Many across the world are waiting for the Las Vegas Strip to open back up. When it does, many will frequent the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Known for its famous boxing matches at the neighboring MGM Grand Garden Arena and many other events, the current hotel and casino has been open since the early 90s. Today, we are going to give you a general overview of all the MGM history on the Las Vegas Strip. Below, we have also added many new MGM Las Vegas chips from all the different properties to the website you can end up purchasing.
The original MGM Grand Hotel and Casino: Was opened from 1973 to 1986. This is where the Rat Pack performed in the famous Jubilee Theater, which still exists today. Of course, it is the home of the famous MGM fire that took place on November 21, 1980. It was one of the worst high-rise fires in United States history. The fire killed 87 people. One of the famous stories from the fire was that people were still playing slot machines as the fires were beginning. It became Bally’s Hotel and Casino in 1986.
MGM Marina: Was opened from 1975 to 1990. The hotel’s 700 plus rooms is part of the current MGM Grand resort. Did you know that behind the Marina resort, there was a golf course called the Tropicana Country Club? Kirk Kerkorian bought the property in 1989. Instead of destroying the MGM property, he decided to build around it when he started working on the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.
MGM Sands: Was opened one year from 1988 to 1989. A famous part of Las Vegas Strip history, the Summa Corporation, which was owned by Howard Hughes, sold the famous Sands Hotel and Casino to MGM Grand, INC. That is how MGM Sands came to be. Sheldon Adelson and a group of investors would buy the property a year late for $110 million. From there, a decade later, we would have The Venetian.
Desert Inn, MGM: When MGM Grand, INC bought the Sands, they also bought the neighboring Desert Inn Hotel and Casino. According to Chip Guide, it was open from 1988 to 1991.
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino: When it originally opened in the early 1990s it had a Wizard of Oz theme. There was an OZ Casino at the MGM Grand to 1996. From 1993 to the early 2000s, there was also an MGM Grand Theme Park. Some of the attractions included a 950 seat outdoor theater called the Pirates’ Cove. There were also a few theaters including Manhattan theatre and Gold Rush theatre that put on a variety of different shows.
Focusing on more recent years, one of the highlights of MGM Grand is the 29 high roller villas the resort has. Known as The Mansion at the MGM Grand, room rates can range from $5000 to $35,000 a night where it hosts a variety of celebrities and entertainers. Today, one of the most well-known magicians in the world David Copperfield performs there.
I am sure many of our readers have great MGM memories. We’d love to hear some of them. For now, find many great chips from a variety of MGM properties that we just added to the website you can find below. There’s also one new chip from MGM Grand Reno we added at the end. You can purchase each chip clicking the picture below:
Black 300 Chip Case:
We have one of these 300 black cases for sale. The cost for the case is $20. If interested, send me an email to marketing@spinettis.com
Home Game Poker Chip Sale through Sunday:
As a reminder, our home game poker chip collection is 10 percent off through Sunday evening. You can read about it by clicking the picture below:
