Las Vegas Review Journal – Mike Dreitzer credits his success to the mentors he has had in 20 years as an attorney and gaming executive in Nevada.
Folks such as former Nevada Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, ex-Gaming Control Board Chairman Bill Bible, former Gov. Mike O’Callaghan and gaming executive and gaming lawyer Shannon Bybee helped Dreitzer early in his career.
So it was natural that Dreitzer had an interest when he was contacted more than a year ago by the CEO of an Australian-based slot machine developer that bears the name of a gaming industry pioneer.
Dreitzer, 42, joined Ainsworth Game Technology as president of the company’s North America Division.
Ainsworth was founded by Leonard Ainsworth, who at age 92 remains active in the business. He was inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame in 1995 and was founder of Aristocrat Leisure Ltd.
Ainsworth CEO Danny Gladstone moved to the U.S. for two years to get the company off the ground in North America. Dreitzer, who was chief operating officer of the BMM Test Labs, welcomed the opportunity to join the company.
“Danny did an incredible job putting a fabulous team together and developing the company’s focus,” Dreitzer said. “When you look at the leadership of this company, there is more than 100 years of combined experience in the gaming industry.”
Dreitzer said Ainsworth has 1 percent market share of casino slot machine floors in the United States. He sees that as an opportunity.
“This is very much a marathon and not a sprint,” Dreitzer said. “The culture of this company is that we’re building it over time and doing right by our customers. We know we’re a new entity in the market, and we have to work to build our business.”
