He was later surprised to learn of Laughlin's rapid growth within a few years, and decided to figure out which city in Nevada could be next for such growth. Real estate developer Ted Lee had considered making a land investment in Laughlin, Nevada during the 1980s, but ultimately passed on the idea. In 2016, the Eureka was sold to its 550 employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), becoming one of two casinos in the United States to be employee-owned.

Because of confusion with other businesses, the name was changed to Eureka in 2000. The Rancho Mesquite was owned by the Lee family, who were the only Nevada casino owners to be of Asian descent. The hotel portion, originally part of the Holiday Inn chain, opened in August 1996. It initially operated under the name Rancho Mesquite.