Founded in 1975, Boyd Gaming Corporation is one of the largest casino entertainment companies in the United States. It operates 28 gaming properties in ten states – Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania -- and manages a tribal casino in northern California. Boyd Gaming is also a strategic partner and 5% equity owner of FanDuel Group, the nation's leading sports-betting operator. The birth of Boyd Gaming came on January 1, 1975, when Sam and Bill Boyd founded the Company to develop and operate the California Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas. At this time, Bill left the legal profession, after practicing for 15 years, and began working full-time at the California. Sam Boyd passed away in 1993.