Winning
the Pot |

Dennis McBride Collection |
As
the Strip boomed and neighborhood casinos became more common, Downtown
Las Vegas continued to reinvent itself.
In
1995, Fremont Street was transformed into the pedestrian-friendly Fremont
Street Experience, whose paved walkways were topped by an overhead canopy.
The
hourly light show has become a tourist favorite and has contributed to
the ongoing revitalization of this historic area. |


MGM Mirage
Corporate Archives

Bill Willard
Collection
|
Steve
Wynn set the bar for casino luxury even higher with Bellagio, which
opened in 1998.
Even
the opening festivities had gone upscale; these are the first pages
from a 12-page invitation to the debut gala, which came encased in a
deluxe velvet-lined box embossed in gold.
When
this pre-opening photo was taken, the property's signature water feature
was still under construction.
|

Mandalay Bay
Promotional and Publcity File
|
Pools
have always been essential elements of successful casino resorts, but
Mandalay Bay took the Las Vegas pool to the next level with Mandalay Beach,
a surf and sand beach with a wave pool. |

Hard
Rock Promotional and Publcity File |
While
upscale resorts transformed the Strip, off-Strip operators continued
to innovate.
The
Hard Rock Casino, which opened in 1995, promoted itself as a hip hangout
with ads and artwork that showed the casinos as a fun, sexy place...and,
in the eyes of some, pushed the boundary of good taste.
|

Palms
Promotional and Publcity File |
Like
the Hard Rock, the Palms brought a younger demographic to Las Vegas casinos.
Positioned as a resort that would appeal equally to tourists and locals,
the Palms was one of the first casinos to embrace reality TV, as it was
the setting for MTV’s Real World. This is a publicity still of a
design model released shortly before the casino's opening. |
Wynn
Resorts Promotional and Publcity File |
Las
Vegas finished off its first century by marking a new beginning.
Wynn
Las Vegas, which opened on April 28, 2005, would have astounded those
who attended the railroad auction on May 15, 1905.
After
100 years of progress, the future of Las Vegas gaming is looking as
bright as ever.
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