Steve Norton, the former Executive Vice President (EVP) of Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City has died at the age of 89 following an accident in his Oceanside, California, home on Sunday.

Global Gaming Business publisher Roger Gros posted a tribute to “one of the fathers of gaming in Atlantic City” on Facebook:

Norton ran the first US gambling property outside of Nevada, in addition to consulting state governments and worldwide players on how to establish and operate casinos.

Norton was EVP of Resorts when the casino first opened in New Jersey in 1976 and became an overnight success, with 1,000s of gamblers flocking to the Boardwalk establishment.

The casino was so popular that in a move to ease crowd control, city authorities even mulled diverting traffic trying to enter Atlantic City. Norton told Associated Press in 2022 that:

It was incredible, it was a madhouse.”

Current Resorts President Mark Giannantonio paid tribute to his predecessor, stating he “was always a pleasure to speak with over the years, and a true gentleman in our business.”

According to AP, it was the casino maven’s son Rob Norton, President of The Cordish Companies, who broke the news of his father’s passing. As Gros stated, the gambling patriarch leaves behind six children and “a legacy unmatched by most in the gaming industry.”