Michael John Gaughan (March 24, 1943 in
Omaha,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
) is an American
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
owner and operator in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
who is the owner of the
South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa
South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa (formerly South Coast) is a resort located along Las Vegas Boulevard in Enterprise, Nevada, south of the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned and operated by Michael Gaughan, the founder of Coast Casinos. It includes a c ...
. He is the son of
Jackie Gaughan and was the owner of a
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
race team,
South Point Racing, for which his son,
Brendan Gaughan, used to drive. The team was dissolved at the end of the 2007 season.
Biography
Gaughan won the 1966
Mint 400
The Mint 400 is an annual American desert off-road race which takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was resumed in 2008 after a 20-year hiatus.
The race was for both motorcycles, until 1977, and four-wheel vehicles ( buggies, cars and trucks) s ...
race, and continued that interest with
South Point Racing which he founded in 1999 and dissolved in 2007.
After many roles in casinos, including various ownership roles, Gaughan opened the
Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino
The Cromwell Las Vegas (formerly Barbary Coast and Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon) is a luxury boutique casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It was originally opened by Mich ...
in March 1979 at a cost of $11.5 million. That casino, on of land, became the foundation for
Coast Casinos
Coast Casinos Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Boyd Gaming Corporation based in Paradise, Nevada. Coast Casinos is the number 2 locals casino brand in the Las Vegas market behind Station Casinos.
History
Principally owned and founded by Mi ...
.
He was instrumental in bringing the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National ...
(PRCA)’s year-end championship event, the
National Finals Rodeo
The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier rodeo event by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The NFR showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money-winners in the season for each event.
The NFR is held each year in the fi ...
(NFR), to Las Vegas in 1985. He serves on the NFR committee and is a longtime sponsor of the NFR and PRCA. He is also a board member of the
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. In 2004, Gaughan sold Coast Casinos for $1.3 billion to
Boyd Gaming
Boyd Gaming Corporation is an American gaming and hospitality company based in Paradise, Nevada. The company continues to be run by founder Sam Boyd's family under the management of Sam's son, Bill Boyd (born 1931), who currently serves as the ...
. In July 2006, Boyd gaming announced that it was selling the
South Coast to Gaughan for an estimated $576 million. The casino was built at a cost of $600 million. Gaughan was inducted into the PRCA’s
ProRodeo Hall of Fame
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, pr ...
in 2007. He was elected to the
Gaming Hall of Fame
The Gaming Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to recognize individuals who have played a significant role in the gaming-entertainment industry.
The Gaming Hall of Fame Charity Gala is an annual event organized by the American Gaming Associati ...
in 2009. In 2017, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame honored Gaughan with its Legend of ProRodeo award. In 2021, the
Professional Bull Riders
The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012. In 2013, the ...
(PBR) honored Gaughan with their
Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award.
Michael Gaughan Airport Slots
Gaughan has been granted the rights to operate
slot concession at
Harry Reid International Airport
Harry Reid International Airport is an international airport in Paradise, Nevada, and is the main government airport for public use in the Las Vegas Valley, a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Nevada, about south of Downtown Las Vegas. ...
under the name Michael Gaughan Airport Slots, operating over 1,300 slot machines in all of the airport's terminals.
Sources
*
Las Vegas Review-Journal
*
Las Vegas Sun
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaughan, Michael
Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska
Living people
NASCAR team owners
1943 births
People from the Las Vegas Valley
Bishop Gorman High School alumni