Jeffrey Compton – Visionary, communicator, arts lover, entrepreneur — CDC Gaming

Back within the day when Jeffrey Compton was a finance main at Babson College, he created the college’s Publicity Committee, which oversaw the advertising and marketing for school actions. He additionally turned the college’s first theater critic. The night time earlier than he acquired his Bachelor of Science in May 1977, Compton acquired a particular award for being “Babson’s Consummate Commentator, Communicator, and Critic.”

So, from his earliest days, Jeffrey Compton demonstrated the distinctive mix of a love for the humanities, a pointy thoughts for enterprise, entrepreneurship, and a novel approach of trying on the world.

Founder and long-time writer of CDC Gaming, Compton is acknowledged as probably the most revolutionary figures in gaming media. In the midst of an onslaught of month-to-month gaming magazines, Compton’s singular strategy to publishing helped create a brand new form of data supply that was fast, digital, and targeted on the wants of gaming executives. CDC Gaming is quick data delivered each day by way of the web.

Today, CDC Gaming is essentially the most revered supply of up-to-date gaming business information, assessments, and statement. CDC Gaming gained recognition amongst on line casino executives, regulators, suppliers, and analysts and established a fame for concise, curated, and well timed reporting.

Faxes
Jeffrey Compton’s journey taking CDC Gaming from a distinct segment publication to a trusted type of gaming data started with each day faxes from his father. Those faxes contained tales in regards to the gaming business and sparked Compton to comprehend that velocity and digital was the way forward for gaming publications.

Early days
Compton was born in Cleveland, OH, in a facility that primarily oversaw unwed moms. “My mother was 40 when she was pregnant with me. She had had a history of miscarriages, so she went to the best doctors at University Circle in Cleveland. They suggested the closest facility was Booth Memorial Hospital, which was a home for unwed mothers, but they had the best delivery room facilities,” Compton stated.

His mother and father had been William Compton, who owned a producing plant, and his spouse Rosella Compton, who was an actual property and inventory investor.

Compton acquired his BS and MBA from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. “After I received my BS, I worked two years in corporate America – for Laventhol and Howarth, a CPA firm, and ATO, a corporate conglomerate. “The experiences convinced me that I was not cut out for traditional corporate jobs,” Compton stated.

“I didn’t see a path in either of those firms. And if you look at the history of Babson, their big deal has been entrepreneurship. Now, entrepreneurship does not mean starting the next Apple or the next Amazon, what it means is taking charge of your career. I’m in charge of my career, not some outfit I work for. I quickly concluded that I do not work well in large companies,” Compton stated.

A pure marketer
Compton’s influences in life got here from a variety of assorted pursuits that started along with his household and was impacted by his later-in-life analysis with Asperger syndrome.

“My father was an engineer and a natural marketer. I majored in finance and I’m a natural marketer,” Compton stated.

Compton says that his grandfather “was a very successful painter.”  He additionally shares that his mom “had a very, very good voice” and sang in a downtown division retailer the place she labored, the place workers sang on a small stage to “get people into the store during the depression.”

Compton’s brother Bill Compton “tried to get into the theater in New York and ended up having the household produce a play in Boston whereas I used to be in school known as ‘The Haunted Host’, which starred a man who didn’t even have his fairness card at the moment. His identify was Harvey Fierstein.

“We set up a business while I was in college called Quik Charge of Boston. Back then, if you wanted to go to the theater, you had to go down to the box office and buy tickets. At Quik Charge, you could use something called a credit card and use it over the phone. That’s how I got my interest in theater, and that’s how I became a college theater critic; because I was able to get tickets to all the openings because of Quik Charge,” Compton associated.

Asperger syndrome
Compton brazenly speaks about his Asperger syndrome of which he says, “I don’t consider it a handicap and certainly not an excuse, just a variation.”

“I’m identified with Asperger syndrome (aka high-functioning autism), a situation characterised by vital difficulties in social interplay and nonverbal communication, together with restricted and repetitive patterns of conduct and pursuits. I’m both deeply excited about a subject (visible and performing arts, historical past, faith, information, gaming) or in no way (sports activities).

“People ask me, how does it work? I’ll provide you with an instance. When I used to be 4 years outdated, my mom took me Christmas buying at Halle Brothers. They had a contest for teenagers to enter and so they’d enter in teams. My mom stated, ‘Can my kid enter the five to seven group?’ So, they stated, okay, and I gained and he or she acquired a $25 reward certificates.

“The contest was how many states can you identify on a blank map. You went up and they would light up 10 states, and you’d say what the 10  states were. By the time I was in fourth grade, I could name the presidents of the United States backwards in order, and later the kings of England, or the czars of Russia or whatever. But don’t ask me what a half-back does in football.”

I requested Compton if he thought Asperger’s was a assist operating his enterprise.

“Now, I didn’t hear the word Asperger’s until I was in my 40s, but I realized when I read about it, and then when I was tested, that I fit into that. Now it’s a big help for me, and I make the most of that. Asperger’s can be a big help in certain situations,” Compton said.

Tension gadgets and Monte Carlo Nights
“After getting my MBA in December 1979, I moved again to Cleveland to assist my father handle his enterprise, Comptrol Inc, a small producer.

“My purpose was to assist my dad take his small enterprise to a medium-sized enterprise that might be marketable in 10 years, particularly if we grew the worldwide aspect of it.

“First it was a distributorship, and then it became a manufacturing business. We made tension guides, devices that maintain tension in mechanisms. We also made the devices that weighed and balanced car parts for the car manufacturers.”

Compton took over “Monte Carlo Fun Nights,” a scholarship fundraiser that passed off on the Cleveland State University campus within the Mather Mansion, a big Millionaires’ Row mansion situated on the campus. “The house turned into a huge casino, and it worked perfectly.”

“It helped my father with a scholar challenge he was funding by organising ‘Monte Carlo Fun Night’ (1981-1994), town’s largest on line casino night time. During these years I developed a number of attention-grabbing Nevada connections, together with Anthony Curtis and Dr. William Eddington after I attended the primary Executive Development Program in 1991 in Lake Tahoe.

“When Dr. Eddington handed me my certificate, he referred to me as a ‘wannabe,’ a remark he later apologized for when he asked me to be a keynote speaker in 2001,” Compton stated.

I requested Compton if his curiosity in gaming will be traced again to Monte Carlo Fun Nights.

“Yes, definitely. I enjoyed it. The thing that struck me about casino nights, or casinos, is that people can have a good time no matter who or what they are. They could dress up and enjoy themselves. And you know 90 percent of the people are having a good time and can either win or lose. And so that kind of piqued my interest in gaming. I sold real estate in Cleveland for a couple of years. And between the booming real estate market in Las Vegas and my interest in gaming, I decided to move to Las Vegas in 1994,” Compton recalled.

Guide to Slot Clubs
While enjoying on the Golden Nugget, Compton noticed “this card thing” the place gamers inserted a card and had been rewarded with tickets redeemable free of charge meals and rooms.

“I reconnected with Anthony Curtis – and came up with the idea of writing a book on slot clubs, ‘The Las Vegas Advisor Guide to Slot Clubs,’ his third book – and a substantial hit,” Compton stated.

Compton had walked into the Gamblers Bookshop and requested the proprietor if there have been any books on slot golf equipment and he was instructed no. He walked out, walked again in once more and requested what number of occasions a e-book on slot golf equipment was requested. “And he said ‘three times a week,’ because it’s the biggest hole in the literature. So, my next stop was Anthony Curtis’s office. And Anthony says, ‘What do you know about slot clubs?’”

Curtis was at first skepictal, after which Compton went on to finish six months of analysis.

“I joined every slot club in Las Vegas back then. I wrote the book and it was quite a hot seller. I kept getting calls from casinos asking me to come to lunch because they wanted to know my opinion of their slot club. I realized that this is a good gig, except lunch isn’t enough to pay me. So, at that time, I talked to Bob Dancer, a budding video poker expert, and said, ‘Why don’t we set up a consulting organization,’ which did fairly well through the years. We realized that Compton Dancer Consulting had a lot to offer to the gaming business in two growing areas: slot clubs and video poker,” Compton stated.

Exactly what I’m searching for
“During that time, I kept getting faxes from my retired father of articles he saw in this publication or another about gaming – and I realized that a daily report discussing recent news stories could be a valuable tool for the industry. And then luck sent me Ken Adams – who was writing a monthly report that was exactly what I was looking for – except it would be transmitted on the internet every day, not printed and mailed monthly. So, that’s how it happened,” Compton recalled.

“And so, I came up with the idea that we do it once a day, and we did it for two or three weeks without showing it to anybody. Then we sent it mainly to our consulting clients, and I realized it had an interest beyond that,” Compton recounted.

Constant innovation, arts, and The Flash
“We constantly involved innovation. I was raised by my father, who never used an ATM machine in his life but was big on keeping up with the innovations in your industry,” Compton stated.

“I moved to New York in 2005 and was engaged in one other challenge with my spouse Norma Foote, whereas CDC Gaming was a subscription piece on the time. But my coronary heart was on this arts challenge.

“It was purported to be a website online for arts customers, the place you could possibly go and search for town you’re visiting, or town you reside in, and see what’s out there. Between my spouse’s Alzheimer’s, the truth that the humanities challenge was draining money and time, plus the rising threats to CDC Gaming, I bought the location to a bigger outfit.

“But I gained a lot from that. For example, I learned the value of an Associated Press subscription, where you can run Associated Press stories on your site in their entirety. Plus, how to set up a website cheaply, but still a good website. So, I learned an awful lot. And I also worked with a writer, Brooke Pierce, who is now one of our editors at CDC Gaming” Compton stated.

Compton found that the AGA was placing out a publication; and he and his spouse realized it was a menace.

“I realized that if I did not do something, the business was going to go down the drain. So, and you think I’m a fighter, you should have met my late wife. We decided that’s when we set up the Flash, because the Flash would be earlier in the morning before the other piece came out,” Compton said.

Different pursuits
“By 2007, I spotted that Bob Dancer and I had very completely different pursuits. His bobdancer.com merchandise and website had taken off; and I used to be extra excited about distributing the each day newsletters than consulting. At the time we had two different associates, John Stone, who needed the consulting finish of the enterprise (CDC Consulting aka CDC Results), and Dave Newton, who based CDC Seminars. Though CDC Gaming has robust enterprise relationships with each companies, they’re independently-owned.

“In 2012, as a consequence of my spouse’s deteriorating situation (she handed away from early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2017), we moved again to Cleveland.

“Also, another reason I moved back to Cleveland was my father was 95 years old, sharp as a tack, and I wanted to spend his last years with him,” Compton stated.

Adapting to vary
Compton realized {that a} subscription-based publication can be left behind by altering market circumstances and moved again to Las Vegas to pursue a publishing technique based mostly on promoting.

“In 2015, my father had died and my spouse was now in a facility, and he or she is as glad as you will be in these circumstances, besides she not acknowledges me.

“So, I spotted that I wanted to modify CDC Gaming to a method based mostly totally on promoting. If I need to develop this group and be capable of help my spouse within the nursing dwelling, I needed to develop an promoting program along with subscription earnings. So, I moved again to Las Vegas.

“By that time, I had hired a guy out of college, Cory Roberts, a recent graduate of Case Western Reserve University who majored in music and computers and was growing in the business very quickly. I knew that he could manage part of it and I could manage part of it. So, I moved back to Las Vegas and luck sent me Jim McGlasson, who pioneered our very successful advertising program until he retired at the beginning of this year. At the same time, I was flying to Cleveland quite often to visit my wife,” Compton stated.

Specialized merchandise
Compton launched new a number of specialised merchandise to the prevailing Flash, and Weekend Report for CDC Gaming.

“I labored on the promoting program and refining the publications after we added Last Call. I got here up with the concept and Cory got here up with the structure and the way it might work. When Covid hit, we developed the concept of doing promoting items known as Focus on Partners, the place one total electronic mail occasion is devoted to 1 firm.

Semi-retired
“After Covid, in 2020, Compton decided to semi-retire as Publisher and assumed the title of Publisher Emeritus, transferring the Publisher role to Cory Roberts while retaining financial management. “And I moved back to my favorite place in the world – Cleveland. Early this year, I handed the Business Manager role to Lulu Roberts – and will only be doing special projects going forward such as market research and managing the subscriptions,” Compton stated.

“The process became that Cory went from tech advisor to Publisher. You know how they do the ‘40 Under 40’ at Global Gaming Business. Cory is the youngest person to ever get that,” Compton said.

Merger
In late 2024 by way of January 1, 2025, CDC Gaming and Inside Asian Gaming (IAG) merged to type a brand new international media firm known as Complete Media Group.

Following the merger of CDC Gaming and Inside Asian Gaming, Cory Roberts was lately promoted to the twin function of Chief Operating Officer and Publisher of CDC Gaming, efficient January 1, 2026.

Both CDC Gaming and IAG proceed to function beneath their established model names of their core markets, the Americas for CDC, and Asia-Pacific for IAG.

Andrew W. Scott, Vice Chairman and CEO of IAG, turned CEO of Complete Media Group. Cory Roberts, Publisher of CDC Gaming, assumed roles as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the mixed group.

“The merger was Cory’s idea. He met members of the IAG staff at CDC Gaming G2E functions, plus connected with Andrew Scott at various international shows. Cory’s wife Lulu was born in China, so they were quite comfortable going to Asian shows; and interacted with Andrew, and Andrew proposed the merger,” Compton associated.

Gaming business challenges
With his years of expertise as a media chief in gaming, I requested Compton what he thought in regards to the challenges dealing with the business as we speak.

“I don’t see numerous unhealthy, besides that there was a much bigger step than we thought after we went to web gaming, and particularly web sports activities betting. We are working a big temptation to lots of people. It will take time for society to get used to it.

“The second one is it AI. I take advantage of AI every single day and it’s a huge a part of my life, but it surely’s expertise that we’ve got to study to manage. That’s the identical factor with the gaming business. Nobody has taken extra benefit of expertise within the gaming business than I’ve. How many magazines had been there after I began? How many magazines are there now? So, that could be a main subject we’ve got to confront.

“The problem is gaming has been evolving by changes in legislation, changes in society, values, and changes in the decreased cost of computerization; you know, automation. That’s how the industry has to adjust, including the media that covers it,” Compton declared.

Success secrets and techniques
I requested Compton what he thought led to his success.

“Probably the explanation I’m within the gaming business is a grounded schooling between Babson and my father. My father was an engineer. He had no formal coaching in enterprise, however he had a superb intuition. He additionally had an enormous moral ethical compass.

“So, I think a lot of it was the influence of my father and going to Babson twice. And so, it ended up a very dynamic combination – and luck,” Compton mused.

Lifelong toolbox
Compton’s talent as a mentor was apparent when he associated what he tells individuals in regards to the lifelong toolbox.

“I always tell people, you need five F-words for your lifelong toolbox. One is facts, especially in today’s society, you should know what you’re talking about when you’re talking about it. The second one is friends. The third is fun, enjoy what you’re doing. If you’re not enjoying it, find something else to do but it should be fun. The fourth one is failure. We all will have it, and frequently it was just bad luck; but we all have it and shouldn’t be ashamed of it. And the last one is faith. Religion has been around for thousands of years, and it helps people – and all art has its roots in religion,” Compton said.

Highly regarded
Compton’s contributions to CDC Gaming as founder and writer made it a must-read useful resource. CDC Gaming had retained the management function in actual time information and evaluation, regardless of the ever-changing gaming atmosphere. As the gaming business grew nationally and internationally, Compton recognized a rising want for protection that was instantly accessible and extremely curated.

From figuring out slot golf equipment as the longer term, to making a each day publication on the web that has remained vibrant by way of the years, Jeffrey Compton stays certainly one of gaming’s most revolutionary media leaders.

---

Entries within the Faces of Gaming sequence:

• Jeffrey Compton – Visionary, communicator, arts lover, entrepreneur (now studying)
• Jason Guyot, Foxwoods – Reimagining the longer term
• Dan Kustelski – From West Point to South Africa to Chalkline
• Keith Winters – Disrupting on line casino video games with likelihood, talent and a steering wheel
• Joe Billhimer of Cordish Gaming Group – from Katrina restoration to enjoying the lengthy recreation
• Erica Kosemund, Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – The oracle of branding and partnerships
• Bill Miller, CEO American Gaming Association – From a household of legal professionals comes a political optimist
• Steve Neely – Casino profession classes constructed on a body of life
• Circa proprietor Derek Stevens – A sports-specific model with a downtown Vegas vibe
• Phil Satre – Chairman of the Boards
• Michael Kaplan – Writing the e-book on benefit gamers, for playing and for all times
• Andrew Cardno — Data Scientist, Dyslexic, Taekwondo Master, Author, Futurist, A Modern Renaissance Man Who Really Should be Dead
• Dr. Katherine Spilde – There’s no place like dwelling
• Mattress Mack – Furniture mogul, advertising and marketing genius, sports activities betting champ
• Jeff Connor, proprietor of Lockdogs – A greater mousetrap
• Antonio Perez – An optimistic realist
• Kara Napolitano – Human rights advocate and trafficking knowledgeable
• Next Gaming CEO and skill-based slots evangelist Mike Darley
• Dennis Conrad – Executive, founder, creator, speaker, creator, columnist, and innovator
• Adam Wiesberg – A journey from signal salesman to seller to El Cortez GM
• Gary Ellis – Las Vegas entrepreneur
• Alan Feldman – From Mirage and MGM to accountable gaming knowledgeable
• John Acres – the Thomas Edison of gaming
• Alex Alvarado — Vice President, Casino Operations at MGM National Harbor and Casino Aficionado
• Lauren Bates — A profitable VP at Konami and Chair of Global Gaming Women, all earlier than her fortieth birthday
• TJ Tejeda and EZ Baccarat – Reimagining a centuries-old recreation
• Chris Andrews — Don’t cry for the bookmaker
• Wes Ehrecke — From gasohol and pork chops to president of the Iowa Gaming Association
• Steve Browne – Casino thinker, grasp gaming teacher and father of a rocket scientist
• Noah Acres – Shaking up the business one participant report at a time
• Kate Chambers – ICE queen, on line casino exhibition maven and keeper of fairy mud
• Joe Asher — From the newsstand and racetrack to sports-betting icon
• Paul Speirs-Hernandez — Randomness, likelihood, reward, and luck
• Ainsworth’s Deron Hunsberger — From finance and gross sales to president
• Roger Gros — Chronicler of the gaming business for 4 a long time and counting
• Debi Nutton — Everi board member, gaming trailblazer
• Cache Creek’s Kari Stout-Smith — Dancing backwards in excessive heels
• Andrew Economon — Making downtown Las Vegas cool once more
• Richard Marcus — From the unsuitable aspect of the on line casino tables to the fitting
• Willy Allison — From New Zealand bloke to world game-protection chief
• Tom Jingoli — From gaming enforcement agent to COO of Konami Gaming
• Tino Magnatta — Interviewing the interviewer, 3,000 and counting since COVID
• Deana and Brady Scott — Still speaking store with the house owners of Raving Consulting
• Kevin Parker — “Putting everything into everything I do”
• Laura Penney — Putting within the Work as CEO of Coeur d’Alene Casino
• Andre Carrier — Paying it ahead
• Jean Scott — The authentic on line casino influencer, nonetheless frugal playing in spite of everything these years
• Anika Howard — From Harrah’s First Interactive Employee to CEO of Wondr Nation
• Anthony Curtis — Gambling Guru, Las Vegas Expert, Customer Advocate with Street Cred
• Mark Wayman — An govt recruiter with a model and one thing to say

---

Tom Osiecki is a on line casino marketing consultant who writes an occasional column for CDC Gaming known as Faces of Gaming, about attention-grabbing and interesting individuals within the gaming business.

Tom Osiecki is a advertising and marketing and administration marketing consultant for Raving Consulting and will be reached for consulting engagements at 775-329-7864.

If you recognize of a captivating persona within the gaming business you wish to see profiled, please ship Tom Osiecki an electronic mail at tosiecki@cdcgaming.com