THE BIGGEST MOB HIT IN YEARS

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known Dennis Gomes simply, as “Dad”. As the child of a casino boss, you could say that I had a very unusual upbringing. I was raised in a casino (actually multiple casinos). My first steps were taken at the Thunder Bird, at two I was stealing the show away from the lounge act at the Frontier with my toddler dance moves, at 11 we moved to Atlantic City and into the Taj Mahal (where we lived for close to a year), and every summer job from the time I was 16 was always at a casino. Much of my life has been spent in a casino. Now the unusual part… My dad may have worked a lot, as he was running the casinos that my siblings and I were growing up in, but he always had us with him. I had the most wholesome family life. We always had dinner together. Granted, it was often in a casino and late at night. Now, I realize many parents would not condone this sort of thing, but I had a truly wonderful childhood. The simple reason for this was not because I grew up in a casino but that I was raised by incredible parents. My mom, Barbara, a former ballet dancer, is the epitome of grace. She’s kind, beautiful, and loving. My dad met my mom while he was investigating the Tropicana for organized crime infiltration. My mom was a dancer in the Follies Bergere, which was owned by mobster Joe Agosto. My dad’s favorite joke was that Joe Agosto may have been put in jail, but my mom got a life-sentence. My dad’s sense of humor permeated all aspects of his life. He was always quick to smile. He was the ultimate free-thinker with a heart full of love. For him a hug was always better than a handshake—not a typical approach to business dealings. As many from the Jersey shore area know, my dad passed away a year ago, but I still think about him, almost constantly. And, I continue to be amazed by his ability to see the world in black and white—wrong and right. This may seem like a simple or even an oversimplified concept, but it’s really anything but simple. The human species is incredibly talented at the process of justification. This process turns a black and white world grey. It’s easy to do and comes so naturally that it’s almost second nature. Take, for example my dad’s first C.E.O. position at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino… A high-roller, an Arab prince that regularly lost millions at the Aladdin, lost too quickly for his taste and demanded that my dad fire the dealer that beat him. In an attempt to appease this high-roller, my dad moved this dealer to another section of the casino. My dad did this in the hopes that high-roller and dealer would not cross paths while he initiated an Barbara Gomes with her dance partner, Wayne Clemons The Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas The Boardwalk Journal | May 2013 | 49
investigation to make sure that no cheating was taking place. Well, the inevitable happened and this Arab prince saw the dealer. He then found my dad and screamed profanities at him for twenty minutes. My dad calmly said he understood and assured the prince that this issue would be taken care of. My dad moved the dealer again, finished the investigation, and concluded that the dealer had not done anything wrong. When the prince saw this dealer for the third time, he completely lost his temper and went straight to the owner of the Aladdin, Ginji Yasuda— the son of a Japanese billionaire. Yasuda demanded that my dad fire this dealer and my dad refused. He then told my dad that if he did not fire this dealer, he would fire my dad. Again, my dad refused and walked away from his first position as C.E.O.—without any job lined up. Dennis’ New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement ID Now, it would have been very easy for my dad to justify the firing of this dealer. I mean, we are supposed to do what our boss instructs, right? My dad had a family to support, he had no other choice, right? The list goes on. But, my dad just walked away because he knew that this dealer did not deserve to get fired and that he had his own family to support. This is seeing the world in black and white. When the moral environment of any position Gomes was in did not line up with his ethics, my dad would walk away. His tenyear career in law enforcement ended for this very reason. And, this is a lesson that my parents have worked very hard to teach us. My parents believed that everything we do should be done from a foundation of love and it is this lesson that has carried my siblings and I through our lives. 50 | The Boardwalk Journal | May 2013 Dennis and Grandson Jake Chapman Now, I’m a writer. Wow, that sounds weird to say. I did not grow up wanting to be a writer; I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Consequently, I tried just about everything. I worked in casino marketing, I taught public
Page 1 and 2: THE BIGGEST MOB HIT IN YEARS. Now A
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Page 9 and 10: PokerStar’s bid for the Atlantic
Page 11 and 12: hello my name is Will Pauls WILL PA
Page 13 and 14: Caesars executives Warren Bader and
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Page 17 and 18: By Danielle Davies Almost 40 years
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Page 21 and 22: 20Questions: Nynell Langford Nynell
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Page 26 and 27: Allen Thomas If you know Atlantic C
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Page 32 and 33: Lloyd D. Levenson’s - “Life at
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Page 42 and 43: The diving horse didn’t really di
Page 44 and 45: Quadriceps Sparing Knee Replacement
Page 46 and 47: you should be here accepting them.
Page 48 and 49: Dennis and his friend and martial a
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Page 54 and 55: Of course, he did not do all of thi
Page 56 and 57: y Nancy Adler, Nutrition Editor of
Page 58 and 59: • Trademark & Copyright Registrat
Page 60 and 61: “Who’s Jimmy Buffett?” she wa
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THE BIGGEST MOB HIT IN YEARS

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