Walk down the Las Vegas Strip today and you might find yourself rubbing your eyes in confusion. You’re looking for those giant neon letters, that classic 80s purple glow, the place where you could always find a reasonably priced room right at the busiest intersection in the world. But it’s gone. Sorta.
If you’re searching for Bally's Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, you haven't lost your mind—you’ve just missed a massive identity shift. The property at Flamingo and Las Vegas Blvd hasn't disappeared into the desert sand, but it has shed its old skin completely. As of late 2022, the "Bally’s" name was officially retired from that specific spot, replaced by the legendary Horseshoe Las Vegas.
It’s one of the weirdest "switcheroos" in corporate history. Caesars Entertainment owned the building but sold the "Bally’s" brand name to a completely different company (Bally’s Corp). To make things even more confusing, that other company just imploded the old Tropicana down the street to build a brand-new Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino from scratch.
Basically, the name is moving south, and the old spot has gone back to its gambling roots.
The Horseshoe Flip: Why the Name Changed
Honestly, the rebranding was about more than just new paint. For decades, Bally’s was the "middle child" of the Strip. It wasn't as fancy as Caesars Palace and wasn't as themed as Paris. By turning it into the Horseshoe, Caesars aimed for a "gambler-first" vibe.
Think leather, gold accents, and a much heavier focus on the World Series of Poker (WSOP). The WSOP actually started at the original downtown Horseshoe back in the 70s. Bringing the brand to the Strip was a massive "welcome home" moment for poker players.
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If you visit the site of the former Bally's today, the changes are obvious:
- The Hall of Fame Poker Room: 18 tables of high-stakes action right by the front door.
- Jack Binion’s Steak: A throwback to the man who basically invented modern Vegas hospitality.
- The Arcade: A massive 7,000-square-foot space where the old sportsbook used to be.
The neon is different. The carpet is new. But the bones—those long, winding walkways and the massive towers—are still the same ones we’ve known for forty years.
The "New" Bally's is Rising at the Tropicana Site
Here is where it gets interesting for 2026. While the old Bally's is now the Horseshoe, a brand-new Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino is officially under construction at the corner of Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd.
This isn't a renovation. It's a total reimagining.
Bally’s Corporation is spending billions to build a 3,000-room mega-resort on the 35-acre site where the Tropicana once stood. The headline act? A massive, state-of-the-art Major League Baseball stadium for the Athletics. Imagine staying in a luxury tower where your "city view" is actually a birds-eye view of a live MLB game.
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Construction is kicking into high gear right now, in the first half of 2026. They aren't just building a casino; they're building a "sports-integrated resort." We're talking about more than 500,000 square feet of retail and a VIP experience that literally connects the casino floor to the ballpark.
Living Through the Ghost of the MGM Grand
You can't talk about this property without acknowledging its dark, complex history. Before it was Bally’s, it was the original MGM Grand. In 1980, it was the site of one of the worst high-rise fires in American history.
When Bally Manufacturing bought it in 1986, they spent a fortune on safety and tech. For years, it was the gold standard for "old school" Vegas. You’d go there for Jubilee!—the quintessential showgirl extravaganza with the sinking Titanic on stage.
Jubilee! closed in 2016, and many feel that was the beginning of the end for the "Bally's" identity. The property started feeling like a placeholder. Now that the Horseshoe has taken over, that "placeholder" feeling is gone. It feels intentional again.
What to Expect If You Visit Now
If you book a room at what you think is Bally’s, you’re likely going to end up at the Horseshoe. It’s still a "Value+" property. It’s usually cheaper than the Bellagio across the street but offers some of the biggest standard rooms on the Strip.
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The Jubilee Tower—the one closer to the Strip—was actually "given" to Paris Las Vegas and rebranded as the Versailles Tower. They even built a pedestrian bridge to connect them. So, if you stay there, you’re technically in a different hotel now.
The Essentials for Your Trip:
- Check the Tower: If you want the newest rooms, ask for the Resort Tower (now Horseshoe) or the Versailles Tower (now Paris).
- Dining: Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Sports Kitchen is the big new draw. It's loud, the portions are huge, and the trash can nachos are... well, they’re an experience.
- The Monorail: The station is still there. It’s the easiest way to get to the Convention Center without dealing with the nightmare of Strip traffic.
The Future: A Divided Brand
By 2028, we’ll have a weird situation where people will still call the Horseshoe "the old Bally's" while standing in the "new Bally's" three blocks south. It’s classic Vegas—nothing is ever truly gone; it just gets moved, renamed, and lit up with newer LEDs.
The current Horseshoe is leaning into the "Binion" legacy of high limits and no-nonsense gambling. Meanwhile, the upcoming Bally’s project is betting everything on baseball fans and luxury seekers.
Actionable Insights for Travelers:
- Don't look for the Bally's sign. If you’re heading to the corner of Flamingo and Las Vegas Blvd, look for the Horseshoe logo.
- Join Caesars Rewards. Since the Horseshoe is still a Caesars property, your old points from Bally’s still work perfectly.
- Check the construction maps. If you're planning to visit the south end of the Strip near the A's stadium site, be prepared for heavy road work through the rest of 2026.
- Poker players, go now. The new WSOP Hall of Fame room is legitimately one of the best places to play in the city right now.
The transition is finally complete, and the identity crisis is over. Whether you want the gambling-heavy vibe of the current Horseshoe or you’re waiting for the stadium-integrated future of the new Bally’s, the landscape of the Strip has changed forever.