Barbary Coast opened in March 1979 by Michael Gaughan, son of Las Vegas casino pioneer Jackie Gaughan. The 200-room hotel and casino located on the corner of Flamingo Boulevard and Las Vegas Boulevard remained under Gaughan's ownership until 2004, when Boyd Gaming purchased Gaughan's Coast Casinos.Maintaining the spirit of old Las Vegas thoughout the megaresort building boom that began in the mid-1980s, the tiny casino was beloved by visitors seeking a friendly Las Vegas destination where employees knew regulars by name.In 2007, Boyd Gaming traded Barbary Coast along with the 4.3 acres on which it stood to Harrah's Entertainment in exchange for a 24-acre parcel of Las Vegas Strip land previously occupied by Westward Ho. Harrah's renamed the hotel and casino Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon, killing both the name and spirit of Barbary Coast.
