2009 GREAT WOMEN OF GAMING
Proven leader
Debra Nutton
Senior Vice President, Casino Operations
MGM Grand
Atrue trail-blazer for women working on the casino floor and in the management office, Debra Nutton is a leader with heart, determination and thick skin. She started her gaming career with a nursing degree in 1979.
Nutton was among the first female craps dealers in Las Vegas. Times are so different now, she says. Back then, dealers didn't really have rights. "You really tried hard, is all I can say, you really tried hard not to complain or do anything because you had to set the stage for everyone else, and the attitude for dealers then was 'dummy up and deal.' "
Nutton liked the excitement and challenging atmosphere of the gaming floor and stayed in the business because she didn't want to let anyone get the best of her. She states: "Unless I love you, you can't get me, so bring it on. Because I knew none of it made sense and they had so many rules for women that were different than men." For example, no two women were allowed to work at the same table. "It kind of gives you the strength for whatever life gives you, career-wise at least," she says.
It took work to gain respect from men in the industry as Nutton broke ground by earning leadership positions throughout the 1980s. She spent eight years at the former Sands Hotel as a dealer, floor supervisor and pit manager, and worked at other various properties. She says the key to being accepted by men in the business was being content with little accomplishments each day. Nutton vividly remembers a turning point in her career. She was working as the first female supervisor at a Vegas casino in the dice pit. It was a busy day—one of the times dealers want smart supervisors. The craps dealer looked at her and said, "I'm glad you're here."
In 1989, Nutton joined MGM Mirage. She is now the senior vice president of casino operations at MGM Grand. In her position, Nutton is responsible for all table games, poker, race and sports book operations. She has a team of more than 1,000 employees, manages a payroll budget of more than $43 million and revenues of $300 to $350 million annually.
John Shigley, executive vice president of operations at MGM Grand, says he is consistently impressed by Nutton's ability to be proactive in employee relations. She helped design and implement a dealers website, Tabletalk, which allows casino employees 24-hour access to schedules, policies, job openings and feedback. Nutton's colleagues also applaud her for having a positive attitude that serves her well when dealing with casino guests.
Nutton attributes her success to being honest 100 percent of the time. London Swinney, executive director of casino operations at New York, New York, says although the casino industry is notorious for gossip and controversy, not a single person has ever had a bad thing to say to her about Nutton. "Not only was there nothing bad said; there were numerous inspiring stories from her former co-workers."
Nutton makes it her own, personal job to be a mentor to women at her company. She never had a female mentor and figured out how to make her way on her own. "I decided I was going to be a female 100 percent. I was going to wear a pink dress if I wanted to; I was going to talk about my son."
Along the way, Nutton learned a few things she wants other women to know. First, she says, you don't have to try to be one of the guys to be successful. "Be a female and embrace that, and be a mother and do that. And then, embrace each other and be each other's advocate and push for the other females to do well, because we aren't each other's competition. If we help each other, then really the sky is the limit."
To practice what she preaches, Nutton plans trips and parties for all the female shift managers and pit managers at MGM Mirage. She explains: "Unless we do what men do, unless we go golfing on Sunday and we become a good group, instead of a group that works against each other, then we'll always, always hit that glass ceiling."
Determination to break boundaries isn't the only thing that keeps Nutton working hard. She will continue to improve because the people she works with expect it of her. "Their careers are starting or they're in the middle somewhere. They expect me to not give up."
Nutton rightfully boasts about two accomplishments she reached recently at the age of 50; she went back to school and earned a degree in business and ran a half marathon. But her biggest personal accomplishment in life is her family. Nutton's son is 23 and she says she can't wait to watch him grow into a successful adult.
Ten years from now, Nutton hopes the gaming industry is more involved with the community. She is active in community volunteer programs including those that assist in cancer research and support education opportunities for at-risk children. She encourages her staff to get involved in local schools. Nutton's expectations for herself and for females are now expanding to the industry as a whole. "We could do so much more, but we only live up to what's expected of us, which wasn't much. So I want what's expected of us in the community to be so much more, so that we can have so much more of a voice in the community." SKC
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