Feb. 22--There isn't much question about the critical roles three men inducted Thursday into the Nevada Business Hall of Fame played in the development of the state's gambling industry. 

One was the first to provide bank financing to build Las Vegas casinos, another created The Mirage and Bellagio megaresorts and the third one invented the video poker machine. 

The are, of course, former Valley Bank boss Parry Thomas, Strip developer Steve Wynn and International Game Technology founder Si Redd, the first-ever inductees into the University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Business' new hall of fame. 

Administrators created the hall as a way to leverage a connection between the state's business leaders and the school, business school Dean Rich Flaherty said. 

"We're not trying to raise money. This allows us to provide recognition to some of Nevada's most important business people. I expect it to be a plus for the school and for our students." 

Other university business schools have organized similar halls of fame and they inspired Flaherty to copy the idea at UNLV. 

Thomas, 80, was for years the only banker willing to loan money to Las Vegas casinos. He and his late Valley Bank partner, Jerry Mack, were key UNLV donors; the school's sports arena is named after the pair. 

Thomas mentored a number of Strip entrepreneurs, including Wynn. 

"He's like a father to me," Wynn said earlier this week. "He's my guy." 

Thomas helped Wynn, 60, buy a liquor distributor and later steered the developer toward a series of transactions that catapulted him into control of the Golden Nugget hotel-casino. 

Wynn later built and sold the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City. He developed The Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio, and sold his Mirage Resorts to MGM Grand in May 2000. 

Wynn then bought and closed the Desert Inn, where he's said he plans to build a $1.63 billion water-themed megaresort, Le Reve. 

Redd founded IGT in 1975 as A-1 Supply. He developed the first video poker machine in 1978 and later developed the company's Megabucks machines. 

Redd sold the Oasis hotel-casino in Mesquite last summer. 

A group of 27 Nevada business leaders serving on the hall's nominating committee narrowed 30 nominations down to Thursday's three honorees, who will have their bronzed likenesses placed on a wall at the school, Flaherty said. 

Thursday's induction will be followed by annual ceremonies , Flaherty said. He expects the hall to tab at least three more prominent Nevada business leaders for induction in each of the next few years. 

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(c) 2002, Las Vegas Review-Journal. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.