International Women’s Day has just passed, so there’s no better excuse to celebrate the women who are running the casino world.
Casino is still very much a male-dominated game. If you walk into a brick-and-mortar casino and attempt to find a female player at a table, it could feel similar to playing a game of Where’s Wally. But those women who do take part seem to be giving the men a run for their money.
In Las Vegas, women weren’t allowed to deal cards until 1971, but now there are females commanding the table, who can be hailed as some of the best players to ever grace casino games. Read on to learn about some of the incredible women in casino!
Vanessa Selbst
Vanessa Selbst has earned her spot as the most successful female Poker player in history. Her impressive winnings and results place her in the top 100 of the All-Time Money List. Her career tournament winnings amount to a staggering $12 million. Selbst discovered Poker as a teenager, she started playing from home and then quickly developed a passion for the game.
Her rise to fame began in the 2006 World Series of Poker, where she finished in 7th place and managed to take away $101,285 for her efforts. Her biggest win came in 2010 from her victory at the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event, where she won over $1.8 million. Now retired, Vanessa Selbst was one of the most popular and best-known players on the Poker circuit for over a decade. It’s fair to say that Selbst made a comfortable living for herself from Poker.
Melonie Johnson
One woman who is a pioneer in the world of casino is Melonie Johnson. Rather than running the Poker scene as a player of the game, Johnson has made history by becoming the first black woman to run an Atlantic City casino. In 2020 she became president and COO of the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, at a difficult time when the travel industry had suffered greatly from the effects of the pandemic.
Last summer Johnson put an array of health and safety regulations in place so that the Borgata could open its doors to the public. Johnson’s ability to land a leading role in the casino industry has inspired other women to venture into this male-dominated territory. Shortly after Johnson became president of Borgata, Jacqueline Grace became vice president and general manager of Tropicana. This made her the second black woman to take charge of a casino in Atlantic City.
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Let’s not allow ourselves to sit back and let the men of the world have all the fun. The gaming industry is bigger and more accessible than ever, and there are so many ways that you can play. If the women mentioned can teach us anything, it’s that we shouldn’t allow people to tell us what we should or shouldn’t do. If someone tells you that you can’t do something, let that fuel your competitive spirit and prove them wrong.
