The founders of Boyd Gaming have roots in the community going back 85 years, and honoring service in the military permeate sits culture to this day as America celebrates its 250th birthday.

Boyd Gaming’s history dates to 1941 when SamBoyd came to Las Vegas with his family and $80 in his pocket.

Boyd started as a dealer at the Jackpot Club in downtown Las Vegas, working his way up in the casino industry. He eventually saved up enough money to acquire a small interest in the Sahara Hotel &Casino when it opened in 1952, launching his long career as one of the city’s most successful casino operators.

Sam later became general manager and a partner at The Mint in downtown Las Vegas, and also managed the Eldorado Casino inHenderson, which he acquired in 1962 with his son, Bill, a prominent local attorney.

In 1971, Sam joined with a consortium of local casino operators, including Jackie Gaughan, to open the Plaza in downtown where he served as general manager before selling his interest.

Sam and Bill Boyd then teamed up in 1975 to develop and open the California Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas, marking the birth of Boyd Gaming.  

After some early struggles, the Boyds found success by marketing the California to Hawaiian guests – a market that Sam was quite familiar with, following several years managing bingo halls in Hawaii inthe late 1930s.  By putting his personal understanding of Hawaiian culture to work at the California, Sam successfully turned “the Cal” into a popular destination for Hawaiian visitors, and helped establish Las Vegas as “The Ninth Island.”

Following the opening of the California, Bill would commute each day along Boulder Highway, driving from downtown Las Vegas to the Eldorado in downtown Henderson.

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“During those commutes, it occurred to Bill that if you built a casino right in the middle of Boulder Highway, you stood a good chance of capturing the business of all of the new residents who were moving into the area,” said David Strow, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Boyd Gaming.

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In 1979, Boyd Gaming did just that, building a casino on Boulder Highway called Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall – the first full-scale resort to cater to Las Vegas locals.

“Bill’s vision paid off, and Sam’s Town was an enormous success from day one,” Strow said.

Boyd Gaming would later expand its Las Vegas presence in 2004 with the acquisition of Coast Casinos.  The acquisition added Gold Coast, the Suncoast and The Orleans to Boyd’s Las Vegas portfolio, making the company a major player in Las Vegas with 10 casinos across the Valley.

Today, Boyd Gaming operates 27 casinos across the country – and is still expanding.

Boyd opened the Las Vegas Valley’s newest casino this March with the debut of Cadence Crossing Casino in Henderson, and the company continues to heavily invest in renovating its local properties, including an expansive remodel at the Suncoast in northwest Las Vegas.

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“Nevada has always been our home state and largest market,” Strow said. “Our success here allowed us to expand across the country. The last few years have been an exciting time for Boyd in Las Vegas because we’re investing very heavily in this community, Cadence Crossing being an excellent example. And if you go to the Suncoast today, you won’t recognize the place. It is a completely updated property – but with the same great customer service our guests have come to expect from the Suncoast.”

More than 50 years after Boyd Gaming’s founding, the Boyd family remains heavily involved in the company founded bySam and Bill Boyd. Marianne Johnson, Bill Boyd’s daughter, is chair of the board, Bill Boyd remains a major shareholder, and Bill’s son, Willie, serves on the board of directors.

“We are a company that believes in delivering memorable and personal service to our guests, and the way you deliver that is by valuing the people who create those experiences for our guests,” Strow said.We may be a multi-billion-dollar company today, but we will still believe in preserving that culture of a family-owned business that started with Sam andBill Boyd more than 50 years ago.”  

With America’s 250th birthday, Strow said service has always been important to the Boyd family. Sam Boyd served in theU.S. Army during World War II as a surgical technician, while Bill Boyd served with the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s office in Germany during the mid-1950s.

The Boyd family’s legacy of service continued with Bill’s grandson, Sam Boyd Jr., who served several tours of Afghanistan asa member of the Nevada National Guard.

“That tradition of military service is something that has always been important to Boyd Gaming and the Boyd family,” Strow said. “That is why our company is a major supporter of organizations like the USO and U.S. Vets.”

Strow added: “Our nation’s freedom these last 250 years was made possible by the service and sacrifice of our service members, and Boyd Gaming is honored to recognize everything our service members and our veterans have done for our community and our country.”