Boomtown is now 50-years-old and has had  $20 million in renovations. Photos/LTN

By Kathryn Reed

VERDI – Owners of Boomtown casino have taken an aging property and revamped it a bit.

The property off Interstate 80 on the outskirts of Reno turns 50 this year.

M1 Gaming bought the 318-room hotel, and casino with 15 table games and 560 slot machines from Pinnacle Entertainment in June 2012 for $12 million. Since that time, $20 million in upgrades have been made.

When M1, owned by Dean Dilullo, Edward Anthony St. John Jr. and Edward Anthony St. John III, purchased the casino they labeled Boomtown “highly distressed”.

Rooms are modern and standard.

The casino opened with Reno Mayor Bob Cashell as the owner. He was honored last week at a dinner at the property. He sold it in the 1980s.

Today the property has more life to it than it had in recent years. Money has been spent on new restaurants, bars, slots, table games, sportsbook, poker and keno.

The Guitar Bar has live entertainment every night. The carpet in the casino area – all 40,000 square feet – is new. The sportsbook has wall-to-wall televisions and more comfortable, softer seats.

There is a VIP area with new machines and private bathrooms.

Bistro 2100 is a new restaurant; serving three meals a day. The owners kept the legendary All-You-Can-Eat Lobster Buffet. While there are multiple places to eat, not all are open every night.

The owners have also returned music to Boomtown, with headliners whose heyday was mostly in the 1970s and 1980s – like Brian Howe from Bad Company, Collin Raye and Larry Gatlin. Most performers play two shows for one night.

The Fun Center has games that have nothing to do with gambling.

What sets this casino apart from many is the size of its arcade. In fact, it’s called a Fun Center. A great aspect is that no alcohol or smoking is allowed in this area. It’s designed for big and little kids.

The Old West façade is still intact.

While the rooms look like they have been spruced up a bit, the dankness of the hallways and scuffed up carpet and walls could use some attention to make it more appealing.

Boomtown once was a truckers’ haven because it meant not having to find a spot to park their rig in Reno or having to be off the interstate. Those days are about to return.

Last June on a 5-1 vote the Reno City Council agreed the Boomtown truck stop could be resurrected. It will have to be in a different location because Cabela’s occupies the parcel where the old stop was located. The new one will be on about 14 acres to the west of Cabela’s.