Denise Truscello / WireImage / DeniseTruscello.net
From left, George Maloof, Scott Menke, Alex Acuna, Ross Miller, Tyler Langdon and Reggie Turner celebrate the 60th birthday of celebrity chef Kerry Simon at Simon on Wednesday, May 14, 2015, in Palms Place.
Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 | 8:15 p.m.
Scott Menke arrived in Las Vegas from Arizona as a teenager in the 1980s to attend UNLV.
At the time, the hotel college was still growing into one of the world’s elite hospitality programs. Menke and his classmates, such as George Maloof and Rob Oseland, certainly made their mark.
They pledged the Kappa Sigma fraternity together, and went on to become giants in the industry, responsible for transforming the city into a world-renowned destination.
Menke, who oversaw the development of Excalibur and Luxor as part of a more than three-decade career in the industry, died on Monday, according to officials with Paragon Gaming, where he was CEO and co-founder. He was 55.
Menke is noted for his vision in transforming distressed properties, including helping Paragon acquire and remodel casinos in California, Nevada and Canada in the early 2000s. Some of the properties include Riviera, Westgate Las Vegas, Hooters, Hard Rock Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Calif., and Edgewater Casino in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the sudden passing of George Scott Menke, my cousin and a beloved member of our family, co-founder of Paragon Gaming, philanthropist and a visionary developer who served the Las Vegas community for more than 30 years,” Paragon co-founder Diana Bennett said in a statement. “This is a painful, inconceivable loss, and our family respectfully asks for privacy at this time.”
Menke started in the industry as a college intern in the mid-1980s working for Circus Circus Enterprises under legendary gaming executive William Bennett, his uncle. Menke, after graduating from UNLV, took on management positions at Colorado Belle and Edgewater in Laughlin.
Diana Bennett and Scott Menke together launched Paragon Gaming.
He was later appointed to the executive team at Circus Circus Enterprises, where he coordinated the development of the Excalibur and Luxor in the early 1990s. That brought a combined 10,000 rooms to the Strip for the themed resorts.
Along with Bennett, Menke launched Paragon in 2000 and quickly grew the group’s listing of properties, most notably developing and managing Parq Vancouver in British Columbia. The property is one of the main attractions in the city’s entertainment district. Paragon in 2019 sold its stake in the resort.
The company still owns Hard Rock Hotel-Casino Lake Tahoe and manages Oyo Casino, formerly Hooters, in the Las Vegas resort corridor.
Menke was passionate about UNLV, especially the Rebels’ basketball program. He was also part of the UNLV Foundation, the university’s fundraising group. And he remained close to his college classmates.
Maloof went on to have an ownership stake in the Palms and Sacramento Kings. Oseland was formerly president of SLS Las Vegas, worked as the chief operating officer for Paragon, and currently operates playAWARDS, a social gaming app. Others such as Scott Sibella of Resorts World followed a similar path.
“Every time I build something new, I ask these guys for their opinions … their perspectives,” Menke said in a UNLV profile on the group.
As word of Menke’s passing spread, his friends and colleagues chimed in to express their condolences.
“Menke felt like an older brother to so many of us. He will be sorely missed,” wrote Ross Miller, who worked as legal counsel for Paragon, on Twitter.
Information on services wasn't immediately available.
