Full House Resorts
Corporate brand
UnclaimedFull House Resorts is a U.S. casino developer, owner, and operator with a portfolio focused on regional gaming and entertainment properties.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
Full House Resorts, Inc. is an American gaming company that develops, owns, and manages casinos, hotels, and related entertainment facilities. The company is headquartered in Summerlin South, Nevada, and its business has historically centered on regional casinos rather than destination-scale resort complexes. Its operating model has included direct ownership of casino assets, management agreements with Native American tribes, joint ventures, and development partnerships involving commercial casinos, racetracks, and gaming facilities. The company was incorporated in 1987 under the name Hour Corp. and later became D.H.Z. Capital Corp. In 1992 it adopted the Full House Resorts name and acquired the Deadwood Gulch Resort in Deadwood, South Dakota. That property gave the company an initial operating base, although Full House later concluded that Deadwood's relatively remote location and low betting limits restricted its growth potential. The resort was eventually sold in 1998. Full House completed an initial public offering in 1993. During the 1990s, the company expanded its ambitions through relationships with prominent investors and gaming developers. Gulfstream Aerospace founder Allen Paulson acquired a substantial stake and became chairman and chief executive officer in 1994. Former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca also became a major investor after Full House acquired companies associated with several proposed tribal and commercial gaming projects. The company pursued developments in Oregon, Delaware, Michigan, California, Mississippi, and elsewhere, with varying outcomes. Its development history includes The Mill Casino in North Bend, Oregon, created with the Coquille Indian Tribe; Midway Slots & Simulcast at Harrington Raceway in Delaware; and FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan. FireKeepers ultimately became one of the company's most consequential projects, but the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi later bought out Full House's management interest in 2012. Full House also entered a strategic alliance with GTECH in the 1990s and later purchased GTECH's interests in the joint ventures. After Allen Paulson's death in 2000, the company explored a possible sale and continued seeking expansion opportunities. It acquired Stockman's Casino in Fallon, Nevada, in 2007, and in 2011 bought the Grand Lodge Casino at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe and the Grand Victoria riverboat casino in Indiana, renaming the latter Rising Star Casino Resort. In 2012 it acquired the Silver Slipper Casino in Mississippi. The company also managed Buffalo Thunder and Cities of Gold casinos for the Pueblo of Pojoaque under a contract that ended in 2014. A major governance change occurred in 2014, when activist shareholders led by former Pinnacle Entertainment chief executive Dan Lee challenged the company's acquisition strategy. The contest ended in a settlement that appointed Lee as chief executive officer. Under his leadership, Full House continued to concentrate on regional casino opportunities, including the 2016 acquisition of Bronco Billy's Casino in Cripple Creek, Colorado, the development of the Chamonix Casino Hotel next to that property, and efforts to establish new gaming operations in Illinois and New Mexico. Full House's portfolio and development plans have changed over time as projects were sold, abandoned, transferred to tribal partners, or delayed by financing, regulatory, political, and market conditions. Its current identity is therefore best understood as that of a publicly traded regional gaming operator and casino developer, with revenues and strategic priorities tied to individual properties and jurisdiction-specific gaming regulation.
History
Full House Resorts was incorporated in 1987 as Hour Corp. and changed its corporate name to D.H.Z. Capital Corp. later that year. In 1992, it adopted the Full House Resorts name and acquired Deadwood Gulch Resort, a hotel and casino in Deadwood, South Dakota. The property was expanded with an RV park and family entertainment center, but the company later decided that Deadwood's market size, geographic remoteness, and betting limits constrained its long-term prospects. It sold the resort in 1998. The company went public in 1993 through an offering on the NASDAQ Small Cap Market. In 1994, Gulfstream Aerospace founder Allen Paulson purchased a significant stake, became chairman and chief executive officer, and helped broaden Full House's development ambitions. The company was selected by the Coquille Indian Tribe to develop The Mill Casino in a former plywood mill in North Bend, Oregon. The casino opened in 1995 under an arrangement that gave Full House a share of profits for a defined period. Full House expanded its project pipeline after acquiring companies connected with Lee Iacocca and Omega Properties in 1995. Iacocca became a major shareholder and was involved in efforts to develop tribal and commercial gaming projects. Some proposals, including a planned Detroit casino, failed because of political and legal obstacles. A proposed relationship with the Torres-Martinez tribe in California ended after difficulties involving land and gaming-compacts, followed by arbitration and a settlement. In 1995, Full House also formed a broad joint-venture alliance with lottery-equipment company GTECH. The arrangement covered most existing and future projects, excluding Deadwood Gulch, and ended when Full House bought out GTECH's interests in 2001. The company developed Midway Slots & Simulcast at Harrington Raceway in Delaware, which opened in 1996 with video lottery terminals and a racebook. Its operating agreement lasted until 2011. Full House also pursued the FireKeepers Casino project in Battle Creek, Michigan, in partnership with developer Robert Mathewson. Litigation delayed the project for years, but FireKeepers opened in 2009. The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi later bought out the management arrangement in 2012. During the late 1990s, Full House pursued a Hard Rock hotel and dockside casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. The project involved Gregg Giuffria, architect Paul Steelman, the Rank Group, and a casino vessel associated with Paulson. Giuffria became company president in 1998, and Full House moved its headquarters to Las Vegas. The Biloxi project was ultimately abandoned after financing problems and the expiration of land options; a separate Hard Rock Biloxi later opened under different ownership. After Paulson's death in 2000, Full House explored a sale. A proposed acquisition by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in 2003 failed after the required tribal vote did not pass. The company subsequently pursued additional tribal and commercial opportunities. Projects involving the Manuelito Chapter of the Navajo Nation, the Nambé Pueblo, and the Northern Cheyenne Nation were delayed, abandoned, or impaired because of market conditions, financing difficulties, or changes in tribal strategy. Full House acquired Stockman's Casino and its associated hotel in Fallon, Nevada, in 2007, later selling the hotel. In 2011, it acquired the Grand Lodge Casino at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe and the Grand Victoria casino and hotel in Indiana, renaming the latter Rising Star Casino Resort. It purchased the Silver Slipper Casino in Mississippi in 2012. The company also managed Buffalo Thunder and Cities of Gold casinos for the Pueblo of Pojoaque from 2011 until the agreement expired in 2014. In 2014, activist investors criticized what they described as an overly aggressive acquisition strategy and initiated a proxy contest. Dan Lee, a former Pinnacle Entertainment chief executive, became the leading challenger and ultimately assumed the chief executive position through a December settlement. Full House later acquired Bronco Billy's Casino in Colorado, proposed new projects in New Mexico, and pursued casino opportunities in Illinois and Indiana. Construction of the Chamonix Casino Hotel began in 2021 next to Bronco Billy's. The company's later portfolio has continued to evolve through property development, operating agreements, and jurisdiction-specific approvals.
- 2021
Chamonix Casino Hotel construction begins
[1]Construction began on the Chamonix Casino Hotel next to Bronco Billy's in Colorado.
- 2016
Bronco Billy's acquired
[1]Full House purchased Bronco Billy's Casino in Cripple Creek, Colorado.
- 2014
Dan Lee becomes chief executive
[1]A proxy contest ended in a settlement that appointed Dan Lee as chief executive officer.
- 2012
Silver Slipper acquired
[1]The company acquired the Silver Slipper Casino in Lakeshore, Mississippi.
- 2011
Expansion through two casino acquisitions
[1]Full House acquired the Grand Lodge Casino in Nevada and the Grand Victoria casino and hotel in Indiana, later renamed Rising Star.
- 2009
FireKeepers Casino opens
[1]FireKeepers Casino opened in Battle Creek, Michigan, following years of litigation and development delays.
- 1996
Midway Slots & Simulcast opens
[1]Full House opened a video-lottery and racebook operation at Harrington Raceway in Delaware.
- 1995
The Mill Casino opens
[1]The Mill opened in North Bend, Oregon, as a project developed with the Coquille Indian Tribe.
- 1993
Initial public offering
[1]Full House completed an initial public offering on the NASDAQ Small Cap Market.
- 1992
Full House Resorts name adopted
[1]The company adopted the Full House Resorts name and acquired Deadwood Gulch Resort in South Dakota.
Products and positioning
A regional casino developer and operator focused on acquiring, revitalizing, developing, and managing gaming properties in U.S. markets, including tribal and commercial gaming jurisdictions.
Casino hotel · 2021
Chamonix Casino Hotel
A casino hotel developed adjacent to Bronco Billy's Casino in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Construction began in 2021 as part of Full House Resorts' effort to expand and reposition its Colorado gaming presence.
Casino
Bronco Billy's Casino
A regional casino in Cripple Creek, Colorado, acquired by Full House Resorts in 2016. It forms the company's principal Colorado operating base and is associated with the later Chamonix Casino Hotel development.
Casino resort
Silver Slipper Casino
A casino property in Lakeshore, Mississippi, acquired by Full House Resorts in 2012. The property expanded Full House's presence in the Mississippi gaming market.
Casino resort · 2011
Rising Star Casino Resort
The renamed Grand Victoria riverboat casino and hotel in Rising Sun, Indiana. Full House acquired the property in 2011 as part of its expansion into Midwest regional gaming.
Casino · 2011
Grand Lodge Casino
A casino located at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, Nevada. Full House acquired the casino assets in 2011 and operated it under a lease arrangement with the hotel property.
Tribal casino · 1995
The Mill Casino
A casino and hotel in North Bend, Oregon, developed by Full House for the Coquille Indian Tribe. It opened in 1995 in a converted former plywood-mill site and became an early example of the company's tribal-gaming development model.
Tribal casino · 2009
FireKeepers Casino
A casino in Battle Creek, Michigan, developed with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi and Robert Mathewson. After opening in 2009, the tribal owner bought out Full House's management interest in 2012.
Brand decisions
2021
Construction of Chamonix Casino HotelProduct launchBackground
Full House planned to enlarge its Cripple Creek presence beyond the existing Bronco Billy's casino.
Action taken
Construction began on the Chamonix Casino Hotel adjacent to Bronco Billy's.
Aftermath
The project represented a substantial development commitment in Colorado; its final operating status and performance require current-source verification.
2016
Acquisition of Bronco Billy's CasinoM&ABackground
Full House sought to expand its regional casino portfolio through property acquisitions.
Action taken
The company purchased Bronco Billy's Casino in Cripple Creek, Colorado.
Aftermath
The acquisition established a Colorado platform for subsequent development of the Chamonix Casino Hotel.
2014
Settlement of activist proxy contestStrategyBackground
Activist shareholders, led by former Pinnacle Entertainment executive Dan Lee, challenged the company's acquisition strategy and argued that management had pursued expansion too aggressively.
Action taken
Full House settled the contest in December 2014 and appointed Lee as chief executive officer.
Aftermath
The settlement marked a change in leadership and began the Dan Lee era at Full House Resorts.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/full-house-resorts · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled