Dan Marks and Bruce Rowe inducted into the EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame
Dan Marks and Bruce Rowe inducted into the EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA, February 9, 2026 – Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, LLC (EKG) is pleased to announce that Dan Marks and Bruce Rowe have been inducted into the EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame (HOF) Class of 2026. Both Dan and Bruce will be honored at the EKG Slot Awards in Las Vegas on February 26, 2026, at the Palms Casino Resort. Dan Marks is the eighth inductee to the EKG Slot Awards HOF under the Game Development category while Bruce Rowe is the sixth inductee under the Slot Operations category.
“Once again our distinguished Board of Advisors has selected two outstanding individuals to be inducted into the EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame,” said Todd Eilers, Principal at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, LLC. “Both Dan Marks and Bruce Rowe have made substantial and long-lasting contributions to the gaming industry and are well deserving of this honor.”
Dan Marks
Dan Marks was born on February 16, 1971, in Englewood, New Jersey. He graduated from Haverford College in 1993 with a BA in Psychology and obtained a JD from Stanford Law in 1998. He began his career in the gaming industry in 1998 when he joined High 5 Games. During his time there, he served as LLC Manager and invented some of the most enduring slot machine titles in the industry, including Black Widow, Twin Win, Shadow of the Panther, Cats, Dangerous Beauty, Midnight Eclipse, Hoot Loot, DaVinci Diamonds, and Golden Goddess. Many of these games remain among the top-performing high-denomination titles more than a decade later.
While at High 5 Games, Marks also pioneered several innovative gameplay mechanics that would become staples of modern slot design. His patented inventions—including exploding symbols, split symbols, WYSIWYG symbols, and replacement stacked symbols—helped redefine how slot games create repeated wins, bonus excitement, and player engagement.
In 2010, Marks co-founded Spooky Cool Labs with Joe Kaminkow, a company focused on cutting-edge 3D and AI-powered casual gaming experiences based on The Wizard of Oz. Spooky Cool Labs was acquired by Zynga in 2013 and led to the launch of Hit It Rich Casino, one of the first licensed-brand social casino applications, which has generated more than $2 billion in lifetime revenue.
In 2013, Marks founded Gimmie Games, which has since grown into the largest multi-channel slot studio in the world. Under his leadership, the studio produces more than 60 games per year across land-based casinos, social casinos, and iGaming platforms, with over 240 employees. Marks’ games have achieved exceptional commercial success, with 16 titles reaching #1 rankings more than 70 times on the Eilers-Fantini Game Performance Reports, including Mighty Cash, Cashman Bingo, Bao Zhu Zhao Fu, Mo Mummy, and Spooky Link.
Today, as a Master Patent Inventor at Aristocrat with more than 95 issued patents, Dan Marks continues to be recognized as one of the foremost innovators in slot machine game development. Dan currently lives with his wife Keri in Decatur, Georgia and has three kids, Skyler (20), August (18), and Zachary (13).
Bruce Rowe
Bruce C. Rowe was born in 1953 in Atlantic City, New Jersey and he graduated with a BA from American University in 1975. After graduating, Bruce went on to build a remarkable career spanning more than 45 years in the casino gaming industry. Widely respected for his leadership, innovation, and strategic insight, Bruce has played an influential role in casino operations, gaming technology, and slot performance optimization throughout the modern evolution of gaming.
Bruce began his career during a period of rapid growth in the casino industry and spent more than two decades with Harrah’s, now Caesars Entertainment. Over the years, he held multiple senior executive roles, including Corporate Vice President of Slot Operations and R&D. In that capacity, he oversaw more than 42,000 slot machines across 26 properties and helped drive billions in annual revenue through enterprise-wide slot strategy, operational standards, and major capital contract negotiations. Bruce also participated in the opening of 18 new casino development projects including riverboats, land-based casinos, Native American projects and International developments.
Following his success in casino operations, Bruce expanded into the gaming manufacturing and technology sector. He served as Vice President of Business Strategy at GTECH before joining Bally Technologies, where he became Senior Vice President of Strategy and later Senior Vice President of Customer Consulting and Sales Support. At Bally, Bruce worked closely with executive leadership to guide long-term growth initiatives, strengthen customer partnerships, and support emerging markets including internet gaming. 
In 2013, Bruce founded Renaissance Casino Solutions, LLC, where he continues to provide consulting services to casino operators and gaming manufacturers worldwide, specializing in slot optimization, casino design, and strategic planning.
Bruce has received numerous honors, including the Harrah’s Leadership Award and the Casino Marketing Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his lasting contributions to the industry. Today, he resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his wife, Sheral Rowe and has two kids, Christopher and Courtney.
Congratulations to both Dan Marks and Bruce Rowe as inductees into The EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame – Class of 2026. Thank you for your lasting and meaningful contributions to the gaming industry.
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About Eilers & Krejcik Gaming:
Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, LLC is a boutique market research and consulting firm focused on servicing the gaming equipment, interactive gaming, and sports betting sectors within the global gaming industry. Our products and services primarily include market research, company research, and consulting and advisory services designed specifically for land based & online casino operators, equipment & technology suppliers, social gaming operators & suppliers, gaming regulators, and institutional investors. Additional information regarding our research products and advisory services can be obtained by calling Todd Eilers at (949) 887-7726, or visiting our website at www.ekgamingllc.com.















