Bally’s Las Vegas rebrands to Horseshoe ahead of Poker World Series

In a ceremony held on Friday, the iconic Bally’s Las Vegas hotel officially rebranded to Horseshoe Las Vegas Hotel & Casino ahead of the 54th Poker World Series.

The property underwent various renovations and redesigns before its owner, Caesars Entertainment Corp., unveiled the final construction.

Before the rebranding, the establishment was known as Bally’s Las Vegas for 36 years and had previously been named the MGM Grand Hotel. However, a disastrous fire in 1980 caused significant alterations to the hotel’s architecture and brand identity.

According to Caesar’s Entertainment, the hotel’s new name refers to Binion’s Horseshoe, the gambling hall where the first Poker World Series began.

The rebranding is an appropriate homage to the origins of the World Series after the event moved from Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino to the then-named Bally’s Las Vegas last year.

“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,” Horseshoe senior vice president and general manager Jason Gregorec said.

Horseshoe history

While the World Series started in Binion’s Horseshoe, the namesake’s connection to the international gambling tournament goes beyond location.

The hotel’s owner, ex-gambler Benny Binion, hosted the World Series of Poker in 1970, opening up the tournament on an invitation-only basis at his 366-room hotel.

The poker tournament would gain much notoriety across Las Vegas, and Harrah’s Entertainment would later acquire rights to the competition in 2004.

The World Series would then be held in Rio All-Suites until Harrah acquired Caesars Entertainment, leading to its takeover of Bally’s Las Vegas.

The rebranding to Horseshoe serves as a return to roots for the famous poker tournament. Since its inception in 1970, the tournament is now held for over seven weeks and draws hundreds of thousands of players annually.

Poker enthusiasts can expect the tournament to return to its new Horseshoe stomping grounds on May 30.