Sam’s Town Reveals STG Bar & Grill and Renovated Sportsbook

By Scott Roeben, on August 05 2026
3 min read 3 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Restaurants

If you’re a Las Vegas visitor, Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall may not be on your radar, but this old-timey casino is beloved by many locals, so we’re sharing some newness.

Sam’s Town recently unveiled its new STG Bar & Grill and a refreshed sportsbook.

We shall devote three paragraphs to each so you can get on with your day.

“STG” stands for “Sam’s Town Gastropub.” “Gastropub” is a combination of “gastronomy” and “pub.” The Brits invented that term. In the U.K., they refer to “gas” as “petrol.” They also call it “wind.” The Brits and their linguistic eccentricities!

STG Bar & Grill is a brand-new offering at Sam’s Town with American cuisine. We’re going to steal the description from the news release: “The new venue features a blend of rustic, neutral finishes with contemporary architectural elements. Herringbone wood floors, brick walls and corten steel paneling establish an industrial chic foundation, while a custom steel and concrete decorative screen with linear light accents anchors the center of the room. Luxe crystal chandeliers suspended above half-round oversized booths add a refined contrast, completing the eclectic yet upscale look. In addition to being a full-service restaurant with a vibrant social atmosphere, STG Bar & Grill also features a 14-seat private dining room and 21-seat bar.”

You can see the STG menu online, sans prices, of course. Let’s just say there won’t be any sticker shock; it’s a locals place and they would burn the place down if they saw a $35 burger on the menu.

Here’s another angle of STG so you don’t have to see a bartop without video poker. It’s disturbing.

If you’re familiar with Boyd’s latest restaurant trend, STG Bar & Grill fits the bill. They’re leaning into internally managed gastropubs, including Bailiwick at The Orleans, 90 Ninety at Suncoast, Charter 75 Modern Kitchen at Gold Coast and Tin Lizard at Cadence Crossing. There are plans for new gastropub concepts at Fremont and Aliante as well. Nobody’s winning a James Beard Award, but all these restaurants are reliably good at a distinct value, especially when compared to similar places on The Strip.

That was three paragraphs. It just felt like more because there were no 69 jokes.

On to the Sam’s Town sportsbook! Which doesn’t count toward the three paragraphs. Who made you like this?

Here’s a blurb about the renovated sportsbook from a P.R. for Boyd Gaming: “The updated space features mega-high-definition screens that put every play front and center, convenient betting kiosk stations for quick and easy wagering, and comfortable, expanded seating designed to elevate game-day viewing. Located just steps from the Sports Deli, the renovated sportsbook offers guests a convenient destination to watch, wager and dine while enjoying all the excitement of their favorite sporting events.”

The Sam’s Town sportsbook hadn’t been touched since 2007. It definitely needed some touching.

That’s about it. We should’ve counted that paragraph.

Oh, wait, here’s some fluff we knew off the top of our head. Sportsbooks trace their roots to early bookmakers who took wagers on horse racing and other sporting events, with organized betting shops becoming common in Britain during the 19th century. In the U.S., sports betting operated through illegal bookmakers until Nevada legalized it in 1949, paving the way for casino sportsbooks. Las Vegas sportsbooks expanded rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s, then spread nationwide after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting in 2018.

The judges have disqualified that paragraph due to it having nothing to do with the Sam’s Town sportsbook.

Here, then, is ChatGPT’s take on the new Sam’s Town sportsbook: “The renovation looks polished, comfortable and appropriately sports-focused. The massive screen array is the clear star, sightlines appear strong and the mix of lounge chairs, communal seating and betting counters gives the room useful variety. The warm wood, amber lighting and red carpet make it feel richer than a generic betting hall.
The loss is that it still reads a little conference center with televisions. The carpet is aggressively casino, the lighting skews purple and orange and the vast counter wall feels dated compared with newer sportsbooks built around bars, social seating and more architectural drama. It is functional and handsome, but not especially memorable.”

In a wild coincidence, the name of our band in high school was, well, wait for it.

Yes, it’s a slow news week.

If you’re in the mood, you can find Sam’s Town at 5111 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89122. It’s about eight minutes from downtown. No, the Vegas Loop doesn’t go there yet. What a weird thing to ask. The Loop barely goes anywhere. Four casinos. After five years. Please don’t bring up this awkward subject again, thanks.

Sam’s Town might not be everyone’s cup of sarsaparilla, but it’s a workhorse for Boyd, a dependable locals casino that continues to make enough money to justify the ongoing investments.