The Las Vegas Strip removed B-A-L-L-Y-S on Tuesday. HorseshoeLasVegas revealed the unprecedented revision in a photo on Twitter. That is the property’s new name as it occupies the southeast corner of Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard.
The casino hotel’s third name is Horseshoe Las Vegas. It was initially called MGM Grand when it launched in 1973 before rebranding to Bally’s in 1986. Also, it dislodged a 10-foot-tall “L” that it had hanged since 1986.
Caesars Entertainment made a press release in January revealing the change of name stating that it partly formed its multi-million-dollar renovation project. The gaming company added that the change would bring back life to the property to celebrate its future and history.
Does the Horseshoe Name Fit?
The rebranding is part of the casino hotel’s new task that started in May when it hosted the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Binion’s Gambling Hall’s original name in downtown Las Vegas was Binion’s Horseshoe, and WSOP launched it in 1970.
Harrah’s Entertainment rebranded to Caesars Entertainment and bought the Horseshoe gaming enterprise in 2004, being part of the $5.2 billion purchase of Caesars and Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas. Caesars controlled the WSOP and the Horseshoe trademark while the casino giant sold Binion’s.
A Wrong Start
Bally’s has operated for 36 years. It had over 2,100 hotel rooms when it launched in 1973 and was among the leading hotels worldwide.
The property was later known as the venue of the globe’s worst hotel fires after November 21, 1980. Its blaze killed 87 people prompting the country and Nevada to change fire codes.
The Las Vegas Fire Marshal recommended installing automatic sprinklers. But, the law hadn’t required it and it would have increased the MGM Grand’s $106 million construction budget by $200,000 in 1972 and 1973.
The hotel ignored the recommendation as the Clark County Building Department supported it. It said that the building runs 24/7 and it didn’t need automatic sprinklers on its premises.
The MGM Grand resumed operations eight months after its fire incident. It had installed a fire alarm system and automatic sprinklers on the property as the law required it.
The company had a $50 million remodeling project that involved adding a second 26-story tower in 1981. Unfortunately, prolonged litigation and bad publicity because of the fire largely reduced its clientele.
It agreed to compensate the 1,357 fire survivors or their loved ones with $140 million. The company sold the hotel in 1986 together with the MGM Grand Reno to Bally Manufacturing, a slot machine, and pinball-making company.
Will Bally’s Name Return?
Caesars sold Bally’s brand to Twin River Worldwide Holdings in 2020 after it merged with Eldorado Resorts in another $17.3 billion deal. Twin River later changed its name to Bally’s Corporation and paid $308 million in 2022 to Gaming and Leisure Properties when it bought the Tropicana. Even so, Bally’s name will remain on the Vegas Strip and is likely to shift southward.
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