Renamed Horseshoe to host Poker World Series on Vegas Strip

Mar 24, 2023, 9:03 PM

People walk by a sign for the Horseshoe Las Vegas along the Strip, late Friday, March 24, 2023, in ...

People walk by a sign for the Horseshoe Las Vegas along the Strip, late Friday, March 24, 2023, in Las Vegas. Caesars Entertainment marked the rebranding of Bally's Las Vegas as the Horseshoe Las Vegas hotel & casino. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/John Locher)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A name paired with poker and Las Vegas lore now has a place on the neon-lit Strip following the rebranding of an iconic hotel with a memorable history at a crossroads shared with some of the most recognizable casinos in the world.

The Horseshoe Las Vegas Hotel & Casino and its corporate owner, Caesars Entertainment Corp., hosted ceremonies Friday to mark the name change from Bally’s Las Vegas, before it again hosts the upcoming 54th annual World Series of Poker.

“Not only are we excited for guests to experience the redesigned resort and its latest offerings, but we are also proud to reintroduce the historic gaming brand to Las Vegas,” Jason Gregorec, Horseshoe senior vice president and general manager, said in a statement.

The 2,800-room property once was the MGM Grand Hotel, where a historic fire in 1980 killed 87 people. It was Bally’s Las Vegas for 36 years.

Renovations and renaming harken back to Binion’s Horseshoe, a hotel and gambling hall in downtown’s “Glitter Gulch” where the World Series of Poker began.

It also puts the Horseshoe marquee across the street from the Bellagio and its fountains, Caesars Palace and its statues and the glittery Flamingo Las Vegas.

Jack Binion, 86, a former casino executive and member of the American Gaming Association and World Series of Poker halls of fame, was set to present a lucky horseshoe from his family’s ranch at an event also including “Jubilee!” costumes recalling the feathery Bally’s revue that ran for 35 years before closing in 2016.

The first World Series of Poker in 1970 was hosted by Binion’s father, former Texas gambler Benny Binion, as an invitation-only game at his downtown Horseshoe, a 366-room hotel he opened in 1951.

Jack Binion and his brother, Ted Binion, worked at the downtown property, now known as Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel and operated by the corporate owner of the neighboring Four Queens. Ted Binion’s death in 1998 sparked a sensational murder trial and eventual acquittal in 2004 of his ex-stripper, live-in girlfriend and her secret lover.

Harrah’s Entertainment acquired the poker tournament in 2004 and moved it to the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino. A year later, Harrah’s bought Caesars Entertainment, which was purchased in 2020 by renaming began last year.

The last year to Bally’s and the adjacent Paris Las Vegas and awarded almost $350 million in prizes. It is scheduled to start this year on May 30.

After it ends in July, officials said an 18-table poker room will offer tournament-style play year-round.

The 26-story hotel now named Horseshoe opened in late 1973 as the MGM Grand. It had 2,100 rooms and was one of the largest hotels in the world.

The deadly fire seven years later was one of the worst in U.S. history. It led to laws requiring fire safety and sprinkler systems in hotels and high-rises. The hotel was rebuilt and a second tower, adding 700 rooms, was completed in 1981.

Bally Manufacturing bought the property in 1986. MGM Grand Inc. moved a block down the Strip and opened the movie-themed MGM Grand Las Vegas resort in late 1993. That 30-floor property, with more than 5,000 rooms and emerald green exterior, opened as the largest hotel complex in the world.

The Bally’s name is still expected to remain on the Las Vegas Strip at the aging, nearly 1,500-room Tropicana resort, now owned by Rhode Island-based Bally’s Corp.

United States News

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang at right meets with...

Associated Press

UN envoy for Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer to leave post in June

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Noeleen Heyzer, the U.N. special envoy for conflict-torn Myanmar, will be leaving the job in June, the United Nations announced Wednesday. She took on the job in October 2021 following the military coup in February of that year that ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and has […]

12 hours ago

FILE - Defendant Alex Murdaugh gives testimony during his murder trial at the Colleton County Court...

Associated Press

Alex Murdaugh pleads not guilty — for now — to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Alex Murdaugh was arraigned Wednesday on federal money laundering and wire fraud charges for indictments saying he stole money from his clients. The convicted murderer already serving a life sentence in a South Carolina state prison for killing his wife and son pleaded not guilty for now. But his lawyers said […]

12 hours ago

Associated Press

Texas governor appoints John Scott as interim attorney general after Paxton impeached

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday appointed John Scott to temporarily serve as Texas’ attorney general after the House of Representatives voted to impeach Ken Paxton, a Republican, over allegations of misconduct and crimes. The trial in the state Senate that could result in his permanent removal. The Senate has set the […]

12 hours ago

FILE - West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice delivers his annual State of the State address in the House C...

Associated Press

Coal firms owned by family of West Virginia governor sued over unpaid penalties

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Thirteen coal companies owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice are being sued over unpaid penalties for previous mining law violations that the federal government says pose health and safety risks or threaten environmental harm. Justice, who was not named in the lawsuit, accused the Biden administration of […]

12 hours ago

FILE - Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks prior to signing the budget at a ceremony at a grocery s...

Associated Press

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin sends 100 National Guard soldiers to US-Mexican border

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin is joining the list of Republican governors sending soldiers or other state law enforcement officers to the U.S. border with Mexico. Youngkin announced Wednesday that in response to a request from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott he had signed an executive order directing the deployment of 100 Virginia National […]

12 hours ago

Bulldozers and heavy trucks are seen cleaning the ground of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Cent...

Associated Press

Police in Atlanta arrest 3 behind bail fund supporting protests against police training complex

ATLANTA (AP) — Police on Wednesday arrested three key Atlanta organizers who have been aiding protesters against the city’s proposed police and fire training center, striking at the structure that supports the fight against what opponents derisively call “Cop City.” The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced its agents and Atlanta police had arrested three officers […]

12 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

(Photo by Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)...

Cox Communications

Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices

KTAR’s Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives.

Renamed Horseshoe to host Poker World Series on Vegas Strip