Steve Norton, who oversaw the opening of the first Atlantic City casino, dies at 89
Former Atlantic City resort CEO Steve Norton dies. Norton is best known for operating the first commercial casino in the United States outside Nevada. He is 89 years old.
On May 26, 1978, Norton helped open the resort, the first casino on Atlantic City's famed Boardwalk.
Norton joined the resort team in the early 1970s when it was still just a hotel. In 1976, New Jersey voters approved a statewide constitutional amendment allowing casino gambling in Atlantic City, and Norton, as executive vice president of the property, prepared the space for slot machines and table games.
Norton ran the resort until the summer of 1990, when Las Vegas Sands and Sheldon Adelson lured him to southern Nevada. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Sands Corporation, where he was responsible for the opening of Sands Resorts and Sands Expo Center.
His time in Vegas was short-lived, however, as Norton left Sands in early 1993 and headed to Illinois to become president and chief operating officer of Argosy Gaming. There, he oversaw the operations of five riverboat casinos and helped the company expand into Louisiana and Indianapolis.
He has served as a gaming industry consultant since 1998, advising companies and legislators on best business and regulatory practices.
Industrial Giant
Norton comes to the resort after starting his career in the hotel industry. His first management position was in the Bahamas as Vice President, Treasurer and Auditor of Paradise Island Limited.
He got his first taste of the gambling business in 1968 when the company opened the Paradise Island Hotel and Casino in Nassau. Paradise Island Hotel and Casino is the predecessor of Atlantis.
His son said Norton recognized the importance of promoting responsible gambling during his storied career leading some of the world's most famous casinos and their operations.
He recognized early on that the biggest threat to the growth of the industry was problem gambling and therefore led initiatives to change the way the industry dealt with key issues, helping to develop the first programs to include education, detection and treatment of the disease. said Rob Norton, gaming executive at The Cordish Companies.
Norton is one of the founders of the American Gaming Association, a Washington-based lobbying group that advocates for the nation's commercial and tribal gaming interests.
Sustainable results
Today, Mark Giannatonio leads Atlantic City Resorts, a position he has held for more than a decade. Giannantonio additionally leads the New Jersey Casino Association, the collective voice for Atlantic City’s nine Trenton casinos.
Steve was an influential gaming executive in the early days of Atlantic City and the resort. He has been a major leader in the Atlantic City market since the 1970s. It has always been a pleasure talking to him over the years and he is a true gentleman in our industry. "Giannantonio said.
When Resorts opened its first casino outside Nevada on May 26, 1978, Norton said it was chaos.
It was a madhouse," Norton told the AP last year."There were so many cigarettes on the floor that pretty soon you couldn't tell what color the carpet was. "
The resort had a monopoly on casino gambling in Atlantic City until June 26, 1979, when Caesars opened as a second gambling resort.
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Source: www.casino.org
