The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo rolls into town this week for its 40th year, scheduled for December 4-13 at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center. The event has sold out 379 consecutive performances in Las Vegas and long ago became a local tradition, turning the Valley into “cowboy central” just before Christmas and bringing hundreds of thousands of tourists to celebrate.
South Point turns 20
About 8 miles away from the Mack, too far south on Las Vegas Boulevard to be considered part of the Strip, a very special hotel and casino will also be packed during NFR, and is also celebrating a significant anniversary. But the South Point is cowboy central all year long.
The 2,163-room resort first opened on December 22, 2005, originally named South Coast as the latest addition to the Coast Casinos company founded by Michael Gaughan. Boyd Gaming acquired Coast properties in the summer of 2004, but Gaughan bought back the South Coast, including its unique equestrian arena, in 2006 and changed the name.
Because of its location and tailored amenities, South Point has always been a locals’ joint, offering everything residents are looking for with strong value. But the success of its arena, along with other specialized venues and entertainment programming, has built the property into a one-of-a-kind tourist destination.
“It’s the fifth property [Gaughan] built and it’s a brilliant hybrid,” says general manager Ryan Growney. “We have the local property feel and value and amenities—the bingo, the bowling alleys, great restaurants with reasonable prices, a fantastic sportsbook, the best gaming odds in town. The [tourists] show up to take advantage of all those things. As long as you’re making it the property that locals love, the destination people get here and they think they’re stealing from us, because it’s such a good deal compared to the other options out there.”
It’s not just the lineup that makes South Point special, but let’s look at that lineup: A 137,000-square-foot casino with those highly competitive odds. Eleven restaurants, ranging from the legendary Michael’s Gourmet Room and the cowboy-friendly Silverado Steak House to sushi and Hawaiian food at Zenshin and Midwest favorite Steak ’n Shake. Movie theaters and bowling lanes that attract local teenagers and families for weekend fun, but also the USBC Tournament Bowling Plaza, which brings the biggest championship tournaments in the country to Las Vegas. A classic Vegas showroom and a lounge with more live entertainment. The South Point Arena and Equestrian Center, with 4,600 seats, and Priefert Pavillion, actually two 240-seat pavilions. The 40,000-square-foot spa Costa del Sur, plenty of meeting and convention space, a 24-hour sportsbook, the bustling bingo hall … what are we leaving out?
Championship Bull Riding at South Point Arena in 2009
Oh yeah, the $1.50 Vienna Beef hot dogs. And the free parking. Can’t forget that.
“We’re doing the same thing we were doing 20 years ago. We haven’t changed; the competition has,” Gaughan recently told the Las Vegas Sun.
It’s not quite that simple. Local and Downtown casino resorts have mostly fared better than their Strip counterparts during this year’s tourism dip, but few properties are seeing a continuation of the post-pandemic boom. Growney says the South Point has not experienced business challenges this year, and sustainability is all about that special combination of locals and tourists.
“We did 38 equestrian events over 46 weeks this last year. That’s 46 weeks of animals and cowboys and cowgirls on property, and there’s just a level of excitement that brings,” he says. “Most of those shows are free and open to the public, and that draws a lot of locals to the arena. There are so many arenas in town now, vying for the same business of sports and concerts, but no one competes with us. We don’t have to worry about fighting for that business.”
Steve Stallworth, quarterback for the UNLV football team from 1982 to 1986 and a member of the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame, helped operate the Thomas & Mack Center and Sam Boyd Stadium for the university before he went to work for Gaughan 25 years ago at the Orleans Casino.
“Mr. Gaughan called me and said he wanted to build an arena at the Orleans. I said, ‘Sir, we need another arena in Las Vegas like we need a hole in the head,’” Stallworth says with a laugh. “He said, ‘No, I’m going to do it different.’ His vision was free parking, $3 beers and $2 hot dogs. He wanted to own community events.”
The success of the Orleans Arena partially inspired a new vision for what would become the South Point Arena, but Gaughan and his business were already deeply embedded in the distinct rodeo and western culture of Las Vegas. After founding Coast Casinos with the opening of Barbary Coast on the Strip in 1979, Gaughan was one of the influential figures who helped bring the National Finals Rodeo to Las Vegas for the first time in 1985. He’s a member of the NFR Committee and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.
Rodeo memorabilia at South Point
“At the Orleans, we had arena football, the Wranglers [hockey], and somewhere in there he said he wanted to build an equestrian center at his new hotel, and I didn’t even know what that meant,” Stallworth says. “I called every event promoter and told them we wanted to do this, and almost everybody said it was a bad idea—it’s too far from the central part of America, it’s too hot, there are too many distractions in Vegas and the horse shows are not going to go there.
“I reported this to Mr. Gaughan and he said, ‘I’m gonna do it anyway so you better figure it out.’”
Stallworth, general manager of the South Point Arena, and his team figured it out, and the venue has become the premier equestrian facility in the country. In addition to the indoor competition arenas, there’s an outdoor covered facility usually used by competitors for warmups. There are 1,200 climate-controlled horse stalls on property, a vet clinic and one of the biggest horse trailer parking lots you’ll ever see. (Some of the additional acreage on the South Point property is also used to film TV shows like American Ninja Warrior and Beast Games.)
“From a business standpoint, we’re trying to book hotel rooms with these events. These equestrian events are more participatory in nature, so they have a lot of competitors who bring horses and book stalls and rooms,” Stallworth says. “And then we’re also able to offer those events to locals who want to come and enjoy them.”
Rodeo events have always had a major impact on the business of Vegas, but at South Point, there’s a cultural connection happening, too. Locals who love to eat at the buffet or catch a movie may not all be horse people, but there’s clearly parallels between these groups, a family-friendly vibe, a wholesome nature.
“It’s just a good, homey, warm feeling,” Stallworth says. “We have local customers from the Midwest or the South who grew up with horses or in rural areas and some come get their fix here at our place. It’s amazing how many locals over the years have discovered our equestrian center, and it’s been cool watching that take place.”
Locals and tourists also share an affinity for South Point entertainment, which lends even more of that old-school Vegas feel through traditional headlining acts that have moved off the Strip in recent years. Country acts will dominate the showroom in the coming weeks, of course, but you can typically catch The Righteous Brothers, Human Nature, The Bronx Wanderers, acclaimed Elvis performer Donny Edwards and more.
Entertainer Jerry Lewis talks to the audience while broadcasting live from the South Point during the 43rd annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon in 2008.
“I’ve been here 14 years and I love every bit of it. It’s a very interesting property,” entertainment director Michael Libonati says. “Mr. Gaughan has been doing things the same way for decades—it’s all about the guest, that’s what matters, and we all get it.”
As far as entertainment goes, the demographic is a bit older, but that’s been changing since the pandemic. Libonati is incorporating some new tribute acts in the new year and some different trending music genres, and then there’s the nearly 15-year-old late-night comedy show The Dirty at 12:30 in the Grandview Lounge. Launching it was a bit of a “shock to the system,” Libonati explains, since it’s an intentionally explicit and raunchy brand of laughs, but its longevity proves its worth. “Any comedian that comes into town wants to be on that stage,” he says.
There’s another crucial connection that makes the South Point work so well. Like any successful locals’ joint, it has a lot of regulars, and they are taken care of by a lot of longtime employees. And Las Vegas hospitality workers don’t stay in the same place for 20 years unless they feel appreciated there.
“We do Employee of the Year awards every year and we recognize a lot of people for longevity, and we have to do two nights next year because we have so many people who have been here since day one,” says Stallworth. “We are very proud of what has happened here. If you look back when we opened, it was 600 rooms and one arena. It’s been amazing, watching the growth, and I don’t know what [Gaughan] has up his sleeve next, but it will be interesting to see what happens in the next 20 years, and I hope I can hang in there for a lot of them.”
Gaughan and his team will tell you they’re just going to keep doing what they’ve been doing for two decades, taking care of customers. Maybe it is just that simple, even against the constant fluctuations of the business of Las Vegas.
“We’re going to make sure the property doesn’t look 20 years old, make sure it still feels fresh and new, adding modern touches to the experience without taking away from that old-school feel,” Growney says. “But the way Mr. Gaughan does business, the way he treats employees and customers, that hasn’t changed one iota, and it allows us to do a lot of things to make this property special.”
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