LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Seventy years after the first Horseshoe Casino emerged in downtown Las Vegas, the historic Horseshoe Casino is making a comeback — this time, at the center of the Las Vegas Strip.
Bally's Las Vegas Hotel & Casino will re-brand to take on the historic Horseshoe name, Caesars Entertainment announced. A milestone in the transformation came on Monday with the removal of letters spelling "Bally's" from the outside of the hotel-casino.
BALLY'S REBRANDING: Bally's hotel-casino to rebrand as Horseshoe Las Vegas in multi-million dollar renovations
The resort and casino originally opened as The MGM Grand Hotel back in the 1970s. It was among the world's largest hotels at the time. In the 1980s, it was the site of one of the worst fires in U.S. history, where 85 people died.
The MGM Grand was then rebuilt, and in 1986, Bally Manufacturing purchased the resort and renamed it Bally's.
"What they're trying to do is, you know, look for something different and a way to distinguish this property from the others," said Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor. "Binion's Horseshoe is always a valued place, an iconic place."
Caesars Entertainment is planning on making many renovations to the interior and exterior of the building, incorporating the Horseshoe style.
Work on the resort and casino is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
