A dedication ceremony for the new Dennis Gomes Memorial Casino Training Lab will be held 5:30 p.m., Monday, October 6 at Drexel University’s Center for Hospitality and Sport Management in Philadelphia.
The event will celebrate the memory of the late gaming visionary Dennis Gomes and his family and honor his contribution to the gaming industry.
Gomes held executive positions both in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. His exploits as a top investigator for the Nevada Gaming Commission formed the basis of the 1995 feature film “Casino.” He also is the subject of the book Hit Me, written by his daughter Danielle Gomes and Jay Bonansinga.
Former Atlantic City gaming executive Robert Ambrose, an instructor of hospitality and gaming in the Center for Hospitality and Sport Management, said, “There has been a tremendous outpouring of interest from members of the gaming industry about the Dennis Gomes Memorial Casino Training Lab. Our goal, with the help of our gaming industry partners, is continue to expand the footprint of the training lab and to fuse theory and practice together for a complete experiential learning experience.”
Professor Jonathan Deutsch, PhD, director of the Center for Hospitality and Sport Management, said, “Our vision is to provide an unparalleled, rich student experience to produce the next generation of responsible industry leaders. The Dennis Gomes Memorial Casino Training Lab, championed by Professor Ambrose, represents a real and lasting expression of that vision. A key element is that it depends on the support of our friends in industry to stay realistic, current and energetic.”
Established in April 2014 with a donation of slot machines from Bally Technology, Drexel was the first university on the East Coast to provide on-site casino gaming equipment for educational purposes. As part of Drexel’s casino management program, the casino training lab offers students a live operational experience of slot machine protocols and mock customer interactions in a real-time learning atmosphere.
The casino management program offers the opportunity to learn the unique operating conditions and management challenges associated with the operation of a casino. Courses include gaming legislation, electronic boards, slot validation systems, slot communication systems, player tracking, preventative maintenance and slot troubleshooting. Students also gain hands-on experience through cooperative education opportunities at Philadelphia’s SugarHouse Casino among others.
Drexel has offered a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management with a concentration in gaming and casino operations since 2009, as well as an undergraduate certificate in gaming and casino operations.
