Skip to content
Vegas Retold
Illustration of the Horseshoe Las Vegas tower with vertical HORSESHOE lettering, palms at left and entrance canopy at right.

Image & source

Horseshoe Las Vegas

Opened December 1973

Horseshoe Las Vegas carries several layers of Strip history. It began as Kirk Kerkorian’s original MGM Grand in December 1973, became Bally’s in 1986 and adopted the Horseshoe name in 2022. These are successive identities of this resort. The MGM Grand opened farther south in 1993 and Downtown’s Binion’s Horseshoe are separate properties.

Start with its history

Editorial illustration of Horseshoe Las Vegas on the Strip, adapted from a user-supplied contemporary photograph.

The history of Horseshoe Las Vegas.

A brief history of Horseshoe Las Vegas

Bally’s-branded hotel towers behind the multicolored Grand Bazaar roofs in 2018, before the Horseshoe rebrand and Paris tower conversion.

Image & source

Bally’s towers and the Grand Bazaar Shops on April 23, 2018, before the Horseshoe name and the later Paris tower conversion.

Horseshoe Las Vegas carries several layers of Strip history. It began as Kirk Kerkorian’s original MGM Grand in December 1973, became Bally’s in 1986 and adopted the Horseshoe name in 2022. These are successive identities of this resort. The MGM Grand opened farther south in 1993 and Downtown’s Binion’s Horseshoe are separate properties.

The original MGM Grand

The original MGM Grand was designed by Martin Stern Jr. as a large hotel and entertainment complex. Its scale belonged to the same ambition that had produced Kerkorian’s International Hotel: gambling, rooms and major performances brought together in one destination. Contemporary reporting recalls Dean Martin appearing at its first opening and returning for the resort’s reopening in 1981.

The 1980 fire and reopening

The intervening disaster is central to the history. On November 21, 1980, a fire spread from the casino-level Deli through the ground-floor complex, while smoke reached the hotel tower. The revised NFPA investigation records 85 deaths, including a victim who died weeks later. The building had some sprinklers, but the casino and Deli were not protected. Clark County’s fire department connects the disaster and the subsequent Hilton fire with major changes to hotel fire protection. The resort reopened in July 1981.

Bally’s becomes Horseshoe

Bally Manufacturing’s 1986 purchase brought the Bally’s name. The property continued to evolve rather than becoming a wholly new resort each time its signs changed. In 2022, the World Series of Poker moved from the Rio to the neighboring Bally’s and Paris properties. The Horseshoe rebrand took effect that December; the operator’s ceremonial grand opening followed on March 24, 2023. The brand’s Downtown origins do not mean that Binion’s building moved to the Strip.

One tower joins Paris

A later change crossed the boundary between the adjoining resorts. Caesars announced in May 2023 that Horseshoe’s Jubilee Tower would be renovated and incorporated into Paris as Versailles Tower. Renovated rooms were being offered by August 2024. This was the reassignment and remodeling of part of the complex, while Horseshoe continued as a separate casino and hotel.

The property and history photograph today

The operator’s October 2026 fact sheet confirms Horseshoe at 3645 South Las Vegas Boulevard. The history photograph shows the Bally’s-era towers and Grand Bazaar Shops in April 2018, before either the Horseshoe rebrand or the Paris tower conversion. It should not be read as a record of current signs or current room allocation.

Read the full history
Sources and context

  1. The original MGM Grand and the later names

    UNLV MGM Mirage collection MS-00972, historical background, printed page 4: Kerkorian and Martin Stern, 1973 original MGM Grand, 1986 sale and Bally’s rename, separate 1993 MGM Grand. Collection access does not grant image reproduction rights.

  2. Back in business after the fire

    UPI, July 31, 1981: contemporary report of reopening the previous day and Dean Martin’s return. Indexed article excerpt read; direct reader returned 403. Its December 5, 1973 opening reference differs from December 4 in other accounts, so the profile gives December 1973 without an exact day.

  3. The fire investigation

    Richard Best and David P. Demers, NFPA investigation, revised January 15, 1982. Cover and abstract, PDF pages 1 and 6, visually inspected. Abstract records 85 deaths, with the 85th victim dying weeks later; partial sprinklers excluded casino/Deli, and smoke spread into the tower. No claim that all 85 died that day.

  4. The fire department’s account of the aftermath

    Clark County Fire Department historical account: November 21, 1980 MGM fire, subsequent Hilton fire and changes to fire protection. Its phrase that all 85 died that day is not adopted; the revised investigation distinguishes a later death. This is historical context, not current safety certification.

  5. The December 2022 name change

    Christina Bradfield, December 18, 2022, updated December 22: contemporaneous soft rebrand effective December 15, following the first Strip WSOP at Bally’s and Paris. Name change differs from the March 2023 ceremony.

  6. The March 2023 celebration

    Caesars release, March 27, 2023: ceremony held Friday, March 24; separate Downtown origins of Horseshoe brand. Historical room counts and restaurant plans are not represented as current.

  7. A tower changes resort identity

    Caesars, May 1, 2023: proposal to renovate Horseshoe’s Jubilee Tower and integrate it into Paris as Versailles. The planned completion dates were forecasts, not proof of actual completion.

  8. Versailles rooms available by August 2024

    Caesars, August 13, 2024: renovated rooms available, with further exterior/bridge work still described as forthcoming. No single precise day of whole-tower integration inferred.

  9. The completed tower conversion

    Architect of record BWA: former Jubilee Tower now integrated into Paris as Versailles, with interior/exterior renovation and bridge. Current project description checked October 20, 2026. This is reuse of one tower, not replacement of the whole Horseshoe resort.

  10. The operating Horseshoe in October 2026

    Current operator fact sheet, page 1: 3645 Las Vegas Boulevard South and Resort Tower; later pages describe casino and Paris connections. The March 2023 debut wording concerns the ceremonial brand opening, not the start of this property’s 1973 operation.

  11. The current Horseshoe building area

    Coordinates 36.11348,-115.16891, OSM way 116867081, checked October 20, 2026. Building-area marker, not an entrance, full resort footprint or Versailles Tower location. Imported exact/unknown point is not selected.

  12. The Bally’s-era towers in 2018

    Alexander Migl, own-work photograph dated April 23, 2018. Exact 4432 × 3316 original; Commons CC BY-SA 4.0. This is the Bally’s era, not the 1973 opening, 1980 fire or current signs.

The original MGM Grand opened in December 1973; December 4 and 5 appear in different accounts, so no exact day is selected.

The 1980 fire and temporary closure did not end this property’s identity. The current MGM Grand opened elsewhere in 1993.

Bally’s and Horseshoe are names of the same Strip resort. Downtown Binion’s and the modern Bally’s corporation are not identical to this physical property.

The Jubilee-to-Versailles conversion affected one tower, not the whole Horseshoe resort. Integration occurred in phases; no single exact completion day is asserted.

The history photograph is dated April 23, 2018 and shows Bally’s-era signs and buildings, before later changes.

This site through time

Shared or overlapping site with Paris Las Vegas

Paris Las Vegas expanded by taking over and renovating the former Jubilee Tower of the neighboring Horseshoe/Bally’s complex as Versailles Tower. Caesars announced the project in May 2023; renovated rooms were available by August 2024, and the operator’s October 2026 record confirms the integrated tower and connecting bridge. This concerns one existing tower and its resort affiliation. Horseshoe and Paris both continued as separate hotel-casinos; neither whole property was renamed into or demolished for the other.

Historical source — Operator October 2026 fact sheet, page 1: former Jubilee Tower at Horseshoe now open as Paris’s Versailles Tower, with bridge. May 1, 2023 operator project announcement and August 13, 2024 room-availability update establish phased sequence; BWA architect-of-record project confirms conversion of the existing tower. Those dates are not asserted as a single exact transfer/completion day.

  • Only the former Jubilee/Versailles Tower is the reused part; complete resort footprints and entrances are not equated.
  • The work occurred in phases across 2023–24; a single day marking completion of the whole conversion has not been established.
  • This is a partial-building shared-site and renovation history, not a complete-property replacement or rename.

Take the stories for a walk.

Two ways to explore Horseshoe Las Vegas

Illustration of the historic Flamingo entrance, pink roadside pylon, low hotel frontage and tall palms.

Image & source

Strip Mob Walk

Themed tour 46 discoveries Audio narration

Compare all tours including Horseshoe Las Vegas

Free audio samples are available here. See each tour for current app and Pass options.

A few things worth noticing.

Individual stops at Horseshoe Las Vegas. Open a detail to see where it belongs.

The Bally’s Era and the Grand Bazaar

Grand Bazaar Shops / Strip frontage Pass required
Bally’s hotel tower behind the coloured rooftops of the Grand Bazaar Shops, with the Swarovski starburst visible at right.

Image & source

Bally’s and the Grand Bazaar Shops in April 2018.

The full stop is part of the Vegas Retold Pass. See the tour for current access options.

Before you stop

Keep entrances, queues and vehicle routes clear; follow posted access rules.

Access alternative

Step-free approach, seating and sightline not verified. Ask staff for a suitable public route or read from an accessible place you can reach.

Find this stop in the tour

The Original MGM Grand

Horseshoe entrance Pass required
The former Bally’s entry sign and covered moving walkway, framed by white columns and palms.

Image & source

Bally’s entrance in a photograph uploaded in 2006, before the Grand Bazaar Shops.

The full stop is part of the Vegas Retold Pass. See the tour for current access options.

Before you stop

Keep entrances, queues and vehicle routes clear; follow posted access rules.

Access alternative

Step-free approach, seating and sightline not verified. Ask staff for a suitable public route or read from an accessible place you can reach.

Find this stop in the tour

The 1980 Fire

Public pavement outside valet Pass required
A U.S. Air Force helicopter above a Las Vegas hotel tower, with surrounding streets and mountains.

Image & source

A U.S. Air Force helicopter above a Las Vegas hotel, catalogued as MGM Grand fire response in November 1980; exact date and building attribution require reconciliation.

The full stop is part of the Vegas Retold Pass. See the tour for current access options.

Before you stop

Keep entrances, queues and vehicle routes clear; follow posted access rules.

Access alternative

Step-free approach, seating and sightline not verified. Ask staff for a suitable public route or read from an accessible place you can reach.

Find this stop in the tour
Explore all 7 stops

Find the place.

Horseshoe Las Vegas

The map identifies the property area. It does not identify an entrance or a walking route.

View the site on a map

Find your stop

Follow current signs and venue restrictions. Individual stops carry their own location and access notes.

See stop access information

Follow the evidence.

Sources, image credits and the limits of what we know.

Historical sources12 documents and records

  1. The original MGM Grand and the later names

    UNLV MGM Mirage collection MS-00972, historical background, printed page 4: Kerkorian and Martin Stern, 1973 original MGM Grand, 1986 sale and Bally’s rename, separate 1993 MGM Grand. Collection access does not grant image reproduction rights.

  2. Back in business after the fire

    UPI, July 31, 1981: contemporary report of reopening the previous day and Dean Martin’s return. Indexed article excerpt read; direct reader returned 403. Its December 5, 1973 opening reference differs from December 4 in other accounts, so the profile gives December 1973 without an exact day.

  3. The fire investigation

    Richard Best and David P. Demers, NFPA investigation, revised January 15, 1982. Cover and abstract, PDF pages 1 and 6, visually inspected. Abstract records 85 deaths, with the 85th victim dying weeks later; partial sprinklers excluded casino/Deli, and smoke spread into the tower. No claim that all 85 died that day.

  4. The fire department’s account of the aftermath

    Clark County Fire Department historical account: November 21, 1980 MGM fire, subsequent Hilton fire and changes to fire protection. Its phrase that all 85 died that day is not adopted; the revised investigation distinguishes a later death. This is historical context, not current safety certification.

  5. The December 2022 name change

    Christina Bradfield, December 18, 2022, updated December 22: contemporaneous soft rebrand effective December 15, following the first Strip WSOP at Bally’s and Paris. Name change differs from the March 2023 ceremony.

  6. The March 2023 celebration

    Caesars release, March 27, 2023: ceremony held Friday, March 24; separate Downtown origins of Horseshoe brand. Historical room counts and restaurant plans are not represented as current.

  7. A tower changes resort identity

    Caesars, May 1, 2023: proposal to renovate Horseshoe’s Jubilee Tower and integrate it into Paris as Versailles. The planned completion dates were forecasts, not proof of actual completion.

  8. Versailles rooms available by August 2024

    Caesars, August 13, 2024: renovated rooms available, with further exterior/bridge work still described as forthcoming. No single precise day of whole-tower integration inferred.

  9. The completed tower conversion

    Architect of record BWA: former Jubilee Tower now integrated into Paris as Versailles, with interior/exterior renovation and bridge. Current project description checked October 20, 2026. This is reuse of one tower, not replacement of the whole Horseshoe resort.

  10. The operating Horseshoe in October 2026

    Current operator fact sheet, page 1: 3645 Las Vegas Boulevard South and Resort Tower; later pages describe casino and Paris connections. The March 2023 debut wording concerns the ceremonial brand opening, not the start of this property’s 1973 operation.

  11. The current Horseshoe building area

    Coordinates 36.11348,-115.16891, OSM way 116867081, checked October 20, 2026. Building-area marker, not an entrance, full resort footprint or Versailles Tower location. Imported exact/unknown point is not selected.

  12. The Bally’s-era towers in 2018

    Alexander Migl, own-work photograph dated April 23, 2018. Exact 4432 × 3316 original; Commons CC BY-SA 4.0. This is the Bally’s era, not the 1973 opening, 1980 fire or current signs.

What remains uncertain5 notes on context and interpretation
  • The original MGM Grand opened in December 1973; December 4 and 5 appear in different accounts, so no exact day is selected.
  • The 1980 fire and temporary closure did not end this property’s identity. The current MGM Grand opened elsewhere in 1993.
  • Bally’s and Horseshoe are names of the same Strip resort. Downtown Binion’s and the modern Bally’s corporation are not identical to this physical property.
  • The Jubilee-to-Versailles conversion affected one tower, not the whole Horseshoe resort. Integration occurred in phases; no single exact completion day is asserted.
  • The history photograph is dated April 23, 2018 and shows Bally’s-era signs and buildings, before later changes.
Image credits7 images with source information

Editorial illustration of Horseshoe Las Vegas on the Strip, adapted from a user-supplied contemporary photograph.

AI-generated illustration / OpenAI, directed by Piers Rollinson; source photograph creator unknown

Source reference: USE LOCATOR only; external photograph source URL unknown. Piers supplied source.png; illustration generated October 20, 2026. Photograph date and creator unknown.

AI-generated editorial illustration adapted from the supplied photograph; forms, colors and detail simplified. Not an archival photograph.

Piers requested this adaptation and publication. Underlying photograph creator, date and copyright are unknown; no third-party clearance, ownership or public-domain status is asserted.

Image source ↗

Bally’s towers and the Grand Bazaar Shops on April 23, 2018, before the Horseshoe name and the later Paris tower conversion.

Alexander Migl / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Source reference: Alexander Migl, own-work photograph dated April 23, 2018. Exact 4432 × 3316 original; Commons CC BY-SA 4.0. This is the Bally’s era, not the 1973 opening, 1980 fire or current signs.

Depicted date: 2018-04-23

License

Original source photograph retained without editorial alteration. Responsive displays may resize and crop the presentation.

Retain creator, source, license link and changes notice; adaptations require the same or compatible license. Descriptive editorial use, no endorsement implied.

Image source ↗

Illustration of the property now called Horseshoe, based on an April 2018 photograph of Bally’s hotel tower and the Grand Bazaar rooftops.

AI adaptation after Alexander Migl / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image source ↗

AI illustration of the historic Flamingo entrance and palms, adapted from the user-supplied postcard.

AI-generated illustration / Vegas Retold; adapted from user-supplied reference, original photographer unknown

Image source ↗

Bally’s and the Grand Bazaar Shops in April 2018.

Alexander Migl / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image source ↗

Bally’s entrance in a photograph uploaded in 2006, before the Grand Bazaar Shops.

Plane777 / Wikimedia Commons, public-domain dedication

Image source ↗

A U.S. Air Force helicopter above a Las Vegas hotel, catalogued as MGM Grand fire response in November 1980; exact date and building attribution require reconciliation.

U.S. Department of Defense / Wikimedia Commons, U.S. government work

Image source ↗
Suggest a correction