Sam’s Town plans $78 million expansion

Sun Staff

Tuesday, June 1, 1999 | 11:12 a.m.

Boyd Gaming Corp. executives will announce details Thursday of a $78 million expansion of the Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall on Boulder Highway.

While Boyd officials declined to comment, it's expected the expansion will include increasing the size of the casino and adding an entertainment arena.

Boyd Gaming Chairman William Boyd will divulge details of the project at a noon press conference, while Sam's Town General Manager Joe Fuscaldo will announce the start of the property's 20th anniversary celebration.

In its recently released 1998 annual report, Boyd Gaming said it expected to begin a $25 million renovation at Sam's Town this year. The report said Boyd would reconfigure the casino to allow for slightly more gaming positions and renovate the porte cochere and valet parking areas to facilitate access.

The increased budget for the project apparently signals Boyd's determination to respond to the aggressive marketing efforts by Station Casinos Inc., Boyd's main rival in attracting local customers from the east side of the valley.

In addition, Boyd wants to capitalize on the rapid population growth of the Las Vegas metropolitan area and the propensity of its residents to frequent neighborhood casinos, which have made the locals-oriented gaming market one of the most lucrative in gaming.

Sam's Town, a Western-themed resort sitting on 63 acres of land owned or leased by Boyd, also has drawn a large number of repeat visitors through its sponsorship of bowling and auto-racing events.

The $78 million Sam's Town expansion would be more than three times the amount Boyd is spending on renovations at the Stardust, its 2,100-room hotel-casino on the Strip. That project is designed to make the Stardust more competitive with other Strip properties while the company evaluates a larger-scale revamping of the resort.

Boyd is also developing the Borgata, a $750 million Italian-themed resort in Atlantic City that is a joint venture with Mirage Resorts Inc.