Coast Casinos
Coast Casinos was a Las Vegas locals-casino operator founded and principally owned by Michael Gaughan before its 2004 acquisition by Boyd Gaming.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Coast Casinos was a Las Vegas casino operator whose business was concentrated on the local-customer market rather than on a broad international resort portfolio. The company was originally known as Coast Resorts and was founded and principally owned by Michael Gaughan. Its competitive environment included Station Casinos and other operators serving residents of the Las Vegas Valley, while individual properties also pursued tourists and convention or entertainment demand depending on location. The company assembled a portfolio of hotel-casino properties across the Las Vegas area. Its holdings included the Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino on West Flamingo Road, The Orleans on West Tropicana Avenue, and the Suncoast Hotel and Casino on Alta Drive. The portfolio also included Orleans Arena, an entertainment and sports venue associated with The Orleans. These properties gave Coast a presence on both the Strip and in suburban or locals-oriented areas of the valley, with resort formats that combined casino floors, hotel rooms, restaurants, entertainment, and other amenities. Coast pursued further expansion into the southern Las Vegas Valley during the early 2000s. In 2001, the company announced that it had acquired a 50-acre parcel for a future locals casino. After housing development began to make the area more attractive, Coast announced in 2003 that it would build South Coast, a resort modeled in part on the Suncoast. Construction began in April 2004, shortly before the company's change in ownership. The project demonstrated Coast's strategy of placing substantial casino resorts in growing residential areas outside the traditional Strip core. Boyd Gaming announced its plan to acquire Coast Casinos in February 2004. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2004, for a reported cost of $1.2 billion. The acquisition ended Coast's existence as an independent casino company and brought its properties into Boyd Gaming's portfolio. Boyd continued the development of South Coast, which opened on December 22, 2005. South Coast encountered a difficult early operating period. Revenue was below expectations, partly because some planned amenities, including a spa and nightclub, were not yet complete. Nearby road construction and an unfinished Interstate 15 interchange exit also constrained access and demand. In July 2006, Boyd announced plans to sell the underperforming resort to Michael Gaughan, Coast's former principal owner. Gaughan assumed ownership and operations on October 25, 2006, and immediately renamed the property South Point. It subsequently operated as South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa. Coast Casinos therefore represents a significant former Las Vegas locals-casino platform rather than an active standalone brand. Its principal historical importance lies in the portfolio it developed, its role in the expansion of casino resorts into residential growth corridors, and its acquisition by Boyd Gaming. The Coast name ceased to function as an independent operating company after the 2004 transaction, although several properties associated with the former portfolio continued under different ownership or branding.
History
Coast Casinos, originally known as Coast Resorts, developed as a Las Vegas-area casino company focused on the locals market. Founded and principally owned by Michael Gaughan, it competed most directly with operators such as Station Casinos for the patronage of residents in the Las Vegas Valley. Its portfolio combined casino gaming with hotels, restaurants, entertainment, and other resort amenities, allowing the company to serve both local customers and visitors. The company's property portfolio included Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, which opened in 1979; Gold Coast Hotel and Casino on West Flamingo Road, opened in 1986; The Orleans on West Tropicana Avenue, opened in 1996; and Suncoast Hotel and Casino on Alta Drive, opened in 2000. Coast also developed Orleans Arena, which opened in 2003 and expanded the entertainment role of The Orleans complex. Together, these assets gave Coast a combination of Strip exposure and large suburban or locals-oriented resorts. Coast sought to extend its model into the southern Las Vegas Valley as residential development expanded. In November 2001, Coast Resorts disclosed that it had acquired a 50-acre parcel for a future locals casino. The company initially expected to wait for housing activity to strengthen before beginning construction. In April 2003, it announced the South Coast project, describing a resort concept similar to Suncoast. Groundbreaking followed on April 22, 2004. The South Coast development was overtaken by a major ownership change. Boyd Gaming announced its intention to acquire Coast Casinos in February 2004, and the transaction closed on July 1 of that year. The reported purchase price was $1.2 billion. This ended Coast's independent corporate existence and transferred its operating properties and development projects to Boyd Gaming. South Coast opened on December 22, 2005. Its initial performance was weaker than anticipated. The resort had not yet completed certain amenities, including a spa and nightclub, while road construction in the surrounding area and an incomplete Interstate 15 exit made access more difficult. In July 2006, Boyd announced that it would sell the struggling property to Michael Gaughan. Gaughan took control of ownership and operations on October 25, 2006, and changed the name to South Point immediately. The property later operated as South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa. The former Coast Casinos brand is consequently defunct as an independent operator. Its historical legacy is visible in the Las Vegas resorts it developed and in the broader pattern of locals-oriented casino expansion beyond the central Strip. The Boyd acquisition consolidated a substantial group of Las Vegas properties under a larger regional gaming company, while the later divestiture and renaming of South Coast returned one of the company's major development projects to its former principal owner.
- 2006
South Coast becomes South Point
[1]Michael Gaughan takes over the resort on October 25 and changes its name to South Point.
- 2005
South Coast opens
[1]South Coast opens on December 22 in the southern Las Vegas Valley.
- 2004
South Coast groundbreaking
[1]Construction begins on April 22, shortly before Coast's merger with Boyd Gaming.
- 2004
Boyd Gaming completes acquisition
[1]Boyd Gaming completes its acquisition of Coast Casinos on July 1.
- 2003
Orleans Arena opens
[1]Orleans Arena opens on May 25, adding a major entertainment venue to the Coast portfolio.
- 2003
South Coast announced
[1]Coast announces plans to build South Coast, a resort intended to resemble Suncoast.
- 2001
Southern valley land acquired
[1]Coast Resorts acquires a 50-acre parcel in the southern Las Vegas Valley for a planned locals casino.
- 2000
Suncoast opens
[1]Suncoast Hotel and Casino opens on Alta Drive on September 12.
- 1996
The Orleans opens
[1]The Orleans opens on West Tropicana Avenue on December 28.
- 1986
Gold Coast opens
[1]Gold Coast Hotel and Casino opens on West Flamingo Road on December 21.
Products and positioning
A Las Vegas locals-casino operator offering integrated hotel, gaming, dining, entertainment, and resort experiences, with properties designed to serve residents of the Las Vegas Valley while also attracting visitors.
Hotel-casino resort · 1979
Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino
A Coast casino property on the Las Vegas Strip that opened on March 2, 1979. It formed part of the company's mixed portfolio of Strip and locals-oriented Las Vegas properties before the Boyd Gaming acquisition.
Hotel-casino resort · 1986
Gold Coast Hotel and Casino
A hotel-casino on West Flamingo Road that opened on December 21, 1986. It represented Coast's presence in the Las Vegas locals and west-valley market.
Hotel-casino resort · 1996
The Orleans
A Coast resort on West Tropicana Avenue that opened on December 28, 1996. The property combined casino and hotel operations with entertainment facilities, including the later Orleans Arena.
Entertainment and sports venue · 2003
Orleans Arena
An arena associated with The Orleans that opened on May 25, 2003. Its development broadened the Coast portfolio beyond casino and hotel operations into large-scale entertainment.
Hotel-casino resort · 2000
Suncoast Hotel and Casino
A Coast resort on Alta Drive that opened on September 12, 2000. Its format served as a model for the later South Coast development.
Hotel-casino resort · 2005
South Coast Casino
A southern Las Vegas Valley resort planned by Coast and completed under Boyd Gaming ownership. It opened on December 22, 2005, but experienced weaker-than-expected early revenue and was sold to Michael Gaughan in 2006, becoming South Point.
Brand decisions
2006
Divest South Coast to Michael GaughanM&ABackground
South Coast delivered lower-than-expected early revenue, with incomplete amenities and surrounding transportation constraints affecting the resort.
Action taken
Boyd Gaming announced the sale of South Coast to Michael Gaughan, who assumed ownership and operations on October 25.
Aftermath
Gaughan immediately renamed the property South Point, separating it from the former Coast brand.
2004
Sell Coast Casinos to Boyd GamingM&ABackground
Boyd Gaming sought to acquire Coast's established Las Vegas casino portfolio and growth projects.
Action taken
Boyd announced the acquisition in February and completed it on July 1, 2004.
Aftermath
Coast ceased to operate as an independent company and its properties became part of Boyd Gaming.
Reported acquisition cost. $1.2 billion (2004 acquisition)
2003
Develop South CoastProduct launchBackground
Coast sought to extend its Suncoast-style locals-resort format into the southern Las Vegas Valley.
Action taken
The company announced South Coast and later began construction on April 22, 2004.
Aftermath
The resort opened in December 2005 under Boyd Gaming ownership.
2001
Acquire land for a southern valley locals casinoStrategyBackground
Coast Resorts identified the southern Las Vegas Valley as a potential growth area as residential development expanded.
Action taken
The company acquired a 50-acre parcel and planned a future locals-oriented casino, initially allowing time for surrounding housing activity to develop.
Aftermath
The parcel became the site of the South Coast resort.
Recent events
- 2006
Boyd Gaming announces sale of South Coast[1]
M&A
After South Coast produced weaker-than-expected early revenue, Boyd Gaming announced that it would sell the resort to Michael Gaughan.
- 2006
South Coast renamed South Point[1]
Other
Michael Gaughan assumed ownership and operations on October 25, and the property was immediately renamed South Point.
- 2005
South Coast opens in the southern Las Vegas Valley[1]
Product launch
The South Coast resort opened on December 22 after construction continued under Boyd Gaming ownership.
- 2004
Boyd Gaming announces acquisition of Coast Casinos[1]
M&A
Boyd Gaming announced plans to purchase Coast Casinos, ending the company's period as an independent Las Vegas casino operator.
- 2004
Boyd Gaming completes Coast Casinos acquisition[1]
M&A
The acquisition was completed on July 1, bringing Coast's Las Vegas properties into Boyd Gaming's ownership for a reported cost of $1.2 billion.
- 2003
Coast Casinos announces South Coast resort project[1]
Product launch
The company announced plans to develop South Coast on its southern valley property, using a resort concept comparable to Suncoast.
- 2001
Coast Casinos announces planned acquisition of southern Las Vegas Valley land[1]
Other
Coast Resorts announced that it had acquired a 50-acre parcel in the southern Las Vegas Valley for a future locals-oriented casino, with development timing linked to the area's housing growth.
Sources1 sources
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