Las Vegas company surprises nearly 10,000 workers with more than $70 million in stock (Image Credit: Red Rock Resorts)
Nearly 10,000 employees of Las Vegas-based Station Casinos received an unexpected financial reward as the company marked its 50th anniversary. The parent company of Station Casinos, eligible full and part-time employees received more than $70 million worth of Red Rock Resorts Class A stock, calculated at $1,000 for every year of service, according to a September 9 announcement from Red Rock Resorts. The stock award covered nearly 10,000 Station Casinos team members, most of whom are based in Southern Nevada. Employees who were working for the company as of September 9, 2026, were eligible for the award. Under the programme, workers received $1,000 in Red Rock Resorts Class A stock for every year they had worked for the company. Altogether, the grants were valued at more than $70 million. One of them is Ida Johnson, who began working for the company in 1977. Based on the $1,000-per-year formula, Johnson received $49,000 worth of Red Rock Resorts stock. The company said seven team members who started working in the 1970s at what was then Bingo Palace and remain with the company today each received more than $45,000 in equity. A worker with 10 years of service, for example, would receive $10,000 worth of stock under the announced formula, while someone with several decades at the company could receive many times that amount. The company’s anniversary programme began on July 1 at Palace Station, the property where its story began. He described the stock award as a recognition of the people who had helped build Station Casinos over its first 50 years. Lorenzo Fertitta similarly described the award as an investment in the company’s nearly 10,000 team members and highlighted their role in building relationships with guests and the Las Vegas community. Employees arrived at the September 9 event without knowing that the company was preparing to distribute such a large stock award.
Because the award was tied directly to years of service, some of Station Casinos’ longest-serving employees received particularly large stock grants. The awards therefore vary considerably depending on an employee’s tenure. The announcement was made during a surprise celebration at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, where company executives revealed the award to employees.
Speaking at the surprise anniversary ceremony at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, Frank Fertitta III, Chairman and CEO of Red Rock Resorts, said the company’s founding principles included serving the local community, providing value and taking care of its employees. The stock grants recognise workers across the company, with some long-serving employees receiving tens of thousands of dollars in shares. Rather than providing the same amount to every employee, Station Casinos based the value of each grant on the individual’s length of service. The stock distribution formed the centrepiece of Station Casinos’ 50th anniversary celebrations. The opening celebration included a fireworks and drone show, along with the launch of a new brand identity and the campaign “From Vegas, For Vegas, Always Vegas. The surprise element added another dimension to the celebration. The announcement meant that the anniversary celebration was not only about marking Station Casinos’ history but also about providing employees with Red Rock Resorts stock tied to their years of service.
