Casinos Explored – MGM Grand
“Luxury and grandeur” sum up most of the buildings on the Las Vegas Strip. Few, however, are as emblematic of these two concepts as the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Being home to the largest casino in Vegas and the largest individual hotel building in the world, the MGM Grand truly lives up to its name.
Today, we’ll cover the rich history of the MGM Grand Las Vegas. We’ll go from the tragic accident that befell its predecessor to its modern-day features. We’ll explore its impact on the Vegas Strip, along with its appearances in mainstream media.
1973: The First MGM Grand
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) named their resort complex the MGM Grand Hotel after their 1939 film Grand Hotel. The opening on December 4th, 1973, was low-key and quiet; the grand ceremony was held the following night.
At the time, the MGM Grand was the most lavish hotel on the Strip. It was a sight to behold, filled with hundreds of chandeliers, marble columns, and status. Worth $106 million, the hotel was 26 stories and had 2,100 rooms, making it the biggest resort complex in Vegas at the time.
The casino was similarly huge, taking up more space than three football fields. With 923 slot machines and a keno lounge, it was the largest casino in Vegas. Besides the casino, the hotel also had a movie theater, bars, shops, restaurants, and 145,000 square feet of convention space.
1980: The MGM Fire
Unfortunately, the most memorable part of the old MGM Grand was the tragic accident that occurred on November 21, 1980. With a death toll of 85, it became the deadliest disaster in Nevada history, and the third-deadliest hotel fire in modern US history.
The fire came from a refrigerated pastry display case in one of the casino restaurants. Because it was built prior to 1979, the MGM Grand was exempt from certain fire safety guidelines; the hotel didn’t even have a sprinkler system. The majority of their fire protection was in the money-counting area, and they refused to install a second fire hose in the showrooms for years after they opened.
The fire had a myriad of effects on both the state and the company. It led to a total reform in Nevada fire safety guidelines, and cost Clark County an estimated $1.7 million in lost tax revenue during the closure alone, on top of a much larger hit to regional tourism over the following two years.
For MGM, the fire was even worse. Compounding the actual property damage, MGM faced various legal difficulties that severely hurt the company. They had to cancel their plans to create a new resort in Atlantic City, and were hit with over 1,300 lawsuits, which the company and its insurers eventually settled for roughly $225 million combined. Investors became wary of MGM after seeing how quickly their investments could disappear.
After the fire, the hotel reopened quietly on July 29, 1981. In 1986, the MGM Grand was purchased and rebranded by Bally Manufacturing, becoming Bally’s Las Vegas. It eventually landed under Harrah’s Entertainment through a series of corporate mergers, and was rebranded again as Horseshoe Las Vegas in 2022. That year’s World Series of Poker marked the tournament’s first time on the Las Vegas Strip itself, after decades split between downtown Binion’s and the off-Strip Rio.
1993: The New MGM Grand
MGM Grand Inc., now MGM Resorts International, eventually decided to create a new resort on the Strip, built around the site of the Airport Marina Hotel. It opened on December 18, 1993, as a themed mega-resort, following the trend set by the Mirage. At the time, it was the largest hotel complex in the world.
The theme was originally the Wizard of Oz; the building was green to replicate Emerald city, visitors could see statues of the characters throughout the casino, and there was even a yellow brick road walkthrough that contained scenery from the story.
The resort was also originally meant to make the Las Vegas Strip more family-friendly by including a theme park right behind the casino. Its entrance also had a giant lion head at the entrance, with visitors walking through the mouth to enter the building.
Almost all of these gimmicks were eventually phased out. The Wizard of Oz theme was abandoned. They failed to make the Strip more family-friendly, opting to turn the theme park into a luxury condo. They also changed the lion head entrance, as Asian gamblers felt it was bad luck to walk through a lion’s open jaws.
The MGM Grand At Present
In May 1996, MGM Grand Inc. announced a 30-month renovation project. They replaced the lion jaw entrance with a six-story golden lion, added new themed restaurants, built a new retail complex, and much more.
In 2000, the resort went through another major overhaul to try and appeal more to adults. It removed almost all of the Wizard of Oz theme, focusing on the classic Hollywood “Art Deco” style.
In October 2011, the MGM Grand went through yet another renovation, this time for the rooms, suites, and casino floor. They were all refurbished into a more contemporary style, using a new dye-sensitized solar cell technology to power their blinds with ambient indoor light.
In 2020, the resort was sold to a joint venture, splitting ownership between MGM Growth Properties and The Blackstone Group. Both halves were eventually purchased by Vici Properties, who is the current owner of the resort.
Nowadays, the MGM Grand still remains one of Vegas’ most iconic locations. With a 175,000-square-foot casino, the largest on the Strip, you can find over 175 different table games and thousands of slot machines. With a VR gaming lounge, a sportsbook lined with large-screen displays, and countless more exhibitions, the MGM Grand remains one of the better choices for entertainment on the Strip.
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About the Author: Maury Orton is a poker writer and editor contributing to GGPoker. He focuses on clear, reliable explanations of the game, drawing on years of experience in online poker media and digital publishing.
