Ron Sarabi
Born in Damascus, Syria, Ron Sarabi struck his fortune in the United States. There, he carved his name as General Manager of Hawaiian Gardens, a booming casino situated in Los Angeles.
Under his leadership, Hawaiian Gardens Casino grew and became one of Los Angeles’ highest-grossing card clubs and the second biggest card club in LA, with a reported annual growth rate of 30 percent.
On December 1997, Hawaiian Gardens opened as a trailer with only five gaming tables. Today Hawaiian Gardens has greatly expanded. Twenty minutes from downtown Los Angeles, the casino has become a very popular tourist attraction. Visitors can see a larger-than-life replica of a Hawaiian volcano amidst palms and evocative island music. Best of all, the casino now has more than 170 tables for gaming.
Ron Sarabi was president of the Golden State Gaming Association’s board of directors at one time. He also co-founded the Southern California Casino Association and the Advisory Committee of the Joint Powers of Authority. In such capacities, he has lobbied for responsible practices and fair laws and litigation regarding California card clubs.
In philanthropy, Ron Sarabi has initiated charitable events like the Mayor’s Youth Walk and the annual Hawaiian Gardens Children’s Holiday Event. He is also a yearly giver to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley.
Ron Sarabi is a forward thinking businessman. He employs a mix of business strategy and does not allow anything to stop him from continuing to make The Hawaiian Gardens Casino a huge success.
One of Ron Sarabi’s strategic business moves includes the time he teamed with Watchit Media in 2004, as a measure to increase the success of The Hawaiian Gardens Casino. During an interview with Market Wire, Ron Sarabi discussed a venture with Watchit Media: “This is a great way to communicate with customers. They say ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ With the content from Watchit Media running throughout our property, the customer doesn’t have to get up from their seat. Everything they want to know is right there on the television screens. This will be an integral part of our promotions. In addition to promoting our games and tournaments, I expect to nearly double the number of Player Tracker Card holders that we have today.”
According to Market Wire, “Watchit Media’s approach to Private Venue ProgrammingTM is the latest advent in ‘new media’ referred to as Narrowcasting on Private Video NetworksTM . Private Video Networks from Watchit Media allow organizations to communicate specifically and directly with customers in a variety of venues presenting information they are interested in and want to know more about.”
Additional Information about Ron Sarabi:
An article about Ron Sarabi’s involvement in the development and expansion of Hawaiian Gardens Casino.
This site gives a brief background on Ron Sarabi, specifically his work with Hawaiian Gardens Casino.
The official website of Hawaiian Gardens Casino.
This newsletter of Friends of Crisis Nurseries showing the list of donors which includes Ron Sarabi.
The official newsletter of the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Valley, of which Ron Sarabi is a strong supporter.