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StumbleSouth Point expansion to include more slots, restaurants
Photo courtesy South Point Casino
Construction of the South Point, originally called the South Coast, began in 2003. The casino was built, in part, to serve the fast-growing Enterprise area.
Published Monday, July 12, 2010 | 8:01 a.m.
Updated Monday, July 12, 2010 | 3:35 p.m.
Sun Archives
Michael Gaughan
Map of South Point Hotel-Casino-Spa
South Point Hotel-Casino-Spa
9777 S. Las Vegas Boulevard , Las Vegas
The South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas today announced a $20 million, 55,000-square-foot expansion of its casino, with the first phase opening Friday.
The first phase includes 600 slot, video poker and video keno machines, a newly designed 175-seat race book, a new poker room and an entertainment area called the Grandview Lounge. The Grandview is named for the South Point's neighboring timeshare development.
Of the gaming machines, 400 are new and 200 were relocated from elsewhere in the casino to the expansion area at the south end of the casino.
The second phase will feature a restaurant well known in the Midwest, Steak 'n Shake, and a future Japanese sushi teppanyaki restaurant. The timing for the restaurants is not set, but the South Point hopes for a fall opening of Steak 'n Shake.
"The space will enable us to open more of the slot floor to foot traffic. I think people will feel more comfortable in the whole casino with the opening of this new area," owner Michael Gaughan said in a statement.
The new poker room features 22 tables and three daily tournaments.
The South Point last expanded with a third hotel tower that opened in July 2008. With 830 rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space, that lifted the room total to 2,163 and cost $100 million.
The privately owned property, the largest locals hotel-casino in the Las Vegas Valley, opened in December 2005.
Officials today said that the expansion has helped restore hours for some employees whose hours were cut during the recession.
There have not been layoffs at the property, which employs 2,300 people.
"The expansion has enabled us to give full time hourly employees their regular hours back. More importantly, we have moved a number of our `extra board’ and part time staff to full time," South Point said in a statement today.
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Oh, more slots! Joy. Just kidding, I do support Gaughan and the South Point.
i guess the LOOSER slots are helping the bottom line! Now u will never win.
Steak n Shake!! Hell yeah!!
Wake me when we finally get a Waffle House out here...
Sure have come a look way from the sweat house of the Barbary Coast. I mean this in a positive way.
Does Las Vegas really need more slots?
Congratulations Michael on the expansion at South Point
Good to see some expansion again.
this old timer really gets it...zero debt, give the people quality, let em win a few bucks, friendly staff, clean bathrooms, and no holier than tho attitude. Compare than with the greedy, snooty other local clip joints, and you see why his market share keeps expanding, while the others keep shrinking. This is a smart operator, who keeps an eye and hand in daily operations, knows the casino biz, not some wall street banker who squeezes every nickle for quarterly numbers...How Vegas used to be run..& still is at Southpoint..way to go....
Mr Gaughn should teach the Fertittas how to operate a locals joint. Decent food and SERVICE. You cannot offer any service without the employees to deliver.
I want the Optimum Play Videopoker section back. Why not a "Super Optimum Play " corner with an entire section of pure Optimum Play machines? :)))))
This is some good news. Maybe this is an EARLY sign of our economy improving! It will take a while, but good things start small.
Stepped foot in this property, and immediately walked away when I saw the weird slots and heard not one winning bell..
I would love to see LIVE KENO at your casino. I know my wife and I would visit your establishment more often and I'm sure there are many other people who feel the same way.
This is good news. Congratulations on your success! Keep it up.
I'm with pilgrim. I would go to the South Point a lot if they had live keno. I have friends who never go there becuase they dont have live keno. I'm also with jacquekeno. Stations sucks when it comes to customer service. And from what I've heard is the M has hired some management people away from Stations. Also, It's my understanding that M is closing their Red Cup Cafe and bringing in a chain from California to run the restaurant. So much for the "Old Style Vegas" they touted when they first opened
I really like the South Point. Even stayed there once. Was nice. And, dmcvegas..seriously? Waffle House? So tweaker-ghetto. Yuck.
Wishing continued success for South Point.
As I have said before look around the slot area and BJ and see how many winners there are. The machines are TIGHT the BJ pays 6-5 . It is not customer friendly. Every Casino including Stations has some good restaurants. Have u tried Terra Rosa at RED ROCK?
I really like Steak and Shake and Teppanyaki restaurants. I hope they buy a few Konami Revolution slot machines..they are HOT!!!
South Point is too smoky. I prefer M. Just got back from LV this Saturday. Love the 16th floor Veloce restaurant at M, especially when the whole freaking $830 tab was comped. I don't think South Point can match that.
don't hate on Waffle House
nylamf- you hit the nail square on the head- maybe Michael will teach a class to all the "geniuses" in the industry- common sense a lost art
Michael knows how how to treat his customers.. He does not have a big corporation mentality. He caters to his players and in return the support the South Point!
The Machines there are not the usual machines one is familiar with and the ones that are there are TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT!!!! lousy high limit offerings as well..
Comment removed by moderator. Language.
The few times I've been to South Point, I have been satisfied. Nice happy hour, and friendly dealers at my blackjack table made for an entertaining time. If i didn't live on the opposite side of the valley, I'd visit more often, and have guests stay there. Mr. Gaughan, please consider building something up near centennial. It could start small, but if you ran it like you have run everything else, I'm sure you would be forced to expand. I hate that the only real choice up here is stations.
85% of jaquekeno's posts since Feb. have been nothing but hammering on Stations. Have to start to wonder what the "truth" is here. Not a lot of facts but many opinions.
nylamf :
I talk from years of casino experiences living here since '59, so don't tell me that you know ANYTHING about what I talk, chump!
to.cmon........Have u won? U can come over to my house and have a friendly game. This is a business and as u can see with the expansion BIG BUSINESS!
It's good to read the majority of positive comments here about Mr. Gaughan and the South Point. In the article, you noticed Mr. Gaughan pointed out that this expansion has allowed him to give back full time hours to his full time employees and move part time and extra board help to full time. That's what the man is genuinely about. He truly cares about his employees and customers.
He must have had a crystal ball to sale the Coast Casinos to Boyd years ago. With the economy and Boyd Style, they are not as profitable. Smart man Mr. Gaughan. Continued success!
enviro ... you always pine about the old time operator days, here is a positive story about one and you dis it ... whats up?
I go to the Southpoint quite a bit and I like it..It has the movies and good eats and the poker machines seem pretty loose..It's well lit and comfortable..But where's this Chinese restaurant? I never saw it..
I wonder what casino has worse machines, the M or Southpoint?
When the M opened, they had a huge variety of real loose v-poker. Not anymore. Instead, all they have left may be super comfy chairs and flat screen machines with stunning sound, but the paytables suck. The card tables seem to have very friendly staff, still. But if it comes to compare the slotmachines, I would say that Southpoint is definetely in the driver's seat. Both casinos have no more 100 per cent videopoker, which is sad, but at least from time to time the progressives at Southpoint become highly positive and that's the moment to play at the Southpoint.
From Switzerland
My roomate works for the Southpoint and has NOT gotten a raise in a few years. Southpoint cuts 8 hours out of their employees pay so they only get 72 hours every 2 weeks. This is the way Southpoint is financing their expansion. In this down economy employers definitely take advantage of their employees.
A co-worker of mine who has not received a raise in almost 3 years was finally let go by my employer, the position was left vacant. The business is making money before and after the layoff of this particular employee. With a high unemployment rate employers are definitely taking advantage of the situation.
But your roommate is working right? With a 14% unemployment rate in LV, he or she should feel blessed rather than entitled.
Next time when I will be in Vegas, it will be in October. I mainly visit this city for gambling purpose and fun, not for hustling out freebies without giving nothing back. And since the Southpoint is one of my personal favorites, I know that I will generate approx 10,000 base points on my card during my stay. I will stay at the hotel, eat at the restaurants and also use the SPA facility. Gamling wise, without my possible baccarat action, it is, roughly calculated, a 10,000 dollar coin-in. It also depends on how many videopoker progressives are high enough and good to be attacked. It is my way to say Thank You to Southpoint and all that they have to offer. I am not trying to lose 10,000 usd, but based on my play, a 10,000 dollar coin-in on videopoker is more than likely and probably rather the lower end of the scale. There just aren't many casinos in Las Vegas with this huge variety of things to do and still spend only little money.
From Switzerland
AceBoss :
This Southpoint story is really only free advertising in the Sun for Southpoint.The supposed looser slots (only penny slot machines for that matter) is just lipstick on a pig..
chazbean: I think silverton still has 3-2 single deck blackjack.
calivegas, do you by chance know if the Silverton Poker Room still has the cash bonus offer after midnight? a rack, plus 20 dollars instant cash for players?
Thanks for checking, greetings from Switzerland
Last time I went to South Point, it was to see a movie the night it came out. 15 minutes into the film, sound went out.
I hope the renovations include movie theater sound.
BorisR: Sorry, I don't know.
@firedawg
No he is not blessed nor entitled for being employed at Southpoint. He gives 100% or nearly 100% of his time whenever he's at work. I never or I could never remember seeing him call in sick.
He could try and get another job at another property but since the unemployment rate is at 14% which the employers willfully take advantage, they know their employees are trapped in a situation they have very little control of given the economic climate in Las Vegas. Loyalty means nothing to employers. Each and everyone is expendable.
I know a couple of dealers who work at South Point and it seems to be a mixed bag over there. First the good: all dealers are hired on as full-time dealers with benefits. I know of NO other casino out there that does that!!! In that respect, they certainly seem to care about attracting good dealers and don't string them along for months/years as part-timers with no benefits.
The not-so-good though goes to what others say about management "sweating the money". The dealers there are routinely worried about losing their job over the "old school" sweating of the money. The "shut up and deal" mentality seems to reign there as opposed to trying to have fun with the players.
So from a dealer's perspective, I'd only try to get a job there if the full-time status with benefits outweighed the opportunity to have a job that was enjoyable to work at everyday.
However, getting away from the dealer's view, I will say that my parents visit me here in Vegas about once or twice a year. Hotels where they have stayed in the past include Sunset Station, Fiesta Henderson, Silverton, and last December, South Point. They will be returning for 10 days next month and South Point will be the first hotel that they will be giving repeat business. They were treated EXTREMELY well last December!!! Pleasant and efficient front desk, bell and valet employees, decent food options, very well maintained and spacious room and fair return on their players card points! Neither play table games but my dad plays penny slots and mom plays video poker with me. Their coin-in was extremely modest and yet, they were comped a night and got free food at times during the stay.
So I guess I'd have second thoughts about working there (at least as a dealer), but I wouldn't hesitate for a second in recommending the place for a nice stay with excellent value!
Good for him. It is a nice casino and the restaurants are all pretty good. I have had family stay there and they all like the place. It is spotless and the slots are not exactly loose but bettr than the average strip casino.
The pool is also worth mentioning. Great facility, big, and the water is ok. I also frequently use the SPA, which is a nice thing there. The 5 day pass us affordable. Nothing to complain about. And the rooms are really nice. If you like to go and play elsewhere, I-15 is right on by the Southpoint.
From Switzerland