.
Kaminkow founded his own online social gaming company before joining Aristocrat Technologies to bring his social games to casinos. Kaminkow has continued to develop games for Aristocrat based on licensed brands. He still works with the free-to-play social slots industry, designing games for Zynga.
Wolzinger became one of Nevada’s most accomplished visionaries after retiring from the Air Force and moving to Las Vegas in 1946. He opened a slot machine route and in 1962, opened Ernie’s Bar on the north end of town. The tavern helped spur development into the area, which is now home to several casinos. Wolzinger invested with Steve Wynn in Golden Nugget Las Vegas in the early 1970s and served on the Board of Directors of Mirage Resorts from 1973 to 2000 as Wynn developed The Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio.
Wolzinger joined the MGM Resorts Board of Directors after the company acquired Mirage Resorts in 2000. He remained on the board until 2012. Wolzinger is a trustee for the UNLV Research Foundation. He has also championed many nonprofit organizations in Nevada spanning education, athletics and the Jewish community.
The Gaming Hall of Fame was formed in 1989 and has awarded the industry’s highest honor to leaders who distinguished themselves through significant contributions to gaming. This year, more than 100 candidates were nominated.
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