Overview
Steve Wynn’s Mirage Resorts Inc. purchased the Dunes hotel-casino for $75 million and operated it for a few months before the Dunes closed its doors. A quintessential Las Vegas demolition of the property occurred late at night on Oct. 27, 1993.
Five years later, Wynn opened the doors of the Bellagio, a $1.6 billion masterpiece with over 3,000 hotel rooms. The Bellagio still stands high above the Las Vegas Strip near Flamingo Rd. as a symbol of Las Vegas’ mega-resort expansion. Bellagio was certainly ahead of its time.
Primary
It’s not the roughly 2,900 slot machines or the $50 or $100 minimum stand 17 double deck blackjack tables that bring most visitors to the Bellagio. While its casino is certainly a second home to several of Vegas’ biggest high rollers, non-gambling tourists pour onto the property daily to see the Conservatory or Chocolate Fountain serving delicious Jean-Philippe creations.
Wynn understands that successful mega-resorts should have something for everyone. If it’s nightlife they seek, The Bank is the complete night club experience with entrance a few steps from the poker room. Managed by Hakkasan Group, the club is open Thursday through Sunday with music playing until 4 a.m.
There is no shortage of fine dining cuisine at the Bellagio. Even the buffet, open for lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch is one of the most gourmet buffets one will encounter. For a post-club bite, only a few steps away (opposite the poker room) is Snacks, an overall healthy and expedient all-hours option.
The Bellagio offers a whole new meaning to the phrase “catch a show.” The casino has been the long-time home to Cirque du Soleil’s O, yet many define the fountain show facing The Strip as the best free show in Las Vegas.
Though many of the sights and sounds at the Bellagio are free to take in, the action in Bobby’s Room is far from cheap. Since shortly after its opening, the Bellagio has hosted some of the highest-stakes poker games in the country. At a slower moment, one will need a stake in the tens of thousands to compete, and six-figure amounts change owners on a single hand of poker.
Secondary
Bellagio partners with its sister properties to offer some of the best fun and entertainment in Las Vegas. Check online, with a Bellagio host, or concierge to find the latest happenings at the Park Theater in the Monte Carlo or at the new T-Mobile Arena, home to the Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey team. The arena is just south of Monte Carlo and across the way from New York New York, both of which are M Life properties.
In fact, one can walk from Bellagio to Monte Carlo without stepping outside. The entrance to the arena is less than a two-minute walk from the Monte Carlo poker room.
Online
Want to get a head start on a future trip to the Bellagio? Sign up for MyVegas Slots and/or MyVegas Blackjack and potentially earn real rewards and M Life credits. Play from anywhere on PC or Mac, or mobile platforms, or even on Facebook.
Once at the resort, turn any mobile device into a gaming machine with EasyPlay Mobile Tournaments. Buy-ins are as little as $10 for an all-day tournament. Simply connect to the Bellagio wifi and follow the link, or go to secure.easyplay.vegas.
One popular online and mobile gaming opportunity many years in the making is mobile sports wagering. For a long time, only one off-Strip casino chain offered Nevadans (visitors included) the ability to place sports wagers digitally and remotely.
Now with the PlayMGM app, visitors to the Bellagio can place a sports wager from anywhere on the property. Setting up an account can be done partially online and finalized at the Bellagio (or any participating M Life) sportsbook.
Rewards
In its storied past, the Bellagio highlighted both the good and bad of a discretionary comp system. Managers may have had guidelines to follow based on play, but comps were given out more on a discretionary basis and less on hard data like they are today with the comprehensive M Life loyalty rewards program.
Like most casino loyalty programs, M Life is tiered. All players start out as Sapphire and working their way up to Platinum or even Noir (invite only). Pearl is the second tier, requires only 25,000 tier credits, and offers significant benefits like line passes at dining establishments and free self-parking.
Note that tier credits are earned not only through gaming but also by spending money at M Life hotels and resorts. Always remember to present an M Life card with the bill.