Frank Fertitta Jr. dies at 70; pioneer of Las Vegas' neighborhood casinos
Matthew Kruk
latimes.com
Frank Fertitta Jr. dies at 70; pioneer of Las Vegas' neighborhood casinos
The bellman turned gaming mogul gave the Strip's dealers and cocktail
waitresses an after-work hangout, starting with the Casino in 1976.
By Ashley Powers
August 23, 2009
Reporting from Las Vegas
Frank Fertitta Jr., a bellman turned gaming mogul who pioneered the concept
of neighborhood casinos in fast-growing Las Vegas, died Friday. He was 70.
Fertitta, who founded Station Casinos Inc., which was publicly traded for
more than a decade, was being treated for a heart condition at Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center in Los Angeles when he died, the Las Vegas Review-Journal
reported.
Fertitta opened his first neighborhood casino -- simply named the Casino --
in 1976. The 5,000-square-foot gambling hall, attached to the Mini-Price
Motor Inn and a short drive from Las Vegas Boulevard, gave the Strip's
dealers and cocktail waitresses their own after-work hangout.
"It was pretty much desert," son Lorenzo Fertitta told the Las Vegas Sun in
2005. "People thought he was crazy."
In 1977, Fertitta added bingo and renamed his business Bingo Palace. The
casino, which was rechristened Palace Station in 1983 and expanded numerous
times, became synonymous with cheap buffets and customer giveaways -- both
still hallmarks of neighborhood casinos.
"The best thing about him was the culture he started," son Frank Fertitta
III told the Review-Journal in 2006. "As the Bingo Palace grew into the
Palace Station, people always wanted to come work for him. They liked the
work environment, and that's the thing we've tried not to screw up."
By 1993, when Fertitta turned his business over to his sons, who took it
public, development had begun on Boulder Station. The casino -- on the
so-called Boulder Strip of local betting houses east of the Strip -- was
among those that served as de facto community centers in rapidly growing
southern Nevada.
Fertitta developed another neighborhood casino, Texas Station, which he sold
to his sons' company in 1995. Eventually, Station Casinos was involved in
more than a dozen gambling operations, including upscale Green Valley Ranch
in Nevada and Thunder Valley Casino near Sacramento.
The company went private in 2007 but, hobbled by the recession and massive
debt, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this year.
Fertitta was born Oct. 30, 1938, in Beaumont, Texas, and moved to Las Vegas
with his wife, Victoria, in 1960. He climbed from the gaming floor -- as a
bellman, blackjack dealer and pit boss -- to managerial roles at various
pillars of old Las Vegas. In the late 1980s, Nevada gaming regulators spent
years investigating whether Fertitta as general manager had been involved in
skimming cash at the Fremont casino. He denied the accusations and was
eventually cleared.
Over the years, Fertitta and his wife championed a number of philanthropic
causes, particularly involving education. When the Clark County School
District was trying to pass a bond measure in the late 1990s, the Sun
reported, Fertitta had "Vote Yes" posted on every marquee at Station
Casinos. In 2003, the school district opened Fertitta Middle School.
In retirement, Fertitta ate meals and visited with employees at his beloved
Palace Station. "No one called him anything other than Mr. Fertitta, and
that was simply out of respect," Glenn Christenson, Station Casino's former
chief financial officer, told the Review-Journal.
Along with his wife and two sons, Fertitta is survived by his daughter,
Delise Sartini; his sisters, Olivia Deppe and Linda Ramirez; and nine
grandchildren.
Funeral services are pending.
Copyright � 2009, The Los Angeles Times
Bob F (on the laptop)
<anyw...@wind.blows> wrote:
>latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-frank-fertitta23-2009aug23,0,5034917.story
>
>latimes.com
>Frank Fertitta Jr. dies at 70; pioneer of Las Vegas' neighborhood casinos
Shame on you for pulling a DGH on me, Matthew ;-)b
--
"What did Ron Howard and M.J. have in common?
A: One is still a nice man, and the other could sing and dance better
when living."
- From "The Sayings of Roy"
Matthew Kruk
news:tco195tbm6tu1eh6f...@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:54:47 -0600, "Matthew Kruk"
> <anyw...@wind.blows> wrote:
>
>>latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-frank-fertitta23-2009aug23,0,5034917.story
>>
>>latimes.com
>>Frank Fertitta Jr. dies at 70; pioneer of Las Vegas' neighborhood casinos
>
> Shame on you for pulling a DGH on me, Matthew ;-)b
Oops :-)
> "What did Ron Howard and M.J. have in common?
>
> A: One is still a nice man, and the other could sing and dance better
> when living."
>
> - From "The Sayings of Roy"
Now that is a great quote. Guess he doesn't dance so good now. What a
dumb analogy.
La N
> On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:54:47 -0600, "Matthew Kruk"
>
>"What did Ron Howard and M.J. have in common?
>A: One is still a nice man, and the other could sing and dance better
>when living."
>- From "The Sayings of Roy"
And, "The Book of A" will be coming out ... when?
- nilita, counting on it being really zen ...