{{Short description|American businessman}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Craig Estey | birth_name = Richard Craig Estey | birth_place = Oregon, U.S. | occupation = Gaming and Entertainment Entrepreneur | title = Chairman of Nevada Restaurant Services, Inc. | children = 3 }}
thumb|Dotty's logo '''Richard Craig Estey''' is an American businessman, political donor and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of Nevada Restaurant Services, Inc. parent company to Dotty's, Bourbon Street, Hoover Dam Lodge, Laughlin River Lodge, La Villita, and Red Dragon an enterprise of taverns, hotels, and casinos<ref name=Complex>Howard Stutz for the Las Vegas Review-Journal July 26, 2014. [http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/dotty-s-taverns-are-simply-complex Dotty’s taverns are simply complex]</ref> with locations in Nevada and Montana. Nevada Restaurant Services, Inc. maintains the largest slot route in Nevada.<ref name=burdo>{{cite news|title=Chain of 'homey' gambling cafes makes big suburban push|newspaper=Crain's Chicago Business|date=May 23, 2013|author=Alison Burdo|url=http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/article/20130523/CRED03/130529882/chain-of-homey-gambling-cafes-makes-big-suburban-push|accessdate=2013-09-18}}</ref>
==Career== ===Gaming History=== The chain was founded in Oregon in 1991 by Craig Estey, whose family owned a successful vending machine and food distribution service.<ref name=mayes /> The Oregon Legislature that year had authorized video poker machines to be installed in bars and taverns, under the aegis of the Oregon Lottery.<ref name=mayes /> The first poker machines began operation in March 1992,<ref>{{cite news|title=Video poker comes on line|newspaper=The Oregonian|location=Portland|publisher=via NewsBank|first=Gail Kinsey|last=Hill|date=March 24, 1992|accessdate=2012-06-06|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB08724AC6CCC7C&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D6884C8DA6CD5B5}} {{subscription required}}</ref> and by the next month, five Dotty's delis were open.<ref name=kadera>{{cite news|title=Lottery, liquor commissions take hard look at Dotty's delis|newspaper=The Oregonian|author=Jim Kadera|date=November 12, 1993|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB13DDDC6FB59B8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D6884C8DA6CD5B5}} {{subscription required|via=NewsBank}}</ref>
===Dotty's=== Dotty's is a 24-hour cafe with a local forward business model, "offering food and beverage choices, with a focus on players having a welcoming environment."<ref name=Complex/> The chain has a clean, well-lit atmosphere meant to invoke "your grandmother's kitchen" and is demographically targeted towards women aged 35 and older.<ref name=mayes>{{cite news|title=A sure hand|newspaper=The Oregonian|author=Steve Mayes|date=July 21, 1996|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB089AC8CDA610D&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D6884C8DA6CD5B5}} {{subscription required|via=NewsBank}}</ref>
===Hoover Dam Lodge=== "The owner of the chain Dotty's storefront taverns (in an interview) says he's bought a landmark hotel off U.S. 93 near Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. Nevada Restaurant Services Inc. chief Craig Estey released a statement Tuesday confirming his purchase of the Hacienda Hotel & Casino from the Lakeview Co. Estey calls the Hacienda a "historical jewel."" - August 7, 2013. Hoover Dam Lodge is a 280-room hotel and casino. Hoover Dam Lodge has three restaurants - Big Horn Cafe, Dotty's a 24-hour cafe, and La Villita.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dottys-owners-buy-hotel-casino-155635942.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMdrdSOtsZ4hvmNH7j3ABLCvSRjbkNsgwkhDvB14r7gpRs4qx5ZEmNzFAmhuP8xD731Yj7SNioJnu_IyI9dbCtMGr7FiEArp_mk7ZIfifGzB7X63Set3J1gDAQXr79H5ncjBJ3ZBHqizft4CIgdbWnxcDY-wZ2lsWSoB0NbWEdue|title='Dotty's' owners buy hotel-casino near Hoover Dam}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cdcgamingreports.com/hacienda-to-transform-into-hoover-dam-lodge/|title = Hacienda to transform into Hoover Dam Lodge}}</ref>
===Laughlin River Lodge=== The Laughlin River Lodge (formerly '''Sam's Town Gold River''', '''Gold River''' and '''River Palms''') is a hotel and casino on the banks of the Colorado River in Laughlin, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Richard Craig Estey (Nevada Restaurant Services). The property includes an expansive casino floor and 1,000 hotel rooms in a 25-story tower.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=3428|title=Nonrestricted Square Footage Report|date=March 6, 2018|publisher=Nevada Gaming Control Board|accessdate=September 10, 2018}}</ref> The resort has 653 slot machines and a bingo parlor.<ref>{{cite report|title=Nonrestricted Count Report|publisher=Nevada Gaming Control Board|date=June 30, 2018|url=https://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=13383|accessdate=September 10, 2018}}</ref>
== Philanthropy ==
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Estey are supporters of the American Heart Association.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ahalasvegas.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/20182019LasVegasHeartBall/Leadership/tabid/978705/Default.aspx|title = Leadership}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estey, Craig}} Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Businesspeople from Oregon