American lawyer (1942–2025)
Gerald Michael Brown (November 3, 1942 – October 6, 2025) was an American gaming regulator inNew Jersey who became a lawyer for the gaming industry, and was thechief executive officer ofFoxwoods Resort Casino.
Early life and education
[edit]Born on November 3, 1942, inOrange, New Jersey, Brown graduated fromSt. Benedict's Preparatory School, before earning degrees atFranciscan University of Steubenville and theSeton Hall University School of Law, later serving in theUnited States Army during theVietnam War.[1]
He began his legal career in 1970 as an assistant prosecutor inEssex County, New Jersey.[2] As assistant state attorney general in a 1980 case, Brown was the lead prosecutor and obtained the convictions of four members of theGenovese crime family on charges including extortion,loan-sharking and robbery, saying that the verdict demonstrated that theMafia is not merely "a figment of Hollywood's imagination."[3] One of the defendants gave him credit for his legal skills, telling Brown to reach out 'If you ever decide to come over to the other side."[4]
At a 1979 hearing of theNew Jersey Casino Control Commission, whereResorts International was seeking approval of the first permanent casino license inAtlantic City, New Jersey, he was asked by a commissioner if the casino operator or its management had any connection toorganized crime, to which Brown responded "not at the present time, no".[5]
He served from 1980 to 1982 as director of theNew Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, which oversees the integrity of the state'scasinos and gambling operations, after which he operated a law practice in Atlantic City that focused on gambling regulation.[2][6]
In 1993, he was hired by theMashantucket Pequot Tribe to develop and expand what was then known as Foxwoods High Stakes Bingo & Casino on their reservation inLedyard, Connecticut, expanding it into theFoxwoods Resort Casino.[7] With the state ofConnecticut facing financial challenges, he was able to make a deal through the offices of governorLowell P. Weicker under which the casino would gain authorization to installslot machines at its casino in exchange for the state given 25% of the take, with $100 million a year in revenue guaranteed on an annual basis.[4] The addition of slot machines helped fund a major expansion announced in 1993, that would add a combination 3,000-seat bingo hall / boxing arena / concert hall covering 55,000 square feet (5,100 m2) that would make Foxwoods the largest casino in the country.[8] A resident ofSea Girt, New Jersey, he earned $1.5 million a year while he ran what was considered one of the country's most profitable casinos, before leaving in 1997 in a dispute with the casino's owners related to a perceived conflict of interest that arose after he bought stock in one of the casino's vendors.[4][9]
As president and part owner of Manhattan Cruises in 1998, his short-lived company offered overnight casino cruises to nowhere from New York City aboard theEdinburgh Castle.[1][10]
Brown died inFort Lauderdale, Florida, on October 6, 2025, at the age of 82.[11][12]
- ^abRoberts, Sam."G. Michael Brown, Who Regulated and Then Ran Casinos, Dies at 82",The New York Times, October 23, 2025. Accessed October 25, 2025. "Gerard Michael Brown, the youngest of five siblings, was born on Nov. 3, 1942, in Orange, N.J. His father, Edmund, was a real estate agent. His mother, Mae (Conroy) Brown, managed the home. After attending St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, Mr. Brown graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1964 and received a law degree in 1967 from Seton Hall Law School in New Jersey."
- ^abLiberman, Si."New Jersey Q & A: G. Michael Brown; Helping Casinos to Acquire Licenses",The New York Times, November 28, 1993. Accessed October 25, 2025. "In 1982, Mr. Brown resigned as the state's $70,000-a-year director of the division of gaming enforcement, opening law offices in Atlantic City and in his hometown here.... He developed his expertise during 12 years of public service, rising from Assistant Essex County Prosecutor in 1970 to the state's Chief Trial Attorney and deputy director of operations of the division of criminal justice before becoming director of the division of gaming enforcement in 1980."
- ^Waldron, Martin."4 Are Convicted of Running Criminal Syndicate in Jersey; Sentencing Set for August",The New York Times, June 21, 1980. Accessed October 25, 2025. "A state jury today convicted four New Jersey men of conspiracy after a three-month trial in which prosecutors described them as operators of a criminal cartel that furthered murder, extortion, gambling and loan-sharking. The prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General G. Michael Brown, said the convictions proved that the national crime conspiracy commonly called the Mafia and described in the trial as 'this thing of ours' is not 'a figment of Hollywood's imagination.'"
- ^abcWadler, Joyce."Public Lives; High Roller's High Stakes on the High Seas",The New York Times, February 10, 1998. Accessed October 25, 2025. "He worked as an assistant prosecutor in New Jersey during the 70's, making his reputation in 1980 in a case that toppled the leadership of the Genovese crime family in that state. 'You're a very good lawyer,' one defendant said to him before going off to serve 10 years. 'If you ever decide to come over to the other side, give me a call.'"
- ^Janson, Donald."Resorts Wins a Permanent License To Operate Casino in Atlantic City",The New York Times, February 27, 1979. Accessed October 25, 2025. "The division agreed today that Resorts had no present association with organized crime. In response to a question from Commissioner Kenneth N. MacDonald, asking whether Resorts or its top officials had any such associations, Assistant Attorney General G. Michael Brown said: 'Not at the present time, no.'"
- ^Hamilton, Robert A."Connecticut Q&A: G. Michael Brown; Planning Ahead at the Foxwoods Casino",The New York Times, January 2, 1994. Accessed October 25, 2025. "Mr. Brown, a graduate of Seton Hall Law School, was an assistant prosecutor in Essex County, N.J., worked in the New Jersey Attorney General's office and in 1979, when New Jersey legalized casinos, he was appointed the director of gaming enforcement. He started an Atlantic City law firm in 1982, Brown and Michael, which specializes in gambling regulation."
- ^viaAssociated Press."Casino Hires Ex-Regulator",The New York Times, January 6, 1993. Accessed October 25, 2025. "G. Michael Brown, a former New Jersey gaming regulator who became a lawyer for the gaming industry, was named today as chief executive officer of the fast-growing Foxwoods High Stakes Bingo & Casino."
- ^"Another Addition Is In The Cards For Foxwoods Casino",Hartford Courant, June 16, 1993. Accessed October 25, 2025. "The Mashantucket Pequot tribe, which owns the Ledyard casino, has approved plans for a 55,000-square-foot addition that will replace its 1,900-seat bingo hall with one large enough to seat 3,000 players. The hall, to be next to the existing bingo parlor, will be designed to serve double duty as a championship boxing arena or concert hall, said G. Michael Brown, Foxwoods, chief executive officer. The tribe's current bingo hall, which is attached to the casino, is to be converted to a slot machine parlor, with 1,500 new machines. Once all the additions are complete next winter, Foxwoods will have 4,600 slot machines - more than any casino in the country, Brown said.... Even before the hall opens, Foxwoods will be the biggest casino in the country in terms of floor space."
- ^Rabinowitz, Jonathan."Head of Foxwoods Casino Quits Suddenly",The New York Times, June 21, 1997. Accessed October 25, 2025. "G. Michael Brown, chief executive of the Foxwoods Resort Casino, a gambling mecca in eastern Connecticut that claims to be the world's most profitable casino, abruptly resigned today, two months after the chief of the Indian tribe that owns the casino called him 'the finest chief executive officer in the gaming business.' While Mr. Brown, who earned about $1.5 million in 1995, cited personal reasons for his departure, the resignation came one day after the tribe, the Mashantucket Pequots, severed its contract with a close associate of Mr. Brown, Alfred J. Luciani."
- ^Hutchinson, Bill."Ocean Gamble; Offshore plan OK pending",Daily News (New York), January 1, 1998. Accessed October 25, 2025. "New York’s first overnight gambling ship is ready to roll the dice on city dwellers keen to hit a jackpot on the high seas. The British ocean liner Edinburgh Castle is just the first of an expected parade of casino cruises to set sail from New York harbor this year, although the date of its maiden voyage is still in question.... But Michael Brown, president of Manhattan Cruises, which operates the Edinburgh Castle, said the competition will have to spend a fortune to match the 'new and unique cruise experience' his company is offering for $99 to $199."
- ^G. Michael Brown, who regulated and then ran casinos, dies at 82
- ^"Gerard Michael Brown". Dignity Memorial. RetrievedOctober 25, 2025.
