Oral history interview with Paul Satre conducted by Claytee D. White, Stefani Evans, and Kristian Taketomo on November 18, 2025 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Satre begins by talking about his early life in Martinez, California. Satre participated in Sons of Norway talent shows and enjoyed entertaining his family. Satre received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University, and soon after received his law degree from the University of California, Davis. The first firm Satre worked for represented both Elvis Presley and Bill Harrah. Later, Satre was asked to join Harrah’s as vice president and general counsel. With mentorship from Claudine Williams, Satre enjoyed the process of setting up casinos and helped bring Harrah’s into a period of rapid expansion. Satre goes into detail about setting up casinos both around the country, and internationally, and the problems that arose with each one. After retiring from Harrah’s in 2005, Satre began serving as the chairperson for both International Game Technology and Nordstrom. Upon Steve Wynn’s resignation in 2018, Satre was asked to join the Wynn executive board as chairperson, and has been with Wynn ever since. Satre goes back to discuss his involvement with the World War II museum, and the growth they have had since Hurricane Katrina. One of Satre’s biggest projects was the formation of the National Center for Responsible Gaming. He discusses the pushback that came from different parties, and how he felt it was the right thing to do to protect people with gambling problems. The interview wraps up by discussing the growth of Las Vegas beyond just gambling, and how Satre believes that even with an economic downturn, businesses can still thrive.
Oral history interview with Paul Satre conducted by Claytee D. White, Stefani Evans, and Kristian Taketomo on November 18, 2025 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Satre begins by talking about his early life in Martinez, California. Satre participated in Sons of Norway talent shows and enjoyed entertaining his family. Satre received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University, and soon after received his law degree from the University of California, Davis. The first firm Satre worked for represented both Elvis Presley and Bill Harrah. Later, Satre was asked to join Harrah’s as vice president and general counsel. With mentorship from Claudine Williams, Satre enjoyed the process of setting up casinos and helped bring Harrah’s into a period of rapid expansion. Satre goes into detail about setting up casinos both around the country, and internationally, and the problems that arose with each one. After retiring from Harrah’s in 2005, Satre began serving as the chairperson for both International Game Technology and Nordstrom. Upon Steve Wynn’s resignation in 2018, Satre was asked to join the Wynn executive board as chairperson, and has been with Wynn ever since. Satre goes back to discuss his involvement with the World War II museum, and the growth they have had since Hurricane Katrina. One of Satre’s biggest projects was the formation of the National Center for Responsible Gaming. He discusses the pushback that came from different parties, and how he felt it was the right thing to do to protect people with gambling problems. The interview wraps up by discussing the growth of Las Vegas beyond just gambling, and how Satre believes that even with an economic downturn, businesses can still thrive. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
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Phil Satre oral history interview, 2025 November 18. OH-03969. [Cite format consulted: Audio recording or Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
This interview was conducted and transcribed by the Oral History Research Center (OHRC) which is part of the UNLV University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Division.
Interview materials were processed by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2026. Sarah Jones wrote the collection description. Access copies were created for born-digital audio files. The audio has been minimally reviewed and all readily available information has been included in the description.