When, after a year, it failed to achieve lift-off, Michael jumped in and bought the resort, first changing its name and then upgrading both its facilities and its image. After effectively selling the Coast casino chain to Boyd Gaming in 2004, Michael Gaughan (son of legendary local casino operator Jackie) began working for his former competitors, watching as they spent more than $500 million building the South Coast casino on an isolated site several miles south of the Strip.
