Sunland Park owner has passed away

According to a statement issued by New Mexico’s casino, Fulton died in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he lived, at the age of 86. No further details were given by the company regarding his death.

Raised in Hancock, Maryland, Fulton joined the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s before embarking on a business career where he built cable television systems and entered the gambling industry.

His company, Fortune Coin, developed one of the first video slot machines.

In the late 1980s, he founded another company — Anchor Coin, which became Anchor Gaming — that operated casinos in Colorado and developed gambling machines, including "Wheel of Gold, the predecessor to Wheel of Fortune," according to the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.

In 2000, Fulton purchased Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino in New Mexico and bought a number of horses that had strong careers.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports New Mexico State University said Fulton was the institution's largest single donor. Officials said he gave more than $17 million for projects ranging from the football stadium to endowed professorships to a university aircraft.

Fulton also contributed hefty sums to other entities, such as the city of Sunland Park and the Gadsden Independent School District.