Page 17 - MGHA Annual Report, 2023

GAMING HALL OF FAME
industry leaders were: Allan B. Solomon, principal and chairman of Foundation Gaming and Entertainment, which owns two casinos in Mississippi, WaterView Casino & Hotel in Vicksburg and Fitz Casino & Hotel in Tunica; Virginia McDowell, who served as the only female president and
chief executive officer of a major gaming operating company at Isle of Capri Casinos from 2007 until her retirement in April 2016; Craig H. Neilsen, founder of Ameristar Casinos, Inc. and a visionary entrepreneur who was the American Gaming Association’s Top Performing CEO in 2002; Kagemasa Kozuki, founder, chairman and representative director of KONAMI HOLDINGS CORPORATION, a major
international corporation operating in the areas of digital entertainment, amusement, gaming and systems, and sports; and John Hairston, CEO and president of Hancock Whitney Corporation, who received appointments in 2005 and 2010 to the Mississippi Gaming Commission and served as chairman of that commission from 2012 to 2015. Past recipients were also recognized.
In 2023, the Southern Gaming Summit is undergoing changes with the Hall of Fame event set for May in the Coastal region, and in Fall, the popular golf tournament will be held in the Northern region. The regional conference and trade show will not be held.
(Above, from left) Ray Neilsen, Allan B. Solomon, Virginia McDowell, John Hairston and Thomas Jingoli. Neilsen accepted the award on behalf of his father, Craig H. Neilsen, and Jingoli accepted the award on behalf of Kagemasa Kozuki. The award recipients are pictured with Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming & Hospitality Association.