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The Casino Pioneer Poised For A Comeback In Las Vegas And Beyond by David G. Schwartz

Bill Harrah is less a household name these days than he was a mere ten years ago—for now, at least. Once considered one of the chief pioneers of the modern casino industry, his influence might be at its lowest ebb in decades: the company he founded no longer bears his name, which industry-watchers seem to have all-but-forgotten. But across America, including in Las Vegas, Bill Harrah is suddenly a man whose lessons casino owners will want to study.

William Fisk Harrah came into the gambling business in 1933. Having left UCLA before completing an engineering degree, he bought a bingo operation his father had been running in Venice Beach. Harrah the younger already had firm ideas about how to run a business that appealed better to customers: in this case, he fired the shills and added padded stools, giving players a less intimidating atmosphere that was gentler on the backside.

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