The resort struggled early on, and Gaughan took over ownership from Boyd in October 2006, renaming it the South Point.

The resort has an equestrian and events center, and was the namesake for Gaughan's NASCAR team, South Point Racing.

Coast planned to begin construction of a locals casino on the property within three years, once housing development picked up in the area.

It would compete against the Green Valley Ranch hotel-casino, located approximately five miles east.

[2][4] Coast Casinos owner Michael Gaughan initially said that the resort would target a younger clientele and focus primarily on the locals market.

[5] Gaughan subsequently added three 245-foot hotel towers to his plans for a total of 2,139 rooms, stating that he viewed the project as an extension of the Strip rather than a neighborhood casino.

[16] During construction, the surrounding area became popular for condominium and timeshare projects, including the adjacent Grandview at Las Vegas.

[18] At the time, the South Coast was the first Las Vegas resort to be seen by motorists arriving from southern California on I-15.

In addition, Boyd wanted to focus on its upcoming Echelon Place project, as well as a potential North Coast resort.

[29][34] With Boyd retaining Coast Casinos,[29][34] Gaughan announced that he would rename the property as the South Point.

[31][35] Boyd sold the resort to Gaughan in exchange for shares that he owned in the company, valued at $512 million.

[29][31] In August 2007, Gaughan launched a $95 million, year-long expansion project which included the addition of the third hotel tower.

[36] Despite poor economic conditions caused by the Great Recession, Gaughan did not lay off any employees and proceeded with expansions to the property.

[39] In October 2011, the South Point launched a free Internet poker website, offering prizes such as a trip to the resort.

[41][42][43] The following year, the resort received state approval to operate a real-money poker website in Nevada.

[48][49][50] In 2018, the resort began sponsoring the South Point 400, an annual stock car race held in Las Vegas.

[53] When it opened, the resort included an 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2) casino,[13] with 2,400 slot machines, 60 table games, a 600-seat bingo hall, and a 300-seat race and sports book.

It included additional slot machines, a larger poker room, and a redesigned race book,[40][59][60] now separate from the sportsbook.

[63] The Vegas Stats & Information Network opened a broadcasting studio at the South Point in February 2017, adjacent to the race and sports book.

[37] As of 2007, approximately 30 percent of hotel occupancy was related to conventions held at the resort, necessitating the need for more rooms.

[25][67] Some interior space, located beneath the theater facility, was left vacant for future expansion of other amenities.

[75][71] The facility was expected to host up to 40 horse events each year,[75] and Gaughan believed that it would attract a higher-end clientele.

[82][83][84] A bronze statue of gambler Benny Binion, riding a horse, was relocated from downtown Las Vegas to the equestrian center in 2008.

[89][94] The United States Bowling Congress holds events at the facility,[91][95][96] which is located on the second floor of the Priefert Pavilion.

[17] After Gaughan took over ownership, he added a popular hot dog cart, an idea carried over from his Barbary Coast hotel-casino.