Company History

At Boyd Gaming Corporation, we’re proud to be one of the leading companies in our industry. But we’ve never forgotten our roots, and have retained a family-owned culture to this day. Our Company’s story is one of the most inspiring in our industry: How one man parlayed an unflagging sense of optimism, a winning attitude with people and a legendary work ethic into a gaming and entertainment empire.

The Boyd story dates back to 1941, when Sam Boyd arrived in Las Vegas with his family and just $80 in his pocket. He worked up through the ranks of the Las Vegas gaming industry, moving from dealer to pit boss to shift boss. It wasn’t long before Sam had saved up enough money to buy a small interest in the world-renowned Sahara Hotel. He then moved on to become general manager and partner at The Mint in downtown Las Vegas, where he introduced a number of successful marketing, gaming and entertainment innovations.

After the Mint was sold in 1968, Sam Boyd started managing the Eldorado Casino in downtown Henderson that he had acquired with his son, Bill Boyd, in 1962. Bill, a practicing attorney, earned his first interest in the Eldorado by doing all of its legal work.

The birth of Boyd Gaming came on January 1, 1975, when Sam and Bill Boyd founded the Company to develop and operate the California Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas. At this time, Bill left the legal profession after practicing for 15 years and began working full-time at the California. Seeking a niche for their new property, the Boyds decided to market the property to the underserved tourists of Hawaii – and one of downtown’s greatest success stories was born.

Their next venture came several years later, when the Boyds selected a quiet 13-acre desert parcel on Boulder Highway – halfway between the California and the Eldorado – as the site of their next casino. They’d call it “Sam’s Town,” after the father of Boyd Gaming. Its 1979 opening led to the creation of what’s known today as the “Boulder Strip” – and it was the first full-scale resort to cater to Las Vegas locals. Although many were skeptical a casino could succeed at the then-isolated location, the Boyds’ gamble paid off handsomely, as Sam’s Town quickly grew into one of the most popular casinos in the Las Vegas Valley. To meet the ever-growing demand, Sam’s Town has been expanded nine times over more than 30 years of operation, including a $20 million race and sports book expansion in 2007.

Although famed as a leading businessman and innovator, Sam Boyd was well-known for giving back to his community as well, and helped introduce both the United Way and the Boys and Girls Club to the Las Vegas Valley in the 1960s. He was an early proponent of diversity in the gaming industry as well, becoming one of the first casino operators to hire women and African Americans as dealers.

Sam Boyd passed away in 1993, but the Company he founded continued to grow and thrive under Bill’s leadership. Through a series of new developments and strategic acquisitions – including the blockbuster acquisition of Coast Casinos in 2004 -- Boyd Gaming grew into a nationwide company, operating 16 casino entertainment properties in Nevada, New Jersey, Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana and Illinois.

Although we’ve grown into a nationwide company, we’ve never forgotten Sam Boyd’s legacy of integrity, commitment and excellence. Sam Boyd’s spirit lives on in the company that bears his name.