Roy Student, whose gaming technology work shaped systems now standard across casinos worldwide, died September 5 after a prolonged illness. Family members and loved ones were present at his passing.
Player rating systems, server-based slot networks, and non-gaming revenue tracking, three tools now common in casinos globally, each trace back to companies Student founded or led over a four-decade career.
Student’s path into gaming began in 1972, when MGM acquired a casino property in Las Vegas and needed a system to automate accounting functions for table games, including markers and player bankrolls. His company secured that contract, launching his work in the sector.
He went on to co-found Gaming Systems International (GSI), which developed player rating systems that casinos continue to rely on. Student sold GSI in 2001.
After GSI, Student became president of Cyberview Technology, credited as the first company to link slot machines to a central server through a server-based gaming system. IGT purchased Cyberview in 2007, and the architecture it pioneered now underpins slot systems in casinos and online gaming platforms around the world.
Student then founded Applied Management Strategies, consulting with gaming companies on market entry and expansion plans. Through this work, he became a leading advocate for tracking non-gaming revenue, whether or not those customers gambled at all. That measure now appears in the loyalty programs run by major casino operators.
Student’s career spanned a shift in the industry from personal relationships between operators and players to communication built around technology. He maintained that operators should combine the two, using technology alongside direct, individual engagement rather than one in place of the other.
In his later years, he consulted with Clarion Gaming, helping arrange speakers for the ICE tradeshow conferences.
Student is survived by his wife, Judy; son Darren Student and wife Michal Student; son Glenn Student and wife Sophia Student; granddaughter Tali Student and husband Itamar Labouz; grandson Ben Student and Sonia Popova; grandchildren Kylee and Kim; and six great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, Pauline and Morton Student, and his brother, Larry Student.
Funeral services are scheduled for September 9, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., at King David Memorial Chapel & Cemetery, 2697 East Eldorado Lane, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/09/09/126301-gaming-technology-pioneer-roy-student-passes-away
