Boyd Keeping Eastside Cannery Licenses as Casino Remains Shuttered

Boyd Gaming will maintain licenses for the Eastside Cannery Casino and Hotel for another two years after the Clark County Commission granted related approvals on Tuesday.

The commission voted unanimously in favor of granting Boyd a two-year extension on the temporary closure of the casino hotel located on Boulder Highway. That comes with the option for two six-month extensions. A previously established waiver on the venue’s licensing was set to expire before the end of this month.

Las Vegas-based Boyd runs 28 gaming venues across 10 states, including 11 in its home city.

Eastside Cannery Business Funneled to Sam’s Town

Boyd isn’t necessarily being pinched by Eastside Cannery’s now lengthy pandemic-induced closure because patrons of that venue are making their way to another Boyd property.

Our Eastside Cannery customers, gaming and non-gaming alike, have consolidated to Sam’s Town until demand requires additional capacity for both properties,” wrote the operator in a letter to the commission.

Boyd’s Chief Compliance Officer Michelle Rasmusson noted in the letter that there’s ample excess capacity at Sam’s Town and current market conditions aren’t conducive to restarting operations at Eastside Cannery. She added that even if the demand was there to reopen the property, labor shortages would make it difficult to adequately staff the venue.

Eastside Cannery opened in 2008 with Boyd acquiring it through its 2016 $230 million purchase of Cannery Casinos, which also included the Cannery Casino Hotel in North Vegas.

It Might Behoove Boyd to Make a Move

Some casinos in the Las Vegas Valley that were shuttered due to the pandemic never returned. For example, in 2022, Boyd rival Red Rock Resorts announced permanent closures of Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, and Texas Station. Those venues were ultimately demolished and Red Rock sold the real estate to nongaming entities.

“The company has suggested a plan. We value their judgment, not ours. The one thing I would say is the maintenance there has been impeccable,” Gibson noted prior to the commission’s ruling. “We appreciate very much the way the Boyd group has stepped up and taken care of its facility. We’re hopeful at some point in time that it will restore itself to commercial use and be a really important part of their organization.”