When Boyd Gaming launched Stardust Social Casino recently on iOS and Android, it was one more entry in a crowded social casino game market. But the Stardust casino played a significant role in Las Vegas history, and the company is betting that allure will attract folks to the virtual casino.

The game is the beginning of a digital strategy for a brick-and-mortar gambling company that isn’t having an easy time during the pandemic. It’s been in the works for a couple of years, and so far Boyd Gaming is finding that a lot of people recognize the Stardust name, either out of a sense of nostalgia or curiosity about the casino’s famous history. It’s one more example of how games could help out companies that can’t operate in the physical realm but may be able to satisfy customers on the digital side.

It also applies the retro trend, which is popular with console gamers, to the social casino game market. And it does that with an online game that makes people nostalgic about the Stardust Hotel or the other Boyd Gaming casino properties that most people can no longer visit in person because of the pandemic.

“We started looking for what we would call our online presence and our brand,” said Boyd Gaming’s Blake Rampmaier in an interview with GamesBeat. “We were a bit surprised at how vibrant the Stardust brand still is across various age ranges. It stirs a lot of positive emotions and, quite frankly, a lot of intrigues. We’ve never shied away from the past. When it was going through its controversial times, we had nothing to do with that. But we love being part of the story like the ones the government looked to for cleaning it up. That reputation is still very important to