Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall
A Boyd Gaming casino-hotel brand established in the Las Vegas Valley in 1979.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, commonly known as Sam's Town, is a casino-hotel brand operated by Boyd Gaming in the United States. The brand is named for Sam Boyd, the Boyd Gaming founder, and was created as a distinct property identity rather than as a separately incorporated public company. Its first location opened on April 1, 1979, in Sunrise Manor in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The original property established the brand's combination of casino gambling, hotel accommodation, dining, entertainment, and leisure amenities. Over time, the Sam's Town name was applied to five different casino properties. The second opened in Laughlin, Nevada, in 1984 under the Sam's Town Gold River name. Boyd Gaming operated that property until 1991, after which it changed ownership and identities and no longer operated as a Sam's Town. A third property opened in Tunica Resorts, Mississippi, in 1994. Boyd later expanded the Tunica operation after acquiring an adjacent property in 2002. The Tunica resort eventually closed in 2025. A fourth Sam's Town operated as a riverboat casino in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1995 to 1998. The fifth property opened in Shreveport, Louisiana, in May 2004 after Boyd Gaming acquired an existing Harrah's Entertainment property. The Las Vegas and Shreveport properties represent the continuing Sam's Town operating footprint identified in the reference material. The Las Vegas property has undergone multiple expansions, including the addition of an 18-screen movie theater in 2000, and was reported to have 645 hotel rooms in November 2020. The Shreveport property was reported to have more than 500 rooms at that time. The former Tunica resort had more than 700 rooms before its closure. The brand's market presence has also been extended through sponsorship and promotional activity. Sam's Town branding appeared on NASCAR race sponsorships in Nevada, Texas, and Tennessee, including events carrying Sam's Town 300, Sam's Town 250, and Sam's Town 400 titles. The brand also sponsored a professional women's bowling event during the late twentieth century. In the mid-1990s, Western Pacific Airlines operated a Boeing 737-300 in Sam's Town colors, displaying the casino locations then associated with the brand. Sam's Town is positioned as a regional casino-resort brand within Boyd Gaming's portfolio. Its properties combine gaming with lodging and destination entertainment, serving local and regional customers as well as visitors. The brand should not be confused with unrelated uses of the phrase Sam's Town, including the album of the same name by the Killers, which was named after the Las Vegas-area casino.
History
Sam's Town began as a branded casino-hotel concept associated with Boyd Gaming and named after Sam Boyd. The first property opened on April 1, 1979, in Sunrise Manor, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. It established the core format later associated with the name: a casino combined with hotel rooms, dining, entertainment, and other resort-oriented amenities. The Las Vegas property remained the principal long-term expression of the brand and received several expansions. Among the documented additions was an 18-screen theater opened in 2000. By November 2020, the facility had 645 hotel rooms. Boyd Gaming subsequently used the Sam's Town identity at properties in several regional gaming markets. In 1984, a second location opened in Laughlin, Nevada, originally as Sam's Town Gold River. The name was later shortened to Gold River. Boyd Gaming operated the property until March 1991, after which the facility passed through other ownership and branding arrangements. It most recently operated under the name Laughlin River Lodge, so it is no longer a Sam's Town property. The third location opened in 1994 in Tunica Resorts, Mississippi. This property expanded after Boyd Gaming acquired an adjacent facility in 2002. It operated as Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Tunica, and was reported to have more than 700 hotel rooms in November 2020. The Tunica casino-hotel later closed in 2025, reducing the number of active properties carrying the brand. A fourth property operated in Kansas City, Missouri, as Sam's Town Gambling Hall. Unlike the land-based casino-hotels in the other markets, it was a riverboat casino. Its operating period was relatively short, extending from September 1995 through July 1998. The fifth property opened in Shreveport, Louisiana, in May 2004. Boyd Gaming acquired an existing property from Harrah's Entertainment and converted it into Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Shreveport. The property broadened the brand's presence in the Louisiana gaming market and was reported to have more than 500 hotel rooms as of November 2020. The Sam's Town identity has also been used in external marketing. Boyd Gaming sponsored a series of NASCAR events under Sam's Town titles. These included the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from 1998 through 2013, the Sam's Town 250 at Memphis International Raceway from 1999 through 2007, the Sam's Town 250 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 1998, and the Sam's Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway from 2006 through 2008. The brand also sponsored the Sam's Town Invitational, an event associated with the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour, from 1979 into the 1990s. During the middle of the 1990s, Western Pacific Airlines operated a Boeing 737-300 painted in a Sam's Town color scheme. The aircraft displayed the casino locations associated with the brand at that time, linking the casino network with a broader travel-oriented promotional campaign. Today, Sam's Town remains a Boyd Gaming regional casino-resort brand, with the Las Vegas and Shreveport properties identified as the continuing operating locations in the supplied reference material.
- 2025
Tunica property closes
[1]The Sam's Town casino-hotel in Tunica Resorts closed, ending that property's operation under the brand.
- 2004
Shreveport property opens
[1]Boyd Gaming opened the Shreveport Sam's Town after acquiring an existing property from Harrah's Entertainment.
- 2002
Tunica resort expands
[1]Boyd Gaming acquired an adjacent property and expanded the Tunica Sam's Town operation.
- 2000
Las Vegas entertainment expansion
[1]An 18-screen theater was added to the Las Vegas property.
- 1998
Kansas City property closes
[1]The Kansas City Sam's Town riverboat ceased operations in July.
- 1995
Kansas City riverboat begins operations
[1]Sam's Town Gambling Hall began operating as a riverboat casino in Kansas City, Missouri.
- 1994
Tunica property opens
[1]A third Sam's Town opened in Tunica Resorts, Mississippi.
- 1991
Boyd operation in Laughlin ends
[1]Boyd Gaming stopped operating the Laughlin property, which subsequently changed names and owners.
- 1984
Laughlin property opens
[1]A second location opened in Laughlin, Nevada, initially using the Sam's Town Gold River name.
- 1979
First Sam's Town opens in Nevada
[1]The first Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall opened in Sunrise Manor in the Las Vegas Valley on April 1.
Products and positioning
A regional casino-resort brand combining gaming, lodging, dining, and entertainment under Boyd Gaming ownership.
Casino resort · 1979
Sam's Town Las Vegas
The original Sam's Town property in Sunrise Manor, Nevada, combines casino gaming with hotel accommodation, dining, and entertainment. It has undergone several expansions, including an 18-screen theater added in 2000. The property was reported to have 645 hotel rooms in November 2020 and remains the brand's longest-operating location.
Casino resort · 2004
Sam's Town Shreveport
The Shreveport, Louisiana, property opened in 2004 after Boyd Gaming acquired an existing Harrah's Entertainment property. It operates as a casino-hotel with gaming, lodging, dining, and resort services. The property was reported to have more than 500 hotel rooms in November 2020.
Casino resort · 1994
Sam's Town Tunica
The Tunica Resorts, Mississippi, property opened in 1994 and was enlarged after Boyd Gaming acquired an adjacent property in 2002. It had more than 700 rooms as of November 2020, but the property closed in 2025.
Casino resort · 1984
Sam's Town Gold River
The Laughlin, Nevada, property opened in 1984 under the Sam's Town Gold River name. The branding was later shortened to Gold River, and Boyd Gaming operated the facility until 1991. It subsequently changed owners and names and is no longer part of the Sam's Town network.
Riverboat casino · 1995
Sam's Town Gambling Hall Kansas City
This Sam's Town-branded riverboat casino operated in Kansas City, Missouri, from September 1995 until July 1998. It was the brand's principal riverboat format and is no longer operating.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006Sam's Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas · United States
Sam's Town sponsored the Sam's Town 400 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway.
Outcome. The sponsorship ran from 2006 through 2008.
- 1999Sam's Town 250 at Memphis
Tennessee · United States
Sam's Town branding was attached to the Sam's Town 250 at Memphis International Raceway in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Outcome. The race sponsorship continued through 2007.
- 1998Sam's Town NASCAR sponsorship program
United States
Boyd Gaming used Sam's Town branding for NASCAR events, including the Sam's Town 250 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Craftsman Truck Series and the Sam's Town 300 in the Busch Series.
Outcome. The sponsorship program expanded to additional races and tracks over subsequent years.
- 1995Western Pacific Airlines Sam's Town aircraft livery
United States
In the mid-1990s, Western Pacific Airlines operated a Boeing 737-300 painted in Sam's Town colors and displaying the casino locations then associated with the brand.
Outcome. The aircraft provided a traveling brand advertisement linking Sam's Town with air travel and its regional casino network.
- 1979Sam's Town Invitational
United States
Sam's Town sponsored a professional women's bowling event associated with the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour, now known as the Professional Women's Bowling Association. The event continued from 1979 into the 1990s.
Outcome. The event remained part of the brand's sports-marketing activity for several years before ending.
Brand decisions
2004
Acquire and rebrand a Shreveport propertyM&ABackground
Boyd Gaming acquired an existing Shreveport, Louisiana, property from Harrah's Entertainment.
Action taken
The property was opened in May 2004 under the Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall name.
Aftermath
The transaction added a continuing Sam's Town casino-hotel presence in Louisiana.
2002
Expand the Tunica resortStrategyBackground
Boyd Gaming acquired an adjacent property near its Sam's Town operation in Tunica Resorts.
Action taken
The company expanded the Tunica Sam's Town complex using the acquired neighboring facility.
Aftermath
The resort was reported to have more than 700 hotel rooms by November 2020 before closing in 2025.
1979
Launch a named regional casino-hotel brandStrategyBackground
Boyd Gaming established a casino-hotel identity named after Sam Boyd in the Las Vegas Valley.
Action taken
The first Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall opened in Sunrise Manor, creating the foundation for a repeatable regional casino-resort brand.
Aftermath
The name was later applied to properties in Nevada, Mississippi, Missouri, and Louisiana.
Recent events
- 2025
Sam's Town Tunica property closes[1]
Other
The Sam's Town property in Tunica Resorts, Mississippi, ceased operations in 2025, ending the brand's presence at that location.
- 2020
Sam's Town brand continues through Boyd Gaming casino properties[1]
Other
Reference material identified the Las Vegas, Tunica, and Shreveport properties and described their room capacities and operating history as of November 2020.
Sources2 sources
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