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 MGM Resorts International is an American multinational hospitality, sports and entertainment company. It operates resorts in Las Vegas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, Macau, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou and San ...

Early life

Joseph Terrence Lanni was born on March 14, 1943, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He graduated from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

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 California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Lanni joined Caesars World in January 1977 as Chief Financial Officer, was named Senior Vice President in April 1978, and was 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. MGM Resorts International is an American multinational hospitality, sports and entertainment company. It operates resorts in Las Vegas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, Macau, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou and San ...

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 Del Mar Fairgrounds is an event venue in Del Mar, California. It hosts the annual San Diego County Fair. The venue sits on a property along the Pacific Ocean coastline. It includes the Del Mar Racetrack, built in 1936 by the Del Mar Thoroug ...

; the board of trustees of the

Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the Presidential library system, presidential library and burial site of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States (1981–1989), and his wife Nancy Reagan. Located in Simi Valley, California ...

;

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

, and the board of overseers of the

Keck School of Medicine The USC Keck School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Southern California. The school teaches and trains physicians, biomedical scientists and other healthcare professionals, conducts medical research, and treats patients. F ...

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

American Gaming Association The American Gaming Association (AGA) is a United States gambling industry association. It was founded in 1994 with the goal of promoting, educating and lobbying on behalf of the gambling industry. The AGA's offices are located in Washington, D.C ...

. He was appointed by the Speaker of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

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 The USC Marshall School of Business is the business school of the University of Southern California. It is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In 1997 the school was renamed following a $35 million donation fr ...

in 1992. In October 2000 he was inducted into the

Gaming Hall of Fame The Gaming Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to recognize individuals who have played a significant role in the gambling-entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an au ...

, 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 of

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...

on July 14, 2011, at the age of 68.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanni, Terrence American chief executives of travel and tourism industry companies American casino industry businesspeople 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 colorectal cancer in California American chief operating officers American chief financial officers MGM Resorts International