Caesars Renaming Bally’s to Horseshoe, Returning WSOP to Namesake Casino

Posted on: January 26, 2022, 09:32h. 

Last updated on: August 1, 2024, 10:15h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Caesars Entertainment this week finally confirmed the long-running rumors that Bally’s on the Las Vegas Strip will be renamed and renovated into the Horseshoe.

Caesars Bally's Las Vegas Horseshoe WSOP
A rendering of the future Horseshoe Las Vegas casino floor. Caesars is rebranding the Bally’s Strip resort to Horseshoe and bringing the World Series of Poker along with it. (Image: Caesars Entertainment)

Harrah’s Entertainment, now Caesars Entertainment, acquired the Horseshoe gaming brand in 2004. It was part of its $9 billion acquisition of Caesars and Binion’s Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. While the newly formed casino giant opted to sell Binion’s, the new Caesars maintained control of the Horseshoe trademark and its World Series of Poker (WSOP).

In an industry that is constantly reshuffling, Caesars in 2020 — following yet another corporate overhaul by way of merging with Eldorado Resorts in part of a $17.3 billion transaction — opted to sell its Bally’s brand to a company then known as Twin River Worldwide Holdings. Twin River has since rebranded to Bally’s Corporation.

Caesars’ divesting of its Bally’s regional casinos outside of Nevada came with the provision that Caesars would be allowed to use the Bally’s name in Las Vegas. But Caesars now says that it will rebrand Bally’s Las Vegas into Horseshoe Las Vegas.

The transformation is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. The current casino resort features 2,800 guestrooms and suites. The casino floor measures nearly 70,000 square feet and is equipped with 1,250 slot machines, 65 table games, and a poker room.

Another Makeover for Strip Icon

Bally’s Las Vegas is set to undergo its third name change since the casino resort opened on the Strip in December of 1973.

The property debuted nearly 50 years ago as MGM Grand. When it opened with more than 2,100 hotel rooms, the resort was billed as one of the world’s largest hotels.

Roughly six years after a fire killed 85 people in the resort, MGM Grand became Bally’s in 1986 after the Bally’s gaming manufacturing group bought the property from MGM.

In its release today, Caesars did not specify a price tag to transform the Strip casino to the Horseshoe. Calling Horseshoe Las Vegas “the 50-yard line” of the Strip, Caesars says the multimillion-dollar renovation will bring back to life the Horseshoe brand in Las Vegas in a manner that celebrates its history and future.

2022 starts a new era for the Caesars Entertainment empire in Las Vegas, one being heralded by the return of Horseshoe,” said Sean McBurney, regional president of Caesars Entertainment.

Caesars currently operates seven Horseshoe casinos located in Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, and Mississippi.

WSOP Return

The World Series of Poker was founded in 1970 by Benny Binion, who hosted the annual championship at his downtown Las Vegas namesake casino until the series was acquired by Harrah’s. The WSOP was relocated to the Rio in 2005 and has been hosted at the off-Strip casino ever since.

Rio’s WSOP run ended last year. Beginning with the 2022 tournament, the WSOP will be held at the forthcoming Horseshoe Las Vegas.

“Horseshoe is where it all began,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart, who added that the Horseshoe brand has always been about card players.