Sam's Town was announced in April 1978. Named after local businessman
Sam Boyd, it would be operated by him and his son Bill, owners of the
California hotel-casino in
downtown Las Vegas and the
Eldorado casino in nearby
Henderson. Bill Boyd traveled between the two casinos daily along
Boulder Highway, where he owned one-fourth of a five-acre site. He and his partners eventually purchased the full site and adjacent acreage, all of which would be used for Sam's Town. The site was considered desirable because of its high vehicle traffic, Sam's Town was built along the
Boulder Strip, which would later include rivals
Boulder Station and
Arizona Charlie's Boulder. Before Sam's Town was announced, Sam Boyd had wanted to build a hotel in Henderson, although he encountered problems in his effort to do so.
Groundbreaking for Sam's Town took place on September 6, 1978. The hotel portion opened in early March 1979, and the casino debuted on March 22. Other features included a banquet room with seating for 400 people. who would make up nearly 85 percent of its clientele as of 1999.
Sam's Town Tunica (1994),
Sam's Town Kansas City (1995), and
Sam's Town Shreveport (2004). The original Sam's Town in Las Vegas would be expanded many times. In 1981, Sam's Town added the Western Emporium, and a 56-lane bowling center, which would go on to host numerous tournaments. In 1983, gaming space was expanded in a $3.5 million project that included a 600-seat bingo room and a larger poker room. In 1985, to deal with high demand for its
sports book, the casino added a drive-through feature, inspired by a similar concept already present at a casino in
Laughlin, Nevada. A $25 million expansion took place in 1987. It included an enlargement of the casino floor, new restaurants, and a parking garage. The project also added 293 spaces to the RV park, for a total of 500.
Sam Boyd died in 1993, at the age of 82. Construction of a nine-story hotel tower began later that year, as part of another expansion project completed in 1994. The original hotel rooms were demolished to accommodate the tower, a sports bar, and a second parking garage. From 1980 to 1998, the studios of
Nevada Public Radio were located in a separate building on the Sam's Town property. In 1998, the property began sponsoring the
Sam's Town 300, an annual
NASCAR race held at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It would be renamed the Boyd Gaming 300 in 2014. Sam's Town has also been the site of race registration and awards banquets for the
Silver State Classic Challenge. By 1998, Sam's Town sought to broaden its customer base beyond the 55-to-65 age demographic, hoping to attract both younger and older clients. The property was also considered too small to meet customer demand. An $86 million renovation and expansion took place from 1999 to 2000, Sam's Town also added an 18-screen
Century Theatres facility, which would help it to compete against newer, nearby rivals
Boulder Station and
Sunset Station. which helped to broaden the property's client base.
The Killers, a Las Vegas-based band, named their 2006 album ''
Sam's Town'' in honor of the property. From 2007 to 2008, Sam's Town spent $20 million on upgrades to remain competitive, as the opening of nearby
Eastside Cannery approached. Changes included sports book improvements and dining updates. In 2014,
Boyd Gaming made a deal for the RV park to rebrand as a
Kampgrounds of America franchise. A new restaurant, Angry Butcher Steakhouse, debuted in 2016. As of 2017, the casino includes of gaming space. In 2023, it became the last known casino to remove Full Pay Deuces Wild, a variant of
video poker known for its vulnerability to
advantage play. ==Atrium and show==