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Boyd Gaming Corporation is one of the largest and most respected casino entertainment companies in America.
Our Company is proud to be a part of communities across the nation. Each year we entertain millions of guests, provide good-paying jobs to thousands of team members, generate millions of dollars in tax revenues, purchase from thousands of businesses large and small, and generously support non-profit organizations nationwide.
But this success story wasn't built overnight. It began quite humbly 50 years ago, with a single property in downtown Las Vegas – developed by a legendary father and son team, Sam and Bill Boyd.
Sam Boyd’s career in the gaming industry began in the 1930s, when he worked in casino operations in southern California and Hawaii to support his young family.
After spending his teenage years operating carnival games in Long Beach, the excitement of casino gaming appealed to Sam, and he quickly discovered he had a great aptitude for running a successful gaming business.
After arriving in Las Vegas in 1941 with $80 in his pocket, Sam’s extraordinary work ethic and deep understanding of the gaming business quickly gained notice.
After a decade of moving up the ranks at various Las Vegas casinos, Sam was given the opportunity to purchase a 1% interest in the Sahara upon its opening in 1952. After several years in management at that property, Sam moved on to become General Manager of the Mint in downtown Las Vegas in the late 1950s.
Under Sam’s leadership, the Mint became one of downtown’s most successful properties, and Sam established himself as one of the gaming industry’s brightest stars.
The only son of Sam and Mary Boyd, William S. “Bill” Boyd was born in 1931.
Los Angeles was his hometown, but much of his early years were spent in Hawaii after his father relocated to the Islands for job opportunities in the mid-1930s.
After spending his early childhood moving from place to place, Bill would find his permanent home in 1941, when his father moved the family to Las Vegas.
Sam urged his son to pursue a professional career outside of the gaming industry, leading Bill to attend law school after a short stint in the U.S. Army in the mid-1950s. Bill proved himself to be a talented attorney, and together with law partners Myron Leavitt and John Brennan, Bill quickly became one of Las Vegas’ most successful and well-known attorneys by the early 1960s.
In the early 1960s, Bill was retained by a local businessman looking to purchase and reopen a shuttered casino in downtown Henderson, Nevada. However, the businessman didn’t have the cash to cover his legal fees – and he offered Bill an ownership stake in the casino instead.
Bill thought it was an intriguing opportunity, and convinced his father to invest as well.
Together, they were part of the ownership team that opened the Eldorado Casino on July 1, 1962. Four years later, the Boyds bought the property outright.
The Eldorado was Sam and Bill’s first business venture together, but it wouldn’t be the last.
Boyd Stories
Jerry Filipelli
Customer Development Manager, Sam’s Town Las Vegas
Jerry Filipelli has been with Boyd Gaming since the beginning – and then some.
He first crossed paths with co-founder Sam Boyd at the Mint around 1960 when Sam was serving as the property’s general manager. He walked up to Sam not knowing who he was (other than “a real cowboy”) and ended up with his break-in job as a dealer.
As the Boyd family’s holdings grew, Filipelli joined them for the journey. Sam offered him a job at the Eldorado in 1962, followed later by leadership positions at the California and Sam’s Town Las Vegas.
More than 60 years after he first walked up to Sam and asked for a job, Filipelli is still a part of the Boyd family as Customer Development Manager at Sam’s Town.
“The secret of Boyd is that the managers talk to team members just like Sam and Bill did. We emphasize saying ‘hi’ to our team members, because that goes down to how you treat our customers. Team members see that, and all of a sudden, they develop that friendliness. And that’s what Boyd Gaming is all about.” - Jerry Filipelli