Boomtown to change name, renovate

Bob Shemeligian

Friday, Nov. 14, 1997 | 11:43 a.m.

The financially beleaguered Boomtown hotel-casino will be renamed Silverton Dec. 2. But the resort's western theme will not change. In fact, it's going to be magnified.

Owner Edward Roski Jr. said the largest party for the National Finals Rodeo will be held at Silverton from Dec. 5-14. "It's all part of our move to a more contemporary western theme," Roski said.

Roski, who also owns a Los Angeles-based real estate development firm and is a partner in the Los Angeles Kings hockey team, said he also plans to greatly expand the 300-room hotel situated on 56 acres at the corner of Interstate 15 and Blue Diamond Road, and to add several restaurants.

"We're going to turn the place into more of a full-service western resort destination. We already have approval from the county to add 600 rooms," Roski said. "I think we have a great future."

Roski said several country stars, including Pam Tillis and Lee Ann Womack, will perform at the hotel during rodeo week, as well as several western house bands.

Despite Roski's optimism, the resort's three-year history has felt financial problems.

"The place just trundles along," said Bill Schmidt, gaming analyst at Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co. "It's not a locals market because it's in the middle of nowhere, and it's too close to Las Vegas to catch much of the drive-by traffic."

Schmidt explained that motorists driving from California to Las Vegas would be more apt to make a stop in Primm, which is 40 miles from Vegas, rather than at the "Boomtown exit," which is within site of the South Strip casinos.

Roski assumed control of Boomtown earlier this year after Hollywood Park Inc. opted out of a lease agreement with Roski's Majestic Realty to operate the Las Vegas-based Boomtown.

A few months after Roski took control of Boomtown, Dan Reichartz, president and chief operating officer, resigned. Roski said there are no hard feelings between the two.

Now that Hollywood Park is no longer involved with Boomtown, Roski said it paves the way for him to tailor the casino to the needs of visitors as well as local residents.

"Because of our location, we want to appeal more to the local market," Roski said. "Green Valley continues to grow west rapidly, and the hotel is easy to get to. We're the only one that's right on the freeway."

A publicly traded company on the Nasdaq exchange, Hollywood Park operates four other resorts across the nation, including the Hollywood Park Casino in California, its Biloxi dockside casino in Mississippi and the Westbank riverboat casino in Louisiana in addition to three racetracks.

Hollywood Park also operates Boomtown in Verdi, which is the reason the name here needed to be changed. On Wednesday, Hollywood Park received approval from Washoe County commissioners to add a 2,100-room hotel tower, 100,000 square feet of casino space and an 18-hole golf course to the Northern Nevada Boomtown.

While Roski said he doesn't envision quite as much for Silverton, he still intends to make the resort a viable property.