Bally’s Closes Sam’s Town Shreveport Casino Acquisition From Boyd

Bally’s Corporation (BALY ) has closed its acquisition of the Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino in Shreveport, Louisiana, from Boyd Gaming (BYD ), completing a deal first signed on February 26, 2026. The company announced the closing on August 3, 2026, after the Louisiana Gaming Control Board approved the change of ownership, the step that turns a signed casino sale into a done one.

The property sits adjacent to Bally’s existing Shreveport casino downtown, so the closing consolidates two neighboring riverfront casinos under a single operator. Bally’s said the property will be re-branded under the Bally’s name in the near future. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed in either the February announcement or the closing release.

“Today’s closing marks an important milestone for Bally’s as we continue to expand our presence in key regional markets and invest in destinations with strong long-term potential,” said Soo Kim, chairman of Bally’s Corporation, in the closing announcement. Kim also thanked Boyd Gaming and the Louisiana Gaming Control Board for what he called a thoughtful review and approval.

The release carried a second voice, one with his own stake in the city. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who has made significant investments in Shreveport’s entertainment district, welcomed the closing and pointed to future collaboration with Bally’s on entertainment, dining and retail projects.

“I’m excited for Bally’s expansion in Shreveport as we continue investing in the city’s future,” Jackson said in the same announcement.

Boyd exits a property it held for 22 years

For the seller, the deal is a portfolio trim, not a retreat. Boyd Gaming put Sam’s Town Shreveport into a definitive agreement on February 26, 2026, targeting a third-quarter 2026 close subject to regulatory approvals, and it landed on that schedule. Keith Smith, Boyd’s president and chief executive officer, framed the sale then as consistent with the company’s “continued focus on refining our operating model and our nationwide property portfolio.”

Sam’s Town had been part of Boyd since 2004, a 22-year run that spanned the property’s life as one of the anchors of the Shreveport-Bossier casino market. Boyd exits Shreveport with 27 gaming properties in 11 states, plus a managed tribal casino in northern California and its Boyd Interactive online business.

What Bally’s is buying

The asset, as Boyd described it at signing, is a 29,000-square-foot casino with 750 slot machines and 14 table games, a 514-room hotel, multiple restaurants, a live entertainment venue and convention space. The value for Bally’s is geographic as much as operational: it already runs the neighboring Bally’s Shreveport Casino & Hotel, and pairing the two gives it the market’s two adjacent downtown properties under one loyalty and marketing umbrella.

The Shreveport close continues an acquisitive stretch for Bally’s that Gaming.net has tracked across much larger targets, including its parallel moves on 888 and William Hill’s former international business. This one is smaller and simpler: a single regional casino, bought from a willing seller, in a market the buyer already knows.

With the acquisition complete, Bally’s portfolio stands at 20 casinos across 11 U.S. states and one in Newcastle, UK, per the company’s own count in the closing release. Its casino operations run approximately 17,700 slot machines, 630 table games and 3,950 hotel rooms, alongside the Bally Bet sports betting and igaming platform licensed in 14 North American jurisdictions.

What happens in Shreveport now

The near-term work is integration. Bally’s said it will focus on a seamless transition for the property’s team members and guests while evaluating future opportunities to enhance the offering. The stated next observable step is the re-brand: the Sam’s Town name comes off and the Bally’s brand goes on, a change the company has committed to but not yet dated.

For Boyd, the proceeds and the portfolio refinement close out a sale it telegraphed five months ago. For Shreveport, the more concrete shift is that the city’s two adjacent downtown casinos now answer to one owner, with a chairman who says he sees “meaningful opportunities to reinvest in the market” and a celebrity investor already talking about building on it.