Joseph Terrence Lanni (March 14, 1943 – July 14, 2011) was an American casino executive. He was the former chairman of the board and former CEO of MGM Mirage.

Early life

Joseph Terrence Lanni was born on March 14, 1943, in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. degree in business.

Career

Lanni served as Treasurer of Republic Corporation, a New York Stock Exchange-listed conglomerate based in California. Lanni joined Caesars World in January 1977 as Chief Financial Officer, was named Senior Vice President in April 1978, and elected Executive Vice President in December 1979. He was a senior executive of Caesars World, Inc. for 18 years, serving as president and Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of that company from April 1981 to February 1995. Lanni joined MGM Grand, Inc. as president, chief executive officer and Director in 1995. In July 1995 he was named chairman and CEO. In 2000, he oversaw the acquisition of Mirage Resorts by MGM Grand, Inc., which created MGM Mirage. Lanni served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club; the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation;

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

, and the Board of Overseers of the

Keck School of Medicine The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California teaches and trains physicians, biomedical scientists and other healthcare professionals, conducts medical research, and treats patients. Founded in 1885, it is the second oldest ...

at the University of Southern California. Lanni also served as Chair of the

American Gaming Association The American Gaming Association (AGA) is a Gambling in the United States, United States gambling industry association. It was founded in 1994 with the goal of promoting, educating and lobbying on behalf of the gambling industry through education a ...

. He was appointed by the Speaker of the

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in 1997 to serve on the nine-member National Gambling Impact Study Commission. Lanni received the "Alumnus of the Year Award" from USC Marshall School of Business in 1992. In October 2000 he was inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame, and in January 2001 was the recipient of Casino Journal's 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award. He received the Sarno Award for Lifetime Achievement in Casino Design from the

Global Gaming Expo Global Gaming Expo (G2E) is a gambling industry trade show presented by the American Gaming Association (AGA) and organized by Reed Exhibitions. The flagship G2E convention debuted in 2001 and is held each fall in Las Vegas, Nevada. G2E Las Vega ...

in 2012. Lanni resigned as CEO of MGM Mirage on November 30, 2008, after allegations of plagiarism over his degree.

Personal life and death

Lanni had a wife, Debbie, and two sons. He died July 14, 2011, aged 68, from cancer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanni, Terrence American chief executives of travel and tourism industry companies Businesspeople in the casino industry Chaminade High School alumni Marshall School of Business alumni Keck School of Medicine of USC people Santa Clara University people 2011 deaths 1943 births People from Greater Los Angeles Deaths from cancer in California American chief operating officers American chief financial officers MGM Resorts International