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Las Vegas > Casinos
Gambling was legalized in Las Vegas in 1931, but large-scale construction of casinos did not begin until after World War 2, and for many years they were dominated by individual property holders, often with Mafia connections. In recent times, the businesses have been taken over by big conglomerates, many of the older places have been knocked down to make way for huge showy entertainment complexes aimed at attracting the whole family, and rate of development shows no signs of decreasing.
Recent demolitions include Boardwalk in 2006, Stardust in March 2007 and The New Frontier in November 2007. There are four massive construction projects underway, not counting the many extensions to existing properties - largest of the new builds is the CityCenter Resort between Bellagio and Monte Carlo, a collection of hotels, residences, shops and convention space that has an incredible budget of $7.4 billion. The others are the 2,200 room Cosmopolitan Resort (next to the CityCenter), 5,000 room Echelon (behind Circus Circus) and 3,800 room Fontainebleau - set to contain one of the tallest buildings in town, at 63 storeys.
Details of the major casinos along Las Vegas Boulevard are given below. For a selection of more traditional accommodation away from The Strip, see the Las Vegas Hotels listings page.
All hotel reservation links are direct to the brand website - for more information and the guaranteed lowest rates.
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Las Vegas Casino Map - The Strip |
Bellagio - a luxurious, upmarket, 3,993 room casino with an Italian theme which opened in 1999. An extravagant display of moving water fountains takes place in an 8 acre lake outside, while the interior, set far back from the street, is lavishly decorated and includes sculptures, plants and trees, and extensive use of natural light illumination. The site was formerly occupied by the famous Dunes casino/hotel, which stood for 40 years before being imploded in 1993. Along with Wynn Las Vegas, Bellagio is one of only three places on the Strip to receive an AAA Five Diamond rating, and it has prices to match, with nightly rates starting from around $200.
Reservations - book direct with Bellagio
More Information - the official website |
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Caesars Palace - one of the most well-known casinos, famous in part because of the many heavyweight boxing contests staged there. Caesars features a lavish recreation of Roman life and decor although the exterior is quite restrained and elegant, and covers a large distance along the main road. On site facilities include a 4,100 seat entertainment arena, several large swimming pools, the Qua baths & spa, a salon, 120 shops, a dozen restaurants & bars, and over 500,000 sq ft of event space (soon to be increased). The complex is in the middle of a lengthy, $1 billion program of expansion, the most recent addition being the 35 floor, all-suite Augustus Tower that opened in 2005. Work on another tall tower (Octavius) is now well underway, with opening planned for 2009. |
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Circus Circus - an older hotel, though still popular. Its owners (MGM Mirage) also operate several other casinos including Luxor and Mandalay Bay. Family entertainment centers on an indoor amusement park with a rollercoaster, plus traditional circus acts performing each night in a large amphitheater. The 3,774 room casino has an AAA Two Diamond rating and provides accommodation towards the cheaper end of the market, with rates sometimes as low as $35 per night. Circus Circus also operates the only RV park in this part of town; it has 400 sites and good facilities though has become rather expensive in recent years.
Reservations - book direct with Circus Circus
More Information - the official website |
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Excalibur - a vast (3,991 room) castle-like complex with an Arthurian knight theme - Merlin slays a dragon at regular intervals near the entrance, there is nightly medieval jousting in the main arena and a selection of old-English dishes are available in the restaurants. The center of the hotel has several eye-catching towers, colorfully lit up at night. Excalibur is one of four big casinos near the south end of The Strip at the busy intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard with Tropicana Avenue, and is linked by free tram to the two resorts further south (Luxor and Mandalay Bay), which are operated by the same parent company. Room rates are mid range.
Reservations - book direct with Excalibur
More Information - the official website |
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Luxor - this, the fourth largest hotel in the world, features a large black pyramid with a search light beaming from the top that can reach several miles into the sky and is visible for up to 40 miles away. Entrance is through a replica of The Sphinx, and the interior has an unusual design with the 4,408 guest rooms & suites, all with slanting exterior walls, lining the fascia of the hotel while the center is hollow, and contains the casino and other attractions - including a theater, 7 storey IMAX screen, a wide selection of restaurants & bars, a 26,000 sq ft nightclub, the Nurture spa, several swimming pools, 29 shops, plus a wide range of facilities for meetings. The Egyptian theme is being toned down, to appeal to a more modern clientele, a change that may involve removal of the sphinx.
Reservations - book direct with Luxor
More Information - the official website |
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Mandalay Bay - the southernmost casino (thus far), built with a South Sea Island theme in March 1999, next to Luxor and close to Las Vegas International Airport, so perhaps capturing the most impatient of the newly-arrived gamblers. A free aerial tramway links to Luxor and continues on to Excalibur. The property was extended in 2004 by opening of a 43-storey, all-suite tower known as THEhotel. With 4,332 rooms and the largest convention space on the Strip (1,200,000 sq ft), Mandalay Bay is a huge complex, half a mile long, that offers every conceivable facility. The uppermost five floors of the main tower are used by the 424 room Four Seasons Las Vegas, an even more luxurious residence that on average charges double the room rates of the main hotel.
Reservations - book direct with Mandalay Bay
More Information - the official website |
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MGM Grand - long considered the largest hotel in the world (though recently overtaken by The Venetian), containing over 5,000 rooms plus a massive entertainment/theme park complex, the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino is one of the landmarks of Las Vegas. It is subtly lit at night in an enchanting shade of green and has a relatively restrained exterior, apart from a large golden lion at one corner. The main entrance is a little way off the Strip along E Tropicana Avenue, next to the southernmost stop on the Las Vegas Monorail. As with Caesars Palace, MGM is noted for staging championship boxing contests and other large scale events.
Reservations - book direct with MGM Grand
More Information - the official website
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New York-New York - completed in 1997, this 2,023-room hotel features a replica of the Manhattan skyline including the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Central Station, with a 67 mph rollercoaster around the outside. The interior contains Times Square, Central Park and a whole street of restaurants, inspired by Greenwich Village. New York-New York is connected to the three adjoining casinos around the busy Las Vegas Blvd-Tropicana Ave junction by elevated walkways, which provide good vantage points over the south end of the Strip.
Reservations - book direct with New York, New York
More Information - the official website
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Paris - one of the newer resorts on the Strip, this attractive, 2,916 room complex has been welcoming guests since 15 September 1999. Outside, visitors are greeted by a colorful replica of the Montgolfier balloon, close to the Arc de Triomphe, while inevitably the Eiffel Tower looms overhead (a half scale replica, since the intended full height version would have been hazardous to aircraft). The hotel and casino are complimented by 11 restaurants, 6 bars, the Spa by Mandara, a 2 acre rooftop pool, and a wide range of shops. Visitors may travel 460 feet up the Eiffel Tower, for great views of the Strip. Paris is part of the Harrah's Entertainment suite of Las Vegas casinos that also includes Caesars Palace, Bally's, Flamingo and Imperial Palace. |
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Sahara - most of the famous old casinos have been blown up to make room for larger, more modern resorts but the Sahara is still open for business, and a recent ownership change looks set to safeguard its future by funding a major renovation. Sahara opened in 1952 and today contains a comparatively modest 1,720 rooms, divided into several towers overlooking the hotel's spacious grounds, near the north end of the Strip (and next to the northernmost stop on the Las Vegas Monorail). Much of the surrounding land is empty and so reserved for future development; the first construction to start is the Fontainebleau hotel/casino/condominium, just to the south. |
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Stratosphere - at the north end of the Strip, this casino is most famous for its 1,149 foot tower, built in 1996 - the highest point in Las Vegas and also the tallest accessible tower in America, with a revolving restaurant, a marriage chapel and three open air rollercoasters at the very top. The three accommodation blocks (totaling 2,446 rooms) are rather lower - highest is 24 storeys - and the hotel offers some of the cheapest lodging along the Strip, reflecting the slightly lower level of facilities and smaller rooms, compared to most of the other large hotels, plus its more distant location. The main casino is 80,000 sq ft in size, and is complemented by the usual range of shops, restaurants, nightclubs, swimming pools and conference space. |
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Treasure Island - now known just as TI, this is another family-oriented casino, notable for the free Sirens of TI show staged 4 times each evening on a pirate set in front of the hotel, featuring a mock duel between a pirate ship and a group of attractive maidens, set to music and with accompaniment of much fire and smoke. Treasure Island also hosts Cirque du Soleil, one of the most famous entertainment acts on the whole Strip. The hotel has almost 3,000 rooms and receives an AAA Four Diamond rating.
Reservations - book direct with Treasure Island
More Information - the official website |
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The Venetian - one of four big new resorts to open in 1999, constructed on land that used to be home to The Sands, one of the famous old casinos built in 1952. Familiar landmarks of Venice are recreated including St. Marks Tower and the Bridge of Sighs; inside, gondolas cruise along a system of canals past the shops and restaurants. The AAA give the Venetian a Five Diamond rating (as of Nov 2007) and it offers a truly luxurious experience, with top quality accommodation, dining, shopping, nightlife and entertainment. The main building has 4,049 rooms but the new Palazzo extension - a 50 floor tower with its own casino, restaurants and other facilities - takes the total to over 7,000, making this the largest hotel complex in the world. The Palazzo opened on January 17th, 2008. |
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Wynn Las Vegas - the newest major development (until 2009), this 50 storey hotel and casino is a huge, curving, glass-fronted building, partly hidden at street level by an artificial hill covered in mature pine trees. It is aimed at the higher end of the market, receiving an AAA Five Diamond rating, and the 217 acre site includes an 18 hole golf course (once belonging to the Desert Inn), the only such facility on the main part of the Strip, though twenty years ago both the Dunes and Tropicana casinos also had their own courses. The land was previously the site of the Desert Inn Hotel, acquired by property developer Steve Wynn in 2000. Less than a year after opening, construction began on a second giant tower, named Wynn Encore, that contains some 2,000 suites together with another large casino, various restaurants, shops and other leisure facilities. Opening is scheduled for the end of 2008, though expansion of the complex will continue with redevelopment of the golf course and additions to the main building.
Reservations and Information - Wynn Las Vegas official website
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