Roger Thomas to receive Casino Design’s 2009 Sarno Lifetime Achievement Award

Thomas will be presented with the award during the Casino Design conference at G2E 2009 on Monday, November 16 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In his current position with Wynn Design and Development, Thomas has designed and created interior spaces for some of the world's most iconic casino resorts, including Wynn Las Vegas, Encore Las Vegas and Wynn Macau. He currently is overseeing the interior design for Encore at Wynn Macau, which is slated to open in May 2010.

Prior to joining Wynn Design and Development, Thomas was senior vice president and director of interior design for Atlandia Design, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mirage Resorts Incorporated, and served as principal of Thomas Design Group, an operating unit within Atlandia. Thomas Design Group created the interior designs for such notable casino resorts as Bellagio, The Mirage and Treasure Island Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, and the Golden Nugget Casinos located in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nev.

"Throughout his career, Roger's name has been synonymous with groundbreaking and breathtaking interior design. He has created some of the most fantastic and memorable casino resort interiors in the industry, and his work has been admired the world over," said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. "We are very pleased to be honoring his lifetime of achievements, and look forward to the incredible new designs he will introduce in future casino resort projects."

Thomas previously established the Las Vegas office of the design firm Yates-Silverman, Inc. In addition, as an avid supporter of the arts, Thomas is the founder of the Bank of America Nevada Fine Art Collection and has served on the boards of the Nevada Museum of Fine Arts, the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, the Nevada Institute of Contemporary Art and several other fine and performing arts and charitable organizations.

Thomas's work has been featured in a number of leading industry journals, including Architectural Digest, ELLE DECOR, Interiors and Hospitality Design. He also has received many awards for his work, including the 2009 Design Icon distinction from the World Market Center in Las Vegas and the 2008 Designer of the Year award at The International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York. He is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Mass., and received a B.F.A. in Art History from Tufts University.

Presented annually during Casino Design, the only conference dedicated to casino architecture, design and d?cor, and construction, the Sarno Award is the highest honor afforded any individual involved in the design and construction of casino resorts. It is named for Jay Sarno, the grandfather of casino design, who envisioned such well-known casino resort properties as Caesars Palace and Circus Circus in the 1960s. In addition to Sarno, who received the first award posthumously, previous winners include Joel Bergmann, Don Brinkerhoff, Jon Jerde, Brad Friedmutter and David Rockwell.

G2E, scheduled for November 17-19, 2009 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is the leading trade show and conference event for the international gaming entertainment community, attended by more than 26,000 industry professionals from around the world. Casino Design, the only conference dedicated to casino architecture, design and d?cor, and construction, will be held on November 16, in conjunction with G2E 2009.