kirk kerkorian

Grandest hotel…again

fromthebook • • • ,

When the “new” MGM Grand opened in December 1993 with 5,005 rooms, it was the biggest hotel-casino in the world. That marked the third time majority owner Kirk Kerkorian has opened the world’s biggest hotel-casino. He did it with the International (1969) and original MGM Grand (1973).

For more about Las Vegas casinos, check out Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling. 

Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.

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fromthebook

My take on Kerkorian leaving at Two Way Hard Three

Two Way Hard Three • • • , ,

I wrote a quick review of some of Kirk Kerkorian’s earlier history in Las Vegas for Two Way Hard Three this morning: Kirk Kerkorian is stepping down from his position on the board of MGM Resorts International in June. It’s a significant milestone for Las Vegas gaming, since he’s one of the few remaining links

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Two Way Hard Three

Aria alternatives

news about gambling • • • , , , , , , ,

If you haven’t heard it, here’s the press release, more or less verbatim: MGM Mirage is naming the big casino resort at its in-development City Center project on the Strip the “Aria Resort and Casino.” I don’t have an inside line on the creative process that led to the choice, but from what I’ve read

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news about gambling

Book Review: Winner Takes All

book reviews, life in vegas • • • , , , , , , , , , , ,

Christina Binkley. Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas. New York: Hyperion, 2008. 304 pages, hardcover. Over the last decade, the Las Vegas Strip has become increasingly consolidated. Once, there were a host of casino owners: Aztar, Bally Gaming, Boyd Gaming, Circus Circus Enterprises, Grand Casinos

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book reviews, life in vegas

CNBC-bound

what's new • • • ,

If you’ll be watching CNBC at 4:12 Eastern today, you’ll see me getting interviewed about Kirk Kerkorian. The MGM Mirage’s biggest owner is in the news because he is buying a big chunk of GM stock. You can see me talk confidently about Kerkorian’s role in Las Vegas and gaming history, then attempt to adroitly

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what's new