Keith Smith took the CEO chair at Boyd Gaming in January 2008 and still holds it today. Few leaders in US casino gaming have stayed at the top of one company this long. His Boyd story began in the finance office in 1990. It now spans regional resorts, online gaming, and a brand-new casino.
Who Is Keith Smith?
Keith E. Smith holds three jobs at Boyd at once: president, chief executive, and director. Boyd’s latest quarterly report puts its casino count at 27, spread over 11 states.
That footprint runs from Las Vegas locals casinos to resorts stretching from the Gulf Coast to Pennsylvania. Boyd’s 2026 proxy puts Smith’s age at 65, and his gaming career now tops 35 years. His college training was in accounting, at Arizona State.
Keith Smith’s Career at Boyd Gaming
Keith Smith started at Boyd in 1990, taking the corporate controller job and overseeing financial checks. Eight years later, he moved into operations as an executive vice president. By 2001, he held the COO title and ran daily business.
The board named him president in April 2005 and gave him a director’s seat. In January 2008, he moved into the CEO role as the financial crisis began to hit casino spending. His first years in charge meant trimming costs and guarding the balance sheet.
| Stage | Focus | Started |
| Finance | Company books and internal controls | 1990 |
| Operations leadership | Running the casinos day to day | 1998 |
| Number two | Overseeing every property as COO | 2001 |
| President and director | Company strategy and board work | 2005 |
| Chief executive | Full control of the company | 2008 |
How Keith Smith Grew Boyd Through Acquisitions
Keith Smith grew Boyd’s map mostly by buying casinos, not building them. From 2011 through 2018, he signed one regional deal after another.
| Market Entered or Grown | What Boyd Added | Year |
| Gulf Coast | A Biloxi resort known as IP | 2011 |
| Kansas, Iowa, and Louisiana | Five casinos via the Peninsula buyout | 2012 |
| North Las Vegas | Aliante | 2016 |
| Las Vegas Valley | The Cannery locals casinos | 2016 |
| Philadelphia suburbs | Valley Forge | 2018 |
| St. Louis and Kansas City areas | Two Ameristar resorts | 2018 |
| Southern Indiana and Cincinnati | Two Belterra venues | 2018 |
The Valley Forge purchase also took Boyd into Pennsylvania, where adults 21 or older can play casino games online legally. On the July 2026 earnings call, Smith said his Midwest and South casinos were outpacing Las Vegas.
The FanDuel Deal: Smith’s Biggest Online Bet
Back in 2018, Keith Smith struck a deal that let FanDuel use Boyd’s state gaming licenses to enter new markets. Boyd took 5% of FanDuel’s equity in return, plus access to its betting tech.
That tie-up put Boyd into online sports wagering. For example, the FanDuel Sportsbook app went live when Ohio’s betting market opened in January 2023. A FanDuel retail betting counter opened at Belterra Park Cincinnati around the same time.
In July 2025, Smith agreed to cash out. Flutter Entertainment paid $1.755 billion for the stake and revised terms. Boyd then set the money aside to cut debt.
| Area | Before the Sale | After the Sale |
| Boyd’s FanDuel ownership | 5% | Zero, now held by Flutter |
| Market-access terms | Signed in 2018 | Run until 2038 |
| Boyd retail sportsbooks beyond Nevada | Operated by FanDuel | Back under Boyd control from mid-2026 |
Keith Smith’s 2026 Plans and Cadence Crossing
Boyd cut the ribbon on Cadence Crossing on March 25, 2026. The Henderson venue sits on Boulder Highway, beside the site of the old Jokers Wild. It marks Boyd’s first ground-up casino in roughly two decades.
Guests found 450 machines, mostly slots and video poker, with electronic table games instead of live dealers. Boyd has room to expand the floor, and a hotel could follow as the Cadence community grows. Southern Nevada now holds 10 Boyd casinos, all operating under Nevada’s gambling laws.
Meanwhile, Keith Smith keeps rewarding investors. In April 2026, Boyd lifted its quarterly payout to 20 cents a share. Management also plans to hand back over $650 million through dividends and buybacks this year.
Keith Smith’s Industry Leadership Roles
Smith has chaired several key gaming and finance groups. He also sits on the SkyWest airline group’s board, where he heads the audit panel.
| Group | Role | Years |
| Top seat at the national casino trade group (AGA) | Chair | 2010 to 2011 |
| Nevada’s resort industry lobby (NRA) | Chair | 2008 to 2011 |
| The Las Vegas tourism board (LVCVA) | Vice chair | 2005 to 2011 |
| LA office of the San Francisco Fed | Director, later chair | 2009 to 2014 |
In fact, few public casino CEOs have run one company as long as Smith. Peers such as Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg reached the top job far more recently.
The Bottom Line
Keith Smith guided Boyd through the 2008 downturn, then widened its regional reach with smart acquisitions. Later, cashing out of FanDuel brought in $1.755 billion, and Cadence Crossing shows he still likes to build. Next, watch how Boyd runs its retail sportsbooks after taking them back.
Planning a trip to a Boyd casino or playing online? Decide your spending limit first, and lean on our responsible gambling tools and tips if play stops feeling fun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who runs Boyd Gaming today?
Keith Smith runs Boyd as its chief executive and president. He took the CEO job in January 2008, almost three years after becoming president.
How did Keith Smith start out at Boyd?
He arrived in 1990 to manage the books and internal controls. Over the next decade he shifted into operations and reached the COO post in 2001.
Why did Boyd cash out of FanDuel?
Smith said the stake had built up major value that Boyd wanted to capture. Flutter paid $1.755 billion in the 2025 deal, and Boyd put the cash toward debt.
What is Boyd’s Cadence Crossing?
It is a slots-first neighborhood casino in Henderson that Boyd built from scratch. Its doors first opened in late March 2026 beside the old Jokers Wild, with 450 machines.
Which boards does Keith Smith sit on?
Besides Boyd’s own board, he serves as a SkyWest director and heads its audit panel. Earlier, he chaired the national casino trade group, the AGA.
