Michael Gaughan to join Gaming Hall of Fame

LAS VEGAS, Nevada –- South Point owner Michael Gaughan will join his father as a member of the Gaming Hall of Fame later this year.

Gaughan, who built the Coast Casinos brand before selling the properties to Boyd Gaming Corp. in 2004 for $1.3 billion, will be honored in November during the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.

"For more than 40 years, Michael has been a major figure in the gaming industry, and the casinos he has developed and operated have helped to make Las Vegas what it is today," American Gaming Association President Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., said in announcing Gaughan's nomination.

Gaughan currently operates the South Point, the slot machine concession at McCarran Airport and the Casino Queen Riverboat in St. Louis.

Gaughan's father, former downtown casino icon Jackie Gaughan, is also one of the more than 60 members of the Gaming Hall of Fame, which was established in 1989.