Casino “needed love and attention”
In the past two years, the Boomtown Casino and Hotel has underdone $20 million in renovations. The property, which was acquired in 2012 by M1 Gaming, is now back on track and ready to mark its 50th year in business.
“This is an iconic Reno asset that needed love and attention, and we are hands-on,” M1 CEO Dean DiLullo told the Reno Gazette-Journal. The property, which began as Bill and Effie’s Truck Stop, was formerly owned by Pinnacle Entertainment.
To show his commitment to the community, DiLullo relocated his company from Las Vegas to Reno after spending $12.9 million for the old casino. He also quizzed locals about what it would take to restore the Boomtown to its former splendor.
“We didn’t want to just come in and think that we knew everything. We took six months to understand it out of respect,” he said. “We had dozens of dinners. We just talked and asked, what do you want? What’s important?”
As far as the people were concerned, the key to a turnaround was better food and beverage operations and improved slots. As a result, the property added a new deli, a Mexican restaurant, a modern bistro, and a sports bar.
“Our food product has gone from zero to hero,” DiLullo said. “The quickest way to a guest’s heart is through their stomach.”
The poker room and sports book have been refurbished, and most of Boomtown’s 600 slots have been replaced with new multi-game machines. A higher-denomination slot area has been added.
Reno gaming analyst Ken Adams says the improvements should pay off nicely, due to minimal competition in the region and a developing community. “It’s a relatively good economy there. Boomtown isn’t in competition with downtown. It’s a good market to get a return on their investment.”
The next step is renovating Boomtown’s 318 hotel rooms and building a new truck stop.
“This is my biggest thing now, my baby, where I’m spending all my time, six days a week,” said DiLullo. “We’ve been profitable since the day we took over. Bill and Effie put the shovel to the ground in 1964 and it grew into Boomtown Casino Hotel. We put ‘casino’ first. That’s who we are. Our casino guests come first.”
