It’s old faces in new roles at Renton’s casinos as Freddie’s Club of Renton and Diamond Lil’s Casino are both under new management. Club Monaco bought out GSG Corporation and owns both entities.
But the new management isn’t exactly new to the scene. Club Monaco is a partnership between Cory Thompson and David Hill, both former employees of Freddie’s Club.
Both Thompson and Hill grew up in the Pacific Northwest and have gaming backgrounds that took them from here to Las Vegas.
Thompson started out as a casino manager with Freddie’s Club when it opened in Renton on 1997, after graduating from the University of Portland with a bachelor’s degree in business.
“Yeah, I always wanted to own my own business,” said Thompson. “This is the business I ended up learning about. I’d like to take a successful business and use the profits for philanthropy around the world.”
Hill has a philosophy degree from the University of Washington and owned a successful gaming business in Las Vegas before he got his masters in business administration from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Hill spent some time on Wall Street before he returned to Washington and joined Freddie’s Club and Diamond Lil’s in July 2013.
Hill hadn’t thought about purchasing a casino until three years ago and eventually decided on a partnership with Thompson.
“We looked at several places and ended up settling here because we thought we just had a great location and a great history,” said Hill. “So we thought this was the best opportunity.”
The two have more than 200 employees and the properties are busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. With the new management will come upgrades such as new carpets, wallpaper and some other physical changes. With food and beverage making up about 25 percent of their revenues, down from 40 percent, they have shifted the business to focus more on the gaming side of things.
“We’re always looking to have the games that the players want to have,” said Thompson. “So if there’s something that comes down the line that’s really popular with the players, we’ll certainly have it.”
Both Hill and Thompson want to restore the casinos to the dominance in the area that they once had.
“I think we’re already on the path to restoring them to the presence they once were,” said Hill. “Diamond Lil’s was always the dominant non-tribal cardroom in the state of Washington and we will be there again.”
City leaders echo those same sentiments, looking back on a successful gaming past in Renton.
“Having operated successfully in Renton for many years, Freddie’s Club and Diamond Lil’s have made positive contributions to our area economy,” said Cliff Long, via email, city economic development director.
