MGM Resorts International is an American global
hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, chevalier de J ...
and
entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousan ...
company operating destination resorts in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
,
,
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...
, and
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
, including
Bellagio,
Mandalay Bay,
MGM Grand, and
Park MGM.
The company began operations in 1987 as MGM Grand, Inc. and became MGM Mirage in 2000, after acquiring
Mirage Resorts. In the mid-2000s, growth of its non-gaming (lodging, food, retail) revenue began to outpace gaming receipts and demand for high-rise condominiums was surging, with median property prices in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
twice the national average.
The company shifted its focus from owning and operating resorts and casinos to developing and building real estate in the leisure and gaming industry—launching the massive
CityCenter mixed-use project,
which was at the time of its construction the world's largest construction site and ranks as one of the most expensive real estate projects in history. City Center's development coincided with the
global financial crisis, causing more than $1 billion in
writedowns
A write-off is a reduction of the recognized value of something. In accounting, this is a recognition of the reduced or zero value of an asset. In income tax statements, this is a reduction of taxable income, as a recognition of certain expenses ...
in its valuation.
Billionaire investor
Kirk Kerkorian and his
Tracinda Corporation were, until 2009, the majority shareholders of MGM Mirage; Kerkorian was the former owner of the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio, from which MGM Grand derived its name. Following a $1 billion stock offering by MGM Mirage amidst the global credit crunch, Tracinda's shares were diluted from 53.8 percent to 39 percent.
On June 15, 2010, shareholders voted for MGM Mirage to change its name to "MGM Resorts International".
In 2015, the company split into two forming
MGM Growth Properties
MGM Growth Properties LLC (MGP) was a real estate investment trust based in Summerlin South, Nevada, that invested in large-scale casino properties. The company had whole or majority ownership of 15 properties, all of which were operated by MGM ...
, a real estate company, while MGM resorts shifted to operating properties.
History
Background and early ventures (1969–1988)
The company's background can be traced to 1969, when airline and casino tycoon
Kirk Kerkorian bought a controlling stake in the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film studio. In 1970 and 1971, Kerkorian struggled with debt from his acquisitions of MGM and
Western Airlines, and was forced to sell a majority of his casino company, International Leisure, to
Hilton Hotels at a steep discount.
[ ] When the
Las Vegas Hilton, the casino he had built, subsequently became the most successful hotel in Las Vegas, Kerkorian was inspired to lead the studio into the gambling industry.
It opened the original
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino (now Bally's Las Vegas) in 1973. The
MGM Grand Reno followed in 1978.
By 1979, the two hotel-casinos accounted for most of MGM's income, and the company announced a plan to split itself in two. The next year, the film studio was
spun off as a new company, while the original company, renamed as MGM Grand Hotels Inc., retained the two hotel-casinos.
[ ] Kerkorian held a 47 percent stake in both companies.
In 1985, Kerkorian began seeking a buyer for MGM Grand Hotels, to allow him to concentrate on running
United Artists and on developing new properties under the MGM Grand name. A deal was reached for
Bally Manufacturing to buy the company; the deal closed in April 1986, and the two casinos were renamed under the Bally's brand. The terms of the sale allowed Kerkorian to retain rights to the MGM Grand name, and plans were announced to offer the stockholders of MGM Grand Hotels shares in a new company that would hold the naming rights.
The company now known as MGM Resorts International was formed in 1986 as Grand Name Co.
as a subsidiary of Kerkorian's
Tracinda Corporation. It was renamed in 1987 as MGM Grand, Inc.
The company's first venture was
MGM Grand Air, a luxury airline offering service between New York and Los Angeles, which launched in September 1987. The company also made an offer to take over financially struggling
Pan American World Airways, but this offer was rejected by Pan Am's board in November 1987.
In August 1987, MGM Grand bid $152 million for the bankrupt
Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas, but was beat out by Japanese billionaire
Masao Nangaku. Instead, the company acquired the
Desert Inn and
Sands casinos in February 1988 from
Summa Corporation
Summa Corporation was a holding company for the business interests of Howard Hughes after he sold the tool division of Hughes Tool Company in 1972. Its holdings included casino hotels, aviation businesses, and television channels. After Hughes's d ...
for $167 million. The Sands was sold to
Sheldon Adelson
Sheldon Gary Adelson (; August 4, 1933 – January 11, 2021) was an American businessman, investor, political donor and philanthropist. He was the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which owns th ...
's Interface Group for $110 million in April 1989.
First casino developments (1989–1999)
In September 1989, the company announced plans for a $700-million Hollywood-themed complex, including a 4,000-room hotel and a theme park.
[ ] The Desert Inn site was initially considered as a location for the project,
but within weeks the location was finalized as the
Marina Hotel and Casino
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with 6,852 rooms. It is also the third-largest hotel complex in the world by number of room ...
and the
Tropicana Country Club, which MGM Grand acquired for $93 million plus $30 million in stock. The company put the Desert Inn up for sale to focus efforts on the new project, but found no outside bidders, and agreed to sell it to Tracinda for $130 million. Construction on the
MGM Grand Las Vegas and the
MGM Grand Adventures theme park began in October 1991, and the property opened in December 1993 at a final cost of $1 billion. The park permanently closed in 2002 due to a lack of interest.
The company moved its headquarters from Beverly Hills to Las Vegas in July 1992.
During construction of the MGM Grand, the company acquired an option to buy an 18-acre site across the street from the project.
Gary Primm of
Primadonna Resorts
Primm Valley Casino Resorts (formerly known as Primadonna Casino Resorts) is a group of three hotel-casinos in Primm, Nevada, along Interstate 15 at the California state line. They are owned and operated by Affinity Gaming. It is named after th ...
approached MGM president Bob Maxey in 1994 with an idea for the site: a casino recreating the New York skyline. A joint venture was formed between the two companies, and construction began in March 1995. Completed at a cost of $460 million, the
New York-New York Hotel and Casino opened in January 1997.
With New York-New York under development, MGM Grand made moves to expand in several other markets. An exploratory agreement to develop two casinos on the Chinese island of
Hainan
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slight ...
was announced in August 1994, but came to nothing. In
Darwin, Australia, a lucrative market attracting high rollers from Pacific Rim countries, the company considered building a hotel, but instead bought the
Diamond Beach Hotel and Casino, renaming it as the MGM Grand Darwin. MGM announced plans for an
Atlantic City casino in July 1996. In Michigan, where voters approved casinos in November 1996, MGM made plans for a bid on one of the three available gaming licenses, which would eventually be approved and open in July 1999 as the
MGM Grand Detroit.
In
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
, with casino gambling newly authorized, MGM announced plans in August 1996 to develop 15 properties in conjunction with
Tsogo Sun. The first, a temporary casino in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...
's
Sundome
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuto Okada. It was serialized in Akita Shoten's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Young Champion'' from 2006 to 2009, with its chapters collected in eight ''tankōbon'' volumes. It was ada ...
, opened in October 1998. Three more casinos followed before MGM agreed to sell out its interest in the properties to Tsogo Sun in November 2001.
Since the initiation of New York-New York, analysts had speculated that MGM Grand or Primadonna would buy out the other's interest in the project. Instead of making such a cash-intensive purchase, however, MGM agreed to buy Primadonna outright for $276 million in stock plus $336 million in assumed debt. The merger closed in March 1999, giving MGM ownership of three casinos and two golf courses at the Nevada–California state line, in addition to full control of New York-New York.
Mirage Resorts merger (2000)
In February 2000, MGM Grand made an unsolicited offer of $17 a share to buy
Mirage Resorts, which had foundered due to disappointing results at its new
Beau Rivage and
Bellagio resorts. Analysts expected a protracted battle, with Mirage founder
Steve Wynn seen as unwilling to give up control but under pressure from institutional investors. Mirage rejected the offer, but Wynn met with Kerkorian the next day and named a price of $21 a share. The companies agreed on the higher price, for a total of $4.4 billion plus $2 billion in assumed debt. The merger closed in May 2000, giving MGM ownership of the
Mirage,
Treasure Island, Bellagio,
Boardwalk, and
Golden Nugget casinos in Las Vegas, the
Golden Nugget in Laughlin, and the Beau Rivage in Mississippi, and a half share of the
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino i ...
. The company changed its name to MGM Mirage in August 2000. Mirage had also owned a half stake in the
Borgata, a planned casino in Atlantic City, in a joint venture managed by
Boyd Gaming. Work on the Borgata continued apace, and it would open in July 2003.
Stalled developments (2001–2004)
In 2001 and 2002, following the merger with Mirage, the company explored options for its next major development project, including in the Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Chicago, and Macau markets. The 55-acre site of the Boardwalk casino on the Las Vegas Strip was earmarked for a technologically advanced megaresort targeting a
Generation X demographic. In Atlantic City, MGM shifted focus from its previously announced boardwalk site to a proposed billion-dollar hotel and casino on a 55-acre tract adjacent to the Borgata, where Wynn had planned to build the Le Jardin casino. In the Chicago market, MGM agreed to pay $600 million to buy the unfinished Emerald Casino in
Rosemont, Illinois, whose investors had been accused of ties to organized crime. The deal was rejected, however, by state gaming regulators, and MGM then backed off its effort, saying that Illinois's casino tax was too high. In Macau, where
Stanley Ho's 40-year government-granted monopoly on gambling was coming to an end, MGM submitted a bid for one of three available gaming concessions, but it was not selected, losing out to Ho,
Las Vegas Sands, and
Wynn Resorts.
MGM made moves into the United Kingdom market after a 2001 government report called for loosening of the country's gambling regulations.
[ ] It opened an online casino, playmgmmirage.com, licensed in the
Isle of Man, a British dependency, and it applied for a license to run an online sports betting site in the U.K. It acquired a twenty-five percent stake in a company developing the small Triangle Casino in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...
,
which went on to open its doors in February 2004. It inked deals to build casinos at the
Olympia Exhibition Centre
Olympia London, sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre, is an exhibition centre, event space and conference centre in West Kensington, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England. A range of international ...
in London,
St James' Park in Newcastle,
Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield, the
National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham,
Sportcity in Manchester,
Glasgow Harbour,
King's Waterfront in Liverpool, and at a proposed stadium in
Salford. The company also signed a $490-million deal to acquire Wembley plc, owner of seven
greyhound tracks in Britain and four in the United States.
The British expansion plans ultimately amounted to nothing. MGM closed its online casino after less than two years, citing uncertainty in American regulations and competition from established British brands. The Wembley acquisition turned into a bidding war, with MGM finally losing out to an investors group including Kerzner International. The Triangle Casino was sold off to
Stanley Leisure in 2006. The company's other development plans were scuttled as the government scaled down, and eventually abandoned, the plan to allow large "
super-casinos".
In 2004, the company disposed of some of its smaller properties, selling the two Golden Nugget casinos (
Golden Nugget Las Vegas and
Golden Nugget Laughlin) to
Poster Financial Group
Golden Nugget Hotels & Casinos is an American chain of luxury hotels and casinos. It currently operates five casino resorts in Nevada, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Mississippi.
The original location was the Golden Nugget Las Vegas which opened i ...
for $215 million, and the
MGM Grand Darwin
Mindil Beach Casino & Resort is a casino in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, owned and operated by Delaware North. It is the only casino in Darwin.
History Don Casino (1979–83)
The first casino in Darwin, and the second in Australia, ...
to
Skycity Entertainment for $140 million.
Mandalay merger (2004–2005)
MGM entered into quiet merger talks with
Mandalay Resort Group in early 2004.
[ ] The potential acquisition would give MGM control of more than half the hotel rooms on the Las Vegas Strip.
[ ] Mandalay assets attractive to MGM included low-end casinos like
Excalibur and
Circus Circus to broaden MGM's "high roller" appeal; the
Mandalay Bay Convention Center
Mandalay Bay Convention Center is attached to the Mandalay Bay resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The facility is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. It is among the largest convention centers in the U.S.
It ...
, which would allow MGM to compete directly with the
Sands Expo center in the convention market;
and at least two prime developable sites on the Strip. The talks went public in June, when MGM announced an offer worth $7.65 billion.
[ ] Mandalay rejected that offer because of a clause allowing MGM to back out if
antitrust regulators demanded the sale of any properties.
Analysts speculated that another bidder such as
Harrah's or Boyd might enter, but none did,
and MGM and Mandalay soon agreed on a $7.9 billion deal.
MGM executives were confident that antitrust regulators would not require the sale of any of the two companies' properties. Michigan law, however, forbade one company from owning multiple casinos, requiring the sale of either the MGM Grand Detroit or Mandalay's 54 percent stake in the
MotorCity Casino. After some vacillation about which property to sell, Mandalay accepted a $525-million offer for its interest in MotorCity from
Marian Ilitch, the casino's second largest shareholder. Meanwhile, in Illinois, where MGM needed regulatory approval to take over Mandalay's 50 percent interest in the
Grand Victoria Casino, a lack of
quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to '' Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...
on the state Gaming Board threatened to delay the merger. MGM considered a sale to the casino's other owner, the
Pritzker family, but ultimately gained approval for a plan to place the property under control of a
trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...
until completion of the licensing process. The FTC approved the merger as predicted, and MGM obtained a $7 billion
line of credit to finance it. The sale closed on April 25, 2005 for a total of $7.9 billion, including $3 billion in assumed debt.
[ ]
The Mandalay acquisition made MGM Mirage the largest gaming company in the world,
but it was surpassed just two months later when Harrah's Entertainment acquired
Caesars Entertainment in a deal that had been spurred on by news of the MGM-Mandalay merger.
Later developments (2004–2006)
![MGM Mirage Corporate Support Center](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/MGM_Mirage_Corporate_Support_Center.jpg)
Despite MGM's initial failure to win a gaming concession in Macau, the company had remained interested in the burgeoning gaming market. Rumors of a possible partnership with Stanley Ho were reported in 2003, but Nevada gaming regulators informally vetoed the idea because of the alleged involvement of organized crime
triads in his casinos. Another possibility emerged when the government allowed the three gaming concessionaires to each sell a sub-concession. In June 2004, MGM formed a joint venture with
Pansy Ho, Stanley's daughter, to develop a casino-hotel under a sub-concession from Stanley. Despite initial concerns about whether Pansy Ho was subject to her father's influence, the
Nevada Gaming Commission The Nevada Gaming Commission is a Nevada state governmental agency involved in the regulation of casinos throughout the state, along with the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
In 1959, the Nevada Gaming Commission ("Commission") was created by the pas ...
eventually approved the partnership. Construction of the
MGM Grand Macau began in June 2005. The property opened in December 2007, completed at a cost of $1.25 billion.
In 2004, MGM solidified its plans for the Boardwalk site on the Strip, announcing
Project CityCenter, an $8-billion high-density project including hotels, condominiums, a casino, and a shopping mall. The Boardwalk was closed in January 2006 to make way for the redevelopment, and CityCenter construction began the following June.
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
emerged in 2004 as the next major new Asian gaming market, calling for proposals to build two "
integrated resort" casinos at
Marina Bay and the island of
Sentosa
Sentosa Island, known mononymously as Sentosa, and formerly ''Pulau Belakang Mati'', is an island located off the southern coast of Singapore's main island. The island is separated from the main island of Singapore by a channel of water, the ...
.
[ ] MGM partnered with
CapitaLand in an estimated $3 billion bid for the Marina Bay site.
Their bid advanced to the final stage against three competitors, and was seen as the favorite to win. The government awarded the license, however, to
Las Vegas Sands, citing its strength in the
meetings and conventions sector.
On April 25, 2006, MGM Mirage announced with
Foxwoods Resort and Casino a joint partnership in developing an expansion plan at Foxwoods that will include a casino using the MGM Grand brand. On October 16, 2006, MGM Mirage announced that it planned to sell its properties in
Laughlin (
Colorado Belle Hotel & Casino and
Edgewater Hotel and Casino) to a partnership of Anthony Marnell III and Sher Gaming. The sale price was $200 million. The sale closed on June 1, 2007. On October 31, 2006, MGM Mirage announced plans to sell
Primm Valley Resorts to
Herbst Gaming
Affinity Interactive, formerly known as Herbst Gaming and Affinity Gaming, is an American private casino and sports betting company based in Paradise, Nevada. It operates eight casinos in Nevada, Missouri, and Iowa, and publishes the '' Daily ...
for $400 million. The proposed sale would not include the
Primm Valley Golf Club. The sale closed on April 10, 2007.
The
Nevada Landing Hotel and Casino closed a month earlier than planned on March 20, 2007.
Dubai World investment (2007–2009)
On April 19, 2007 the company announced that it planned to purchase a site from Concord Wilshire Partners for $130 million and a site from Gordon Gaming for $444 million. The two parcels give the company complete control of the southwest corner of the Sahara and Las Vegas Boulevard intersection. When combined with underused parts of the
Circus Circus site, the company will have a site for future development. The Concord site had been the proposed location for the Maxim Casino.
On August 22, 2007,
Dubai World said it would buy a 9.5 percent stake in MGM for about $2.4 billion. It would also invest about $2.7 billion to acquire a 50 percent stake in MGM's CityCenter project. Dubai World would pay MGM Mirage an additional $100 million if the project opened on time and on budget. The investment firm would buy 14.2 million shares from MGM Mirage. The firm would also issue a public tender for an additional 14.2 million shares at the same price.
On October 29, 2008, MGM Mirage halted a $5 billion Atlantic City project on land next to the Borgata.
At about the same time, New Jersey gambling regulators were evaluating MGM Mirage's suitability to operate casinos in New Jersey, and were unconvinced that MGM Mirage's Macau partner, Pansy Ho, could operate independently from influence of her father, Stanley Ho. The latter was often accused of ties with Chinese organized crime and letting the gangs operate in his casinos' VIP rooms. Faced with not complying with New Jersey gaming regulations, MGM Mirage decided to divest the highly profitable Borgata in order to continue pursuing the even more lucrative Chinese market.
[Asian casino magnate denies organized crime ties](_blank)
(AOL) MGM Mirage subsequently transferred its 50% share in the Borgata to a divestiture trust through which it received all benefit of the ownership. The trust was responsible for selling MGM's interest within 30 months, although MGM had the right to direct the trustee during the first 18 months.
On December 16, 2008, MGM Mirage announced the sale of its Las Vegas
Treasure Island resort and casino to billionaire
Phil Ruffin. The sale was completed on March 20, 2009 for $600 million in cash plus a $175 million promissory note.
On March 23, 2009 Dubai World and Infinity World announced that they had filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Chancery Court seeking to be released from their CityCenter joint venture agreement with MGM Mirage after the company filed its annual report stating that "there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern," and "it cannot provide assurance that its business would generate sufficient cash flow from operation."
Starting on April 6, 2009 news reports surfaced that MGM Mirage had hired investment firm
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the f ...
to assist the company in finding possible buyers for the MGM Grand Detroit and the Beau Rivage.
Name change and recent years (2010–present)
On June 15, 2010, shareholders approved a name change from MGM Mirage to "MGM Resorts International", to emphasize the brand's global scope and increased non-gaming strategy.
In April 2011 an
initial public offering
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investme ...
was announced for the MGM Macau property. Under the agreement, Pansy Ho would receive a 29 percent stake in the company, MGM China Holdings Ltd, which was created as a listing vehicle for the IPO. MGM Resorts would hold 51 percent and the public would receive 20 percent. MGM China raised $1.5 billion from its IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In January 2013, MGM China received government approval to build its second resort in Macau.
In 2013, MGM won state licenses to build a
$1-billion resort in
National Harbor, Maryland and
a $950-million resort in downtown
Springfield, Massachusetts.
[Stutz, Howard]
"Massachusetts voters approve MGM Resorts' casino plan"
" The Las Vegas Review-Journal", Las Vegas, NV. 18 July 2013. Retrieved on 22 May 2014. In May 2014, MGM broke ground on a
$375-million arena on the
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas cit ...
with sports and entertainment company
AEG.
[Snell, Alan]
"Shovels in the ground, confetti in the air"
" The Las Vegas Review-Journal", Las Vegas, NV. 1 May 2014. Retrieved on 22 May 2014.
In 2013, Foxwoods and MGM ended their relationship, and the MGM Grand at Foxwoods was renamed the Fox Tower.
On May 1, 2014, the company broke ground on the $375-million
T-Mobile Arena located behind New-New York Hotel and Casino, in partnership with
AEG Live. The arena opened on April 6, 2016.
In September 2014, MGM purchased the
naming rights
Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...
for a new baseball stadium in Biloxi, resulting in
MGM Park. That same year, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved a license for
MGM Springfield
MGM Springfield is a hotel and casino complex situated in the heart of Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Opening on August 24, 2018 in a block of buildings that are historically or culturally influential to Springfield, it ...
, an $800-million project.
MGM sold several properties in 2015, including the
Railroad Pass Casino, the
Gold Strike, and properties in
Reno (
Circus Circus Reno
Circus Circus Reno is a hotel and casino located in Downtown Reno, Nevada. It anchors a network of connected hotel-casinos in the downtown Reno core that includes Silver Legacy Reno and Eldorado Reno and are owned and operated by Caesars Ent ...
and a 50 percent stake in the
Silver Legacy) were sold to
Eldorado Resorts for $72.5 million.
In April 2016, MGM held an initial public offering for
MGM Growth Properties
MGM Growth Properties LLC (MGP) was a real estate investment trust based in Summerlin South, Nevada, that invested in large-scale casino properties. The company had whole or majority ownership of 15 properties, all of which were operated by MGM ...
(MGP), a new
real estate investment trust (REIT) with ownership of ten of the company's casinos; the parent company would continue to operate the casinos under a lease agreement.
The offering raised $1.05 billion, and left MGM Resorts with 76 percent ownership of the REIT.
In June 2016, MGM announced a joint venture with Sydell Group to renovate and rebrand the Monte Carlo as the Park MGM, named after the adjacent dining and entertainment district, The Park, that opened in April 2016. In August 2016, MGM bought out Boyd Gaming's interest in the Borgata for $900 million, and then sold the property to MGP for $1.2 billion and leased it back for $100 million per year.
In 2017, MGM launched two online ventures under the PlayMGM brand: an online sportsbook in Nevada, and an online casino in New Jersey.
In October 2017, MGM purchased the
San Antonio Stars of the
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
. The team was moved to
Mandalay Bay Events Center and began play as the
Las Vegas Aces in 2018. In August 2018, MGM and Hyatt sold the Grand Victoria Casino to Eldorado Resorts for $328 million. In January 2019, MGM bought
Yonkers Raceway and Empire City Casino in New York from the
Rooney family for $850 million, and then immediately sold the land and buildings to MGP for $625 million, and leased them back for $50 million per year.
In 2018, MGM Resorts signed a gaming partnership with
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
team the
New York Jets.
in 2019, MGM sold two resorts on the Las Vegas strip: Bellagio and Circus Circus. They sold their real estate assets of Bellagio to
Blackstone Group while selling Circus Circus to Phil Ruffin. In 2020, they sold their real estate assets of MGM grand and Mandalay Bay to a joint venture between Blackstone and mgm growth properties.
in 2021, they bought 50% of Dubai world’s share of city center and sold the real estate assets of
Aria
In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
and
Vdara to Blackstone and later purchased the operating assets of
Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and later sold the Mirage to
Hard Rock International.
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic
In August 2020, MGM cut 18,000 job positions as a result of the effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. The job cuts represent one fourth of its workforce, which before the start of the pandemic was 68,000.
Attempts to block tribal casino developments
MGM lobbied the Trump administration against giving federal approval for a casino operated by two native tribes in East Windsor, Connecticut.
The casino would have provided competition to a MGM casino across border in Massachusetts.
MGM Hospitality
In 2007, MGM Hospitality was established to operate hotels, resorts and residences in key destinations around the globe using the brands of
Bellagio,
MGM Grand and Skylofts.
In 2009, the company formed Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality, a joint venture with
Diaoyutai State Guesthouse of China (the
Chinese Foreign Ministry’s venue for VIPs) which develops and operates 5-star hotels and resorts in China.
In 2014, MGM and Hakkasan Group announced the formation of a joint venture named MGM Hakkasan Hospitality, which would develop non-gaming hotels around the world. The partnership was terminated a year later.
BetMGM
![Bet MGM advertisement at Chicago Union Station - June 2022 - Sarah Stierch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Bet_MGM_advertisement_at_Chicago_Union_Station_-_June_2022_-_Sarah_Stierch.jpg)
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's May 2018 ruling that struck down the
PASPA sports betting ban, in July 2018, MGM announced a 50/50 joint venture with UK gambling operator GVC Holdings (now known as
Entain) to create a sports betting and online gaming platform targeting the U.S. market in states where such activities are legal. In January 2019, the joint venture was named Roar Digital. Additionally with the move into sports betting MGM announced official partnerships with several North American professional sports leagues, including the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...
, the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
, and
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
.
In September of the same year, the company announced a partnership with sports bar chain restaurant
Buffalo Wild Wings. The partnership will involve Buffalo Wild Wings sports bars across the country showcasing custom sportsbook content on TV screens inside the bars, featuring live odds provided by BetMGM, as well as the establishment of three new Buffalo Wild Wings sports bars within MGM properties or in partnership with BetMGM as additional states come online. At the end of October 2019, the company established a betting partnership with Yahoo Sports to connect its sports betting online platform to the popular sports website. At the end of October 2019, the company established a betting partnership with Yahoo Sports to connect its sports betting online platform to the popular fantasy sports platform.
In addition to the company's partnerships with leagues, on July 9, 2020, BetMGM announced an exclusive betting partnership with the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
. BetMGM would follow this deal with multiple betting partnerships with other NFL teams, including the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
,
Las Vegas Raiders,
Tennessee Titans, and
Pittsburgh Steelers. In late 2020 through early 2021, BetMGM continued to develop its partnership library with other teams in other leagues, including the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
of the NHL,
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...
of MLB, and
Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA, as well as with other business ventures like
TopGolf to extend the company's brand image to new bettors in operating markets. In May 2021, BetMGM signed a deal with the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
to become the official gaming partner of the NFL team.
On November 8, 2021, BetMGM, along with 8 other sports gaming operators, were awarded sports betting licenses by the
New York State Gaming Commission. New York will be the largest sports gaming market in the United States when operators launch their applications in 2022. Additionally, on the same day, BetMGM agreed to a multi-year marketing partnership with
Madison Square Garden Sports and will become an official sports gaming sponsor for both the
New York Knicks of the NBA and
New York Rangers of the NHL.
On September 14, 2022, BetMGM entered into a naming rights agreement with
NJ Transit to becoming the
naming sponsor of the
Meadowlands Rail Line for $3 million over the next 3 years. The rail line is a special event shuttle train that offers rail service to and from
MetLife Stadium only during
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
and
New York Jets home football games, as well as major concerts and other sporting events.
MGM Resorts International properties
All U.S. properties (excluding golf courses and where otherwise indicated) are fully owned by
Vici Properties and operated by MGM through a long-term
triple net lease agreement.
Las Vegas Strip
*
Bellagio (leased from
The Blackstone Group)
*
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (leased from Blackstone, Cherng Family Trust, and Stonepeak Partners)
*
CityCenter (leased from Blackstone)
**
Aria Resort & Casino
**
Vdara
*
Park MGM
*
New York-New York
*
T-Mobile Arena (42.5% ownership stake by MGM Resorts International)
*
MGM Grand Las Vegas (Blackstone 49.9% ownership)
**
MGM Grand Garden Arena
** Skylofts at MGM Grand
** The Mansion at MGM Grand
**
The Signature at MGM Grand
*
Excalibur
*
Luxor
Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''.
Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-ai ...
*
Mandalay Bay (Blackstone 49.9% ownership)
**
Delano Las Vegas
**
Mandalay Bay Convention Center
Mandalay Bay Convention Center is attached to the Mandalay Bay resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The facility is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. It is among the largest convention centers in the U.S.
It ...
**
Michelob Ultra Arena
Mississippi
*
Beau Rivage –
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated pop ...
*
Gold Strike Casino Resort –
Tunica Resorts, Mississippi
China
* Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality – China (joint venture with
Diaoyutai State Guesthouse)
**
Bellagio Shanghai –
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
** Diaoyutai Boutique Hotel Chengdu –
Chengdu
** Diaoyutai Hotel Hangzhou –
Hangzhou
Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, wh ...
**
MGM Grand Sanya
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...
–
Sanya
* MGM China –
Macau, China (56% ownership stake)
**
MGM Cotai –
Cotai
**
MGM Macau –
Sé
Other properties
*
Borgata –
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
*
MGM Grand Detroit –
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
(98% ownership stake)
*
MGM National Harbor
MGM National Harbor is a casino hotel in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. It opened on December 8, 2016, constructed at a cost of $1.4 billion. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International.
...
–
National Harbor, Maryland
*
MGM Northfield Park –
Northfield, Ohio
*
MGM Springfield
MGM Springfield is a hotel and casino complex situated in the heart of Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Opening on August 24, 2018 in a block of buildings that are historically or culturally influential to Springfield, it ...
–
Springfield, Massachusetts
*
Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino
Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, Ne ...
–
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...
Golf courses
* Dragon Ridge Country Club –
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
* Fallen Oak Golf Course –
Saucier, Mississippi
*
Primm Valley Golf Club –
Nipton, California
* Reflection Bay Golf Course –
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
*
Shadow Creek Golf Course –
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
Former properties
*
Boardwalk Hotel and Casino –
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
, Nevada
*
Circus Circus Las Vegas
**
Adventuredome
**
Slots-A-Fun Casino
*
Circus Circus,
Reno, Nevada
*
Colorado Belle,
Laughlin, Nevada
*
Desert Inn
*
Edgewater,
Laughlin, Nevada
*
Gold Strike Hotel and Gambling Hall,
Jean, Nevada
*
Golden Nugget Las Vegas
*
Golden Nugget Laughlin
*
Grand Victoria Casino Elgin –
Elgin, Illinois (50% joint venture with
Hyatt)
*
Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas
The Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas, formerly the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas, is a 47-story luxury hotel and condominium building in the CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is managed by Hilton Worldwide as part of the W ...
*
MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park
*
MGM Grand Air
*
MGM Grand Darwin
Mindil Beach Casino & Resort is a casino in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, owned and operated by Delaware North. It is the only casino in Darwin.
History Don Casino (1979–83)
The first casino in Darwin, and the second in Australia, ...
–
Darwin
Darwin may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection
* Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...
,
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Au ...
, Australia
*
MGM Grand at Foxwoods
Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel and casino complex owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casinos have more t ...
*
MGM Grand Ho Tram Strip
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...
–
Xuyen Moc, Vietnam
*
The Mirage
*
Nevada Landing Hotel and Casino –
Jean, Nevada
*
Primm Valley Resorts
*
Railroad Pass,
Henderson, Nevada
*
Sands Hotel and Casino
*
Silver Legacy,
Reno, Nevada (50% owner in partnership with
Eldorado Resorts)
*
The Shops at Crystals
*
Treasure Island Hotel and Casino –
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
, Nevada
*
Las Vegas Festival Grounds
*
Las Vegas Village
MGM International Aviation
The MGM Resorts International Aviation fleet comprises five aircraft (as of March 2020):
Staff and management
The company's top executives include:
James Murren, chairman and chief executive officer;
Bill Hornbuckle, president of global casino marketing;
Brian Sandoval, president of global gambling development;
Corey I. Sanders
Corey Sanders has served as Chief Operating Officer of MGM Resorts International since June 2010. He oversees operations at the Company’s wholly owned properties, which in Nevada include Bellagio (resort), MGM Grand Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay, The ...
, chief operating officer; and John McManus, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary.
As of 2015, according to the company, among the company's management ranks, more than 38 percent are minorities and nearly 43 percent are women. The company has received wide recognition for its diversity and inclusion initiatives, such as: 40 Best Companies for Diversity (Black Enterprise Magazine),
Top 10 Companies for Latinos (DiversityInc Magazine),
Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality (Human Rights Campaign Foundation),
Top 10 Regional Companies(DiversityInc)
and Top Corporation for Women's Business Enterprises (Women's Business Enterprise National Council).
''Fortune'' magazine named MGM Resorts one of the World's Most Admired Companies in 2017.
Controversy
MGM Resorts International received criticism for filing a lawsuit on July 18, 2018 against survivors and relatives of victims slain in the October 1,
2017 Las Vegas shooting. MGM has claimed that, because it utilized the security services of
Contemporary Services Corporation, a vendor certified by the
Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-te ...
at the time of the October 1 shooting, any proceedings should be held in federal court where MGM is shielded from liability by the
, also known as the Safety Act. MGM said they are insured for $751 million towards the settlement of the lawsuit which MGM believes will be settled in May 2020. Robert Englet, an attorney to some of the survivors, describes the countersuit as an attempt to get a more favorable judge. Brian Claypool, another attorney of the survivors', called the lawsuits a “public relations nightmare”. MGM's controversial action prompted a public outcry from survivors of the shooting, family members of the victims, lawmakers, and media members in New York State urging the
New York State Gaming Commission to block MGM from completing its $850 million deal to purchase
Empire City Casino and
Yonkers Raceway in
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...
, which deal had been scheduled to close in January 2019. In October 2019, MGM agreed to pay victims and survivors up to $800 million.
Awards and recognition
The company continues to receive wide recognition for its diversity and inclusion initiatives, such as: 40 Best Companies for Diversity (''Black Enterprise Magazine'') in 2012,
Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality (
Human Rights Campaign Foundation) in 2013,
[ " Human Rights Campaign". Retrieved 23 January 2014.] Top 10 Regional Companies (''DiversityInc'') in 2014,
Top 10 Companies for Latinos (''DiversityInc Magazine''),
and top 100 Companies for MBA Students (Universum Global) in 2014.
''
Fortune'' has named MGM Resorts one of the World's Most Admired Companies.
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1986 establishments in Nevada
Companies based in Paradise, Nevada
Gambling companies established in 2000
Hospitality companies established in 2000
Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Gambling companies of the United States
Hospitality companies of the United States
Las Vegas Aces owners