The Boardwalk began as a 138-room Holiday Inn hotel with a restaurant, cocktail lounge, and meeting space with a capacity for 100 people.

[2] Located at 3740 South Las Vegas Boulevard,[3] the hotel was designed by architect Homer Rissman,[4] and was completed in 1966.

[5][6] In March 1966, employees of the Holiday Inn, who were represented by the Culinary Workers Union, began picketing in front of the hotel, alleging that they did not receive wages and conditions that were standard for the area.

Avis Jansen, Norbert's wife, eventually sought to install 15 slot machines at the gift shop.

She had been rejected due to the fact that her husband was the landlord of the business; he had previously been convicted of tax evasion in the 1960s, and was also involved in a company that filed bankruptcy.

[28] Two months later, plans were announced for a $9 million renovation and expansion that would include the enlargement of the casino, which measured 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2).

[29] The hotel rejoined the Holiday Inn chain through a new franchise deal later in 1994,[30] and a Coney Island theme was added shortly thereafter.

[31] A carnival facade was built in 1995, adding non-functional replicas of a parachute drop, roller coaster, and Ferris wheel, as well as a giant clown face and retail shops.

[37] In 1997, the resort added the 370-seat Surf Buffet,[38] which ran a television commercial starring professional boxer Butterbean.

[50][51] The newly formed company delayed its plans for a redevelopment of the Boardwalk site, choosing instead to focus on its new Borgata resort,[52] opened in Atlantic City in 2003.

[54][55] In November 2004, MGM announced plans for CityCenter, a mixed-use project that would be built on 67 acres (27 ha), including the Boardwalk site.

[59] Columnist John L. Smith of the Las Vegas Review-Journal called the Boardwalk "a testament to the local belief that even a terribly tacky joint -- one with an Atlantic City theme, for crying out loud -- can grind out a cash flow if it happens to be located in the heart of the action on the Strip".

[66] Former lieutenant governor Lonnie Hammargren, a collector of Las Vegas memorabilia, purchased the Boardwalk's Ferris wheel, a Surf Buffet sign, the resort's wedding gazebo, and a 15-foot-high lighthouse.

[70] Elvis impersonator Trent Carlini entertained in the casino's 100-seat Lighthouse Showroom from 1996 to 2001,[71][72][73] sharing the venue at one point with magician Dixie Dooley.