Casino company Boyd Gaming to give UNLV hotel college $2.5 million for new building

Boyd Gaming Corp. says it will donate $2.5 million to help expand the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The casino-hotel company that owns and operates 22 properties in eight states including several in downtown Las Vegas and off the Strip announced the pledged donation on Thursday.

The donation is for construction of an academic building for the college expected to cost $56 million. State lawmakers have approved providing $24.4 million worth of funding.

The company and executives have been prolific donors to UNLV before. The William S. Boyd School of Law is named for the company's executive chairman Bill Boyd after he made a donation of $30 million. The school's football stadium is named after company co-founder, the late Sam Boyd.