Page 10 - Mississippi/Louisiana Gaming News - Fall, 2024

Four honored at MS Gaming Hall of Fame By David Grisham
BILOXI — The Mississippi Gaming & Hospitality Association (MGHA) recently inducted four individuals who have had a major impact on the state’s gaming industry into the Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame. The official induction took place during a June 27 gala at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. Tim Hinkley, Jon Lucas, Thomas “Tom” Gresham and the late William “Bill” Gresham Jr. were named to the 2024 Hall of Fame class that evening.
Tim Hinkley received an Industry Pioneer honor, Jon Lucas was recognized as an Industry Influencer and Bill Gresham and his son, Tom, were inducted for their contributions as Industry Regulatory/Government Officials.
Industry executives, employees, suppliers, family members and friends gathered to honor these men at the Celebration of Gaming Hall of Fame Dinner Gala.
Larry Gregory, MGHA executive director, welcomed attendees at the opening of the event. “The Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame continues its legacy of recognizing industry leaders and governmental officials who have contributed to the success of gaming in the Magnolia State,” said Gregory. “They exemplify the best personal and professional qualities. Their legacy is Mississippi’s success.”
“The Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame serves as a testament to the unwavering dedication and unparalleled accomplishments of these exceptional people,” said Gregory. “The inductees tonight join such gaming luminaries as Jack Binion, William S. Boyd, and Bernard Goldstein, known as the Father of Riverboat Gaming. They share the honor with such Mississippians
as casino owners Rick
Carter and Terry Green,
Sen. Tommy Gollott, Rep.
Bobby Moak, longtime MGC
commissioners Jerry St.
Pé and John Hairston, and
commercial contractors
Roy Anderson and William
Yates.”
The 2024 Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame Class
Tim Hinkley Industry Pioneer
Aug. 1, 1992: It’s the date the Isle of Capri opened in Biloxi and started the casino boom in Mississippi. Tim Hinkley was on the water
Thomas Gresham (third from left) was inducted into the Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame along with his father, William Gresham Jr., who was inducted posthumuously. Gresham is pictured with family members who came to the induction gala.
didn’t go unnoticed. The rush was officially on to build and open casinos in Mississippi.
As vice president of operations for Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. then, Hinkley’s career took off much like casino gaming did in the Magnolia State. He held the vice president of operations position from 1990 to 1996 at the Isle before rising to senior vice president in 1997 and president and COO in 2003, a position he held until his retirement in 2007.
In receiving his award, Hinkley talked about opening the Isle of Capri in Biloxi. “It was in early 1992 and I had two riverboats down here that were transformed to look like the Isle of Capri Casino, and we were raring to go... once we announced that we were opening, all people could talk about was the wait time. And it wasn’t for hours, it wasn’t for days, it was for
weeks. As far as for the people who came, they showed us that there was certainly a market for what we were trying to do.”
“It wasn’t a piece of cake,” Hinkley remarked. “We didn’t have really much money... and opening on the Coast was a gamble. We put a lot of effort and time into it, and fortunately it worked.”
Hinkley said the Isle leadership leveraged the success to fuel
we did. And every year we kept leveraging more and more... I think when I retired in 2007, we had opened 18 properties around the country, and had the chance to open them in the UK and Bahamas.”
Looking out over the crowd at the gala, Hinkley recognized the people who helped make the 1992 opening possible, “I remember what it was like when we first got here in the early 1990s. It was tough going... And once
we got the ball rolling to get final approval, it wasn’t just us. There were so many people in this room who helped us in being successful and it was just one right after the other. So, I can’t even begin to thank those people, who, without them, I wouldn’t be here.”
Jon Lucas Industry Influencer
When Jon Lucas arrived as the new general manager of Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino Biloxi in July 2005, he couldn’t have imagined what was about to unfold. Hurricane Katrina would make landfall the following month and change the Mississippi Gulf Coast forever.
The devastation from the catastrophic storm was unimaginable. The future for everyone on the Coast was uncertain, even frightening. Yet, remarkably, in December 2005, less than four months after Katrina hit, the casino reopened as a rebranded IP Hotel & Casino. Lucas rose to meet the moment and in doing so, he made a lasting impression on deeply affected residents along the Gulf Coast.
The casino that is now IP Casino Resort Spa played a significant role in aiding the Gulf Coast community after Hurricane Katrina struck. Despite the casino sustaining considerable storm damage itself, IP quickly mobilized to get property reopened. The Imperial Palace used
Tim Hinkley
as part of the team that opened the property. The success enjoyed by the Isle from Day One
company growth. “We said, ‘let’s make the most of [the early success] that we can,’ and
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