PRODUCTS LAUNCHED
Ellis Island Casino Hotel began as the Village Pub in 1967. It was opened by Ellis' father, Frank, who later gave it to his son.
The Village Pub changed its name to Ellis Island in 1985. Twelve years later, it opened a large portion of its $12m renovation and expansion, which doubled its slots machines and introduced table games.
In 1995, the Village Pub brand was relaunched. Today, there are 15 Village Pub locations across the Las Vegas valley while Ellis Island, just off the Strip, offers hundreds of gaming devices, restaurants, a Karaoke bar and a brewery.
That represents the "old school" portion of Ellis' gaming empire. The "new school" portion is his work in cashless lending.
In 2018, the tech-savy Ellis established Marker Trax, which allows players to be scored and given access to their markers in minutes. MarkerTrax integrates into a casino's operation system, which allows for easy start up and player tracking.
Ellis did not stop there, by the way. In 2021, he founded Koin, a gaming solution that used a fully integrated financial wallet to offer customers access to their funds anywhere at anytime. Koin offers a number of digital funding options, including bank ACH transfer, debit cards, real-time payments, international transfers and Marker Trax digital credit.
Ellis and his wife Cindy also own Chanela Vineyards in St. George. The 55-acre vineyard, which Ellis has owned since 2006, produces a wide variety of locally grown wines, including both white and red varietals.
