Since 1989, the American casino gaming industry honors some its selected members by inducting them into the Gaming Hall of Fame. The 18th annual Gaming Hall of Fame charity dinner and induction ceremony will take place at Wynn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on November 15, 2006 and will benefit the National Center for Responsible Gaming. The Gaming Hall of Fame purpose is to honor people who contributed to the reputation of the American casino entertainment world. The 18th annual Gaming Hall of Fame charity dinner and induction ceremony is organized by the American Gaming Association. The AGA purpose is to widen the understating of the gaming entertainment industry among the American public. Former Gaming Hall of Fame inductees include famous Las Vegas entertainers such as Sir Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, Siegfried and Roy and more and industry developers including William Harrah, William Boyd, Donald Trump and more. Here you can read about some of the most notable Gaming Hall of Fame past inductees. 1) Steve Wynn, the Chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts is honored for his part in making Las Vegas into one of the top resort destinations in the world. Wynn has been serving in several executive positions in the gaming entertainment industry since the 1960s. Prior to founding Wynn Resorts, Wynn had opened the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino and Bellagio in Las Vegas and spent 27 years as chairman of the board for Mirage Resorts. 2) Alessandro Stratta, the Executive Chef of the elite Las Vegas restaurant Alex, is honored for bringing his top culinary skills to Las Vegas. Since arriving to Las Vegas in 1998, every restaurant that Stratta had served as an executive chef received the AAA Five Diamond Award. Before opening Alex in 2005, Stratta worked as an executive chef at the Renoir at The Mirage. He had gained his experience by serving at some of the top establishments in the world including the Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco to the Hotel du Paris and Louis XV in Monaco. 3) Franco Dragone of Dragone Group is honored for being one of the top entertainment innovators in the worlds entertainment industry. Dragone is responsible for introducing Las Vegas casino visitors to spectacular shows such as Le Cirque Reinvent, La Magie Continue, Nouvelle Experience, La Nouba and Las Vegas exclusives Mystere and O. Most recently Dragone had created the exclusive Le Reve for Wynn Las Vegas, which featured visual theater, artistic performance and special multimedia effects. 4) In 1989 William F. Harrah, the founder of Harrahs Entertainment received the Industry Leader Award. The first Harrahs casino was opened in Reno, Nevada in 1937. Since then, Harrahs became a leading casino entertainment company with over 40 properties in three countries. William F. Harrah was the first casino owner in the United States to host shows by African American entertainers. In 2000, Harrahs Entertainment won the first achievement award in the Gaming Hall of Fame history for promoting responsible gaming. 5) In 1990, Benny Binion wad inducted to the Gaming Hall of Fame as a casino gaming industry leader. At the same year, he was inducted to the Poker Hall of Fame. By creating the World Series of Poker, Binion has major part in turning poker into the popular game it is today. 6) Frank Sinatra was the first entertainer to enter the Gaming Hall of Fame in 1997, a year before his death. Since then, several entertainers were inducted to Gaming Hall of Fame. One of them is the singer songwriter Paul Anka, who had received the 2001 Entertainment Award by the American Gaming Association. Anka was awarded for his successful performances in casinos statewide for almost five decades.
