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Transcript of interview with Steve Keener by David G. Schwartz, October 7, 2016

Document

Information

Narrator

Date

2016-10-07

Description

Steve Keener was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey and received his bachelor’s degree in finance at Stockton University. With a background in electronics from his service in the military, Keener started in the gaming industry as a slot technician at Tropicana Atlantic City in 1981 where he worked on and conducted preventative maintenance on some of the early stepper slot machines. He would eventually promote to the positions of lead technician and slot technical manager before moving to Dover Downs Hotel & Casino in Delaware in 1997 where he is now assistant vice president of casino operations. The interview with Steve Keener begins with his discussion of his background in the slot positions at both properties. Keener also discusses dealing with customers, what customers are looking for in casinos, and which qualities make good and bad slot managers. He later discusses what makes a good slot floor, particularly when considering denomination and type of slot machine, and he also describes the process of working with vendors to get those machines onto the floor. Keener later discusses the biggest changes in the gaming industry, specifically the expansion of video over stepper, server-based gaming, and the increase in riverboat gaming. He also mentions the role of free play in slots and provides his opinion on what he believes the future of slots will look like with skill-based and 3D gaming being introduced into slot machines. The interview concludes with Keener’s answer to the question of whether he gambles, and he provides his advice to young people who want to get into slot operations as a career.

Digital ID

OH_02854_book
    Details

    Citation

    Steve Keener oral history interview, 2016 October 07. OH-02854. [Transcript]. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/d1r49kc4c

    Rights

    This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. It may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Acknowledgement of the UNLV University Libraries is requested. For more information, please see the UNLV Special Collections policies on reproduction and use (https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/research_and_services/reproductions) or contact us at special.collections@unlv.edu.

    Standardized Rights Statement

    Language

    English

    Format

    application/pdf

    i An Interview with Steve Keener An Oral History Conducted by David G. Schwartz Slot Operations Oral History Project Center for Gaming Research Special Collections Oral History Research Center University Libraries University of Nevada, Las Vegas ii