# Craig Estey

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{{Short description|American businessman}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name        = Craig Estey
| birth_name  = Richard Craig Estey
| birth_place = [Oregon](/source/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](/source/Dotty's), [Bourbon Street](/source/Bourbon_Street), [Hoover Dam Lodge](/source/Hoover_Dam_Lodge), [Laughlin River Lodge](/source/Laughlin_River_Lodge), [La Villita](/source/La_Villita), and Red Dragon an enterprise of [taverns](/source/taverns), [hotels](/source/hotels), and [casino](/source/casino)s<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](/source/Nevada) and [Montana](/source/Montana). Nevada Restaurant Services, Inc. maintains the largest [slot route](/source/Slot_route_operator) 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](/source/Oregon_Legislature) that year had authorized [video poker](/source/video_poker) machines to be installed in bars and taverns, under the aegis of the [Oregon Lottery](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Dotty's) storefront taverns (in an interview) says he's bought a landmark hotel off U.S. 93 near [Hoover Dam](/source/Hoover_Dam) and [Lake Mead](/source/Lake_Mead). [Nevada Restaurant Services](/source/Dotty's) 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](/source/Hoover_Dam_Lodge) is a 280-room hotel and casino. [Hoover Dam Lodge](/source/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](/source/Laughlin_River_Lodge) (formerly '''Sam's Town Gold River''', '''Gold River''' and '''River Palms''') is a [hotel](/source/hotel) and [casino](/source/casino) on the banks of the [Colorado River](/source/Colorado_River) in [Laughlin](/source/Laughlin%2C_Nevada), [Nevada](/source/Nevada). It is owned and operated by Richard Craig Estey ([Nevada Restaurant Services](/source/Dotty's)). 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 machine](/source/slot_machine)s and a [bingo](/source/Bingo_(U.S.)) 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](/source/American_Heart_Association).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ahalasvegas.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/20182019LasVegasHeartBall/Leadership/tabid/978705/Default.aspx|title = Leadership}}</ref>

* [American Heart Association](/source/American_Heart_Association)

==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

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Craig Estey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Estey) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Estey?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.