American Gaming Association Announces 2009 Gaming Hall of Fame Inductee

WASHINGTON—The American Gaming Association (AGA) is proud to announce that Michael Gaughan, a seminal figure who has developed many of the casino resorts most popular with Las Vegans, will be inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame this November during Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas.

“For more than 40 years, Michael has been a major figure in the gaming industry, and the casinos he has developed and operated have helped to make Las Vegas what it is today,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA).  “His contributions to our industry are truly outstanding, and his induction into the Gaming Hall of Fame is long overdue. We are honored to add his name to the long list of legends that have made this industry great.”

Michael Gaughan, whose father Jackie also is a member of the Hall of Fame, is a lifelong veteran of the gaming entertainment industry. In 1965, he became an owner, and ultimately, the casino manager of the El Cortez Hotel. His tenure there ended in 1972 when he opened the Royal Inn Casino. After selling the Royal Inn, Gaughan began developing the stable of casinos that would make him a leading figure in the Las Vegas market, including the Barbary Coast Hotel, the Gold Coast Hotel, the Orleans Hotel, the Suncoast Hotel and the South Point Hotel Casino and Spa.  In 2004, Gaughan sold Coast Hotels and Casinos to Boyd Gaming Corporation but remained on as chief executive officer. Today, he owns and operates the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa, a successful event venue and resort that is the anchor of Las Vegas’ burgeoning “South Strip,” the McCarran Airport slot concession and the Casino Queen Riverboat in St. Louis, Missouri.

Gaughan is currently a board member of Las Vegas Events, the National Finals Rodeo Committee, Valley Hospital of Las Vegas and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Okla. He also sits on the Foundation Board of the University of Nevada Las Vegas and has taught in the school’s College of Hotel Administration. Gaughan is also a former chairman of the Nevada Resort Association and former board member of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union Welfare Fund, the Southern Nevada Culinary and Bartenders Pension Trust and the Las Vegas YMCA.

Gaughan will be inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame on Wednesday, November 18, during the State of the Industry keynote event at G2E and honored again later that evening during the G2E Chairman’s Reception at Encore Las Vegas. 

Induction into the Gaming Hall of Fame is the highest honor accorded by the gaming-entertainment industry.  Each year, individuals who have distinguished themselves through significant contributions to the industry receive this distinction.  More than 60 people have been inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame since its inception in 1989. 

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The American Gaming Association (AGA) is the national trade association for the commercial casino industry. In addition to representing the interests of its members on federal legislative and regulatory issues, the AGA serves as a clearinghouse for information, develops educational and advocacy programs, and provides leadership on industry-related issues of public concern.