Boyd pioneered the concept of enticing gamblers to Downtown Las Vegas by offering live music, shows, and other entertainment options. It was at The Mint where Boyd’s entrepreneurial spirit and an eye toward innovation first garnered widespread attention. And on all my deals during the last 40 years, I always made a deal that left me receiving a percentage of the profits.”įollowing his stint with the Sahara, Boyd went on to take a position with The Mint, a casino in Downtown Las Vegas where he served as General Manager. “I always made a point to try and save about half of what I was making, even back in the days when I was making $100 a week running bingo games in Long Beach.

To hear Boyd tell it during a 1982 interview, he had always envisioned himself as a player in the lucrative gaming industry: In 1952 Boyd had amassed $10,000 in savings, which he used to purchase an ownership stake in the Sahara. Beginning on the bottom rung of the industry’s ladder, Boyd manned a roulette table at the Sahara Hotel and Casino.Įventually, he managed to work his way through the ranks, working as a pit boss and then shift boss, all while taking care to save as much money as he could. When Sam Boyd settled in Las Vegas in 1941, he arrived with nothing more than a family to support and $80 in his pocket. The rise of Boyd Gaming began like so many other American success stories, with the arrival of a man with ambition to a town with great promise.

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