Sports Gambling Hall of Fame Ceremony Upcoming At Las Vegas' Circa Casino

The Sports Gambling Hall of Fame will induct six new members on Aug. 15, including its first woman, during a ceremony at Circa Resort & Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

Among the 2025 inductees is Paris Smith, a former Pinnacle Sports CEO now serving as a gaming industry expert and adviser, according to her LinkedIn page.

The 2025 inductees will join 10 from 2023 and another 10 from 2024 as members “who made notable contributions to the sports gambling industry,” according to the Hall of Fame website.

The Hall of Fame’s inductees, dating back to the first class in 2023, include members involved in the regulated U.S. sports betting industry and in sports betting when it was illegal in most places across the country.

Currently, sports betting is legal in most states.

2025 Hall Of Fame Members

Below are the 2025 inductees, with a brief description of their significance to the sports betting industry. Each description comes from the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame website.

• Spiros “The Greek” Athanas: “Earned a reputation as one of the top NBA bettors of his time”
• George “Skip” Chonoplis: “Highly respected and hands-on bookmaker”
• Leo Hirschfield: “Creator of the Minneapolis Line.”
• Eugene Nolan: “Credited with teaching others how to navigate the business and get their start in the field”
• Paris Smith: “Widely respected for breaking gender barriers”
• Jeff Whitelaw: “Renowned for his expertise in futures and proposition wagers”

Las Vegas Gamblers In Hall Of Fame

The first class in 2023 included Las Vegas sports betting and gambling legends such as Billy Baxter, Bob Martin, Roxy Roxborough, Scott Schettler, Jimmy Vaccaro and Billy Walters.

Also in that 2023 class was Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, a Chicago oddsmaker and Mob associate, who operated the Stardust and three other Argent Corp. casinos in Las Vegas during the 1970s for Midwestern crime families. That era was dramatized in the 1995 Las Vegas Mob movie "Casino," with Robert De Niro portraying a character based on Rosenthal.

The Stardust has since been demolished. In June 2021, Resorts World Las Vegas first opened at the site on the Strip where the Stardust once stood.