Samuel A. "Sam" Boyd was a businessman.

Born in Enid

Enid, Oklahoma

Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...

, Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

, he arrived in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

 in 1941 with only $80 in his pocket. He was able to work his way up through the gaming industry

Gambling in the United States

Gambling is legally restricted in the United States, but its availability and participation is increasing. In 2007, gambling activities generated gross revenues of $92.27 billion in the United States. Commercial casinos provided 354,000 jobs, and state and local tax revenues of $5.2 billion...

 by first working as a dealer

Croupier

A croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos.-Origin of the word:...

, then as a pit boss

Pit Manager

A pit boss is the person who looks after the employees who work in a casino pit. The job of the pit boss is to watch the floormen, who are the supervisors for table games dealers in a casino. One pit boss monitors all floormen in the pit; there is usually one floorman for every three dealers...

, and as a shift supervisor.

Eventually he saved enough money to buy an interest in the Sahara Hotel. Sam Boyd then moved on to become general manager and partner at The Mint

The Mint Las Vegas

The Mint Las Vegas was a hotel and casino in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. Opened in 1957, a 26-story hotel tower was added in 1965. In 1988, The Mint was sold and became part of Binion's Horseshoe....

 in downtown Las Vegas, where he introduced a number of successful marketing, gaming and entertainment innovations.

Sam Boyd formed the Boyd Gaming Corporation which would become one of the largest gaming

Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

 companies in the world. Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall

Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Las Vegas

Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall is a hotel and casino located in Sunrise Manor, Nevada on the Boulder Strip. It is one of the casinos owned and operated by Boyd Gaming Corporation...

 on Boulder Highway is named for Boyd as well as the Sam Boyd Stadium

Sam Boyd Stadium

Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; the mailing address of the stadium is "Las Vegas". The stadium is named after Sam Boyd, a major figure in the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consists...

.

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