20/20
20 Years of History and 20 of America's most influential gaming resorts
By Rob Wiser

These days, the gaming industry—and customer expectations—have gotten to a point where virtually every new casino-hotel is remarkable in some way. Operators aren't content to open properties that are merely going to be competitive in their markets; everyone wants to raise the bar and command the spotlight.

But as we look back over the last two decades, certain properties did more than make a temporary splash; they were revolutionary. In some cases, they instantly dominated their markets and have remained on top to this day. Others introduced groundbreaking concepts that changed the way future resorts would be built.

With this in mind, here are Casino Player's picks for the 20 most influential casinos that have opened in the United States within the past 20 years. Bear in mind, this 20-year rule excludes properties that debuted prior to 1988—such as Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and Tropicana and Resorts in Atlantic City. (Not to mention the historic properties that shaped early Las Vegas, such as the Flamingo, the Sands, etc.)

Also note, we didn't rank these properties in order of importance. The order in which they appear is arbitrary—although we figured we might as well kick things off with the one that launched the modern era of gaming resorts.

Prior to 1989, gaming properties in Las Vegas were all about the gambling. Essentially, they were casinos with hotels tacked on—and the bosses didn't want the rooms to be too cozy, lest they encourage guests to relax upstairs and avoid the slots and tables.

Steve Wynn blew up this model when he unveiled The Mirage. He described his $630 million vision (an unprecedented cost at the time) as a resort hotel that included a casino—not the other way around. A virtual city within itself, this 3,049-room, $630 million marvel featured tourist attractions such as white tigers, a rainforest, and a 54-foot-tall volcano that spewed fire and steam. High rollers were drawn to its spectacular shows, exclusive retail shops, spas, pools, and of course, its colossal, exquisite casino.

Doubters expected Wynn's massive gamble to be a bust. Nevada no longer enjoyed a monopoly on casino gambling, and the idea of filling a 3,000-room hotel night after night seemed impossible. But Wynn knew that the rise of casinos around the country was only whetting people's appetites for the main course: Las Vegas.

The Mirage broke industry records by winning more than $40 million from gamblers in its first month. The astounding success of the Mirage ignited a building boom along the Las Vegas Strip. From then on, resorts with thousands of luxurious hotel rooms and exciting attractions became the rule, rather than the exception.

By 1998, the Vegas Strip was dominated by elaborately themed megaresorts. Steve Wynn once again outdid them all by opening Bellagio, a $1.6 billion Italian-inspired wonder, which featured luxury stores, world-class restaurants, a man-made lake filled with water fountains choreographed to music, and an art gallery worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Although Wynn hasn't controlled the Bellagio in years—MGM Mirage acquired it in 2000—his influence and impeccable taste is still felt across the property. Even after the 2005 arrival of Wynn Las Vegas, his most ambitious and expensive hotel-casino venture to date, many feel that Bellagio is still the most elegant gaming property ever created.

Located in Paradise Island in the Bahamas, Atlantis features the largest and most lavish casino in the sun-splashed Caribbean. Just outside are some of the world's most beautiful beaches, as well as Marina Village, an outdoor district of shops and high-end restaurants.

Themed after the mythical "lost continent," Atlantis serves up opulence on a grand scale. It boasts the world's largest open-air marine environment, with 11 million gallons of water providing a habitat for some 50,000 sea creatures. A $15 million marina welcomes high rollers arriving by yacht, while an outdoor pool complex features man-made lagoons, waterfalls, and a towering waterslide built into the side of a mock-Mayan temple.

Atlantis VIPs have access to one of the most extraordinary suites in the world: the 6,000-square-foot Bridge Suite, a "mansion in the sky" that occupies the archway that connects the Royal Tower's east and west wings.

Another benefit for high rollers is the One & Only Beach Club, which Kerzner International operates on Paradise Island. (The One & Only franchise also includes secluded, super-posh resorts in Mexico and Dubai.) The Ocean Club features ocean front villas with garden courtyards, infinity pools, and full-service kitchens where private chefs prepare your meals.

In 1997, The Rio arrived with much fanfare just around the corner from the Vegas Strip, taking its place among the new breed of megaresorts that had made Las Vegas the top tourist destination in the world. Infused with the spirit of a Brazilian Carnavale festival, this high-energy property—featuring red-and-purple neon towers—brought a new level of excitement to scene, and catered towards local gamblers and tourists alike.

Throughout the day, tourists are delighted by the suspended parade floats that form the Masquerade Show in the Sky. Meanwhile, the Rio's hand-picked cast of "bevertainers" perform song-and-dance numbers on elevated stages around the vast casino, in between serving drinks to gamblers.

The Rio's sky-high VooDoo Lounge is one of the top spots in town for soaking up glittering views of the Strip, while downstairs, attractions include the Chippendales Theatre and Penn & Teller's hilariously twisted magic show. Meanwhile, its sprawling pool area offers a tropical paradise in the heart of the desert. Its long list of restaurants includes the Carnival World Buffet, the biggest and best in town.

Unbeknownst to all but the most elite VIPs, the Rio also contains the Palazzo Suites, boasting some of the most extravagant accommodations in the world. The resort built these nine mega-suites at a cost of more than $85 million, housing them in a private building connected to the main resort.

Just two months after the September 11 terrorist attacks caused Las Vegas' tourism numbers to plummet, George Maloof opened the boutique-sized Palms resort on Flamingo Road, across from the Rio. Costing a relatively modest $285 million and containing only 430 hotel rooms, the Palms had its doubters at first. Maloof took the unusual tact of trying to appeal to two distinctly different demographics: local gamblers, as well as the Hollywood-celebrity crowd and young, hip tourists.

Maloof backed up his bet with marketing savvy. He was the first Vegas casino operator to allow TV cameras behind the scenes, when MTV filmed the 2002 season of its show "The Real World" at the Palms. In the years that followed, Maloof routinely found new ways to generate publicity and position the Palms as the hippest gaming property in the world—from the construction of the 53-story Fantasy Tower and its out-of-this-world suites (including one with a basketball court, and another with a full-sized bowling alley), to partnering with Hugh Hefner to bring back the first Playboy Club in 25 years.

Among the property's more recent revelations is the high-tech Pearl concert venue, which is wired to a recording studio on the premises to allow the hottest stars in music to record live albums. Today, the Palms' influence is felt not only in Las Vegas, but around the country. One of the prerequisites for building a major new property is including trendy lounges and nightclubs—and rather than shrouding their operations in secrecy, casinos now jump at the opportunity to welcome TV and movie crews and generate publicity. Venetian

The $1.5 billion Venetian debuted in 1999. With its singing gondoliers and architecture inspired by the old-world charm of Venice, not only was it one of the most magnificent structures ever built—it also broke new ground by turning Las Vegas into a top international destination for conventions and trade shows. Sheldon Adelson, who also owned the adjacent Sands Expo Convention Center, appealed to business travelers with his massive "all-suite" hotel, which commanded high rates during the week from its white-collar clientele.

The Venetian's gorgeously appointed gaming floor also did outstanding business and attracted many a whale—particularly Asian players, who receive lavish perks such as the exclusive Paiza Club. This unique hybrid of convention business and a fully loaded mega resort—which would eventually include TAO, the hottest nightclub-restaurant in the country—made The Venetian an incredibly successful multi-faceted destination. Since then, convention and meeting spaces has become a standard feature of Las Vegas resorts, though many of the largest events are still headquartered at The Venetian.

On January 17, 2008 Adelson opened the $1.8 billion Palazzo, a stand-alone casino-hotel, which is connected to The Venetian. Combined with the Convention Center, this forms the largest hotel and resort complex in the world, offering a mind-boggling 7,128 hotel rooms and suites.

In 1973, tycoon Kirk Kerkorian built the original MGM Grand, which later became Bally's. Twenty years later he opened a new version at a cost of more than $800 million. The unprecedented 5,000-room-project went from blueprints to reality in only three years.

In the beginning, the "new" MGM Grand was family-oriented, themed after the mythical Land of Oz and featuring a 33-acre amusement park. The park was eventually scrapped, and the atmosphere was revamped to give the resort a sexier, more sophisticated appeal.

Today, MGM Grand still offers plenty of attractions for families, while also courting the young, trendy crowd and high-rolling jetsetters with some of the city's hottest shows and nightclubs. Tucked away in a hidden corner of the grounds is The Mansion, a complex of 29 private villas reserved for the world's biggest gamblers. The property also receives constant buzz due to the spectacular events occurring in its MGM Grand Garden Arena, ranging from concerts by the Rolling Stones and Madonna to championship boxing matches.

In 1991, Circus Circus Enterprises, Inc., creator of Las Vegas' Circus Circus and Excalibur hotel-casinos, announced its most ambitious project yet: a pyramid-shaped megaresort inspired by ancient Egypt.

Every detail would be as historically accurate as possible, from the Egyptian artistry throughout the casino to museum-quality exhibits. Naturally, being that this was Las Vegas, it would also feature high-tech razzle-dazzle: the peak of the pyramid was built to blast a 40 billion candlepower light beam into the heavens, so powerful that it was visible to pilots 250 miles away.

The Luxor opened in October 1993. Inside its 2,501-room pyramid, "inclinators" (rather than elevators) ferried guests up to their rooms, traveling along the sloping walls. The ground floor contained a massive 100,000-square-foot casino, while the building's roof provided the attractions level, with rides including a motion simulator and a 3-D movie theatre.

In its first year of operation, eight million people visited the Luxor, generating $90 million in pre-tax profits and making it the most successful Circus Circus property. In recent years, the Luxor completed extensive renovations that have modernized its offerings—including chic nightlife venues and a Cirque Du Soleil extravaganza featuring illusionist Criss Angel.

Famed New York City real estate developer Donald Trump initially made his move into the Atlantic City gaming business in the early 1980s, partnering with Harrah's to create Harrah's at Trump Plaza. (Harrah's later sold its interest). He went on to open Trump Castle (now Trump Marina) in 1985, and in 1990, he introduced a property which truly epitomized what the Trump brand had come to stand for.

The exotic Trump Taj Mahal, which cost nearly $1 billion, immediately dominated the Atlantic City market. Visitors were greeted by seven two-ton elephants carved from stone. $14 million worth of German crystal chandeliers sparkled throughout the property, while an entire two-year output of Northern Italy's Carrera marble quarries were poured into the hotel's lobby, guest rooms, casino, hallways and public areas.

"The Taj" boasted one of the largest gaming floors in the country, as its high roller guests enjoyed the amazing mega-suites upstairs. The restaurants were similarly high-end and dramatic, including the Safari Steakhouse, with its wild-jungle motif.

The Taj's rooms and suites have since been renovated, along with its restaurants and casino, which now features one of the largest poker rooms in Atlantic City. Later this year, the new 39-story Chairman Tower will expand Trump Taj Mahal's inventory by 786 rooms, including 70 gorgeous suites with ocean views. This $250 million project is part of the Taj's latest series of renovations, which also include 15 "Raja" suites, new restaurants, and guest room upgrades.

Atlantic City welcomed its first billion-dollar megaresort in July 2003, the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa. This joint venture between Boyd Gaming and MGM Mirage was the first new hotel property to debut in the market in 13 years. It was well worth the wait. Borgata featured 2,000 elegantly appointed rooms, fine dining, big-city nightlife, and most importantly, a sophisticated, sensual vibe that put a sexy polish on the town's dated reputation.

Marketed as the East Coast epicenter of hipster style, Borgata managed to attract a young, urban market of affluent non-gamers, while luring many of Atlantic City's high rollers to its doors. The property also took local dining to a new level, with restaurants by celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Michael Mina and Wolfgang Puck.

Borgata's game-changing design—and instant dominance of the market—caused the rest of the city's casinos to rethink and expand their offerings, a trend that continues to this day with the opening of new hotel towers and high-end restaurants and nightclubs.

In February 1992, Indian gaming soared to a new level with the debut of Foxwoods. Owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, New England's first resort casino quickly grew into the largest and most profitable gaming resort in the world.

If you've never visited this gigantic facility, it may be hard for you to wrap your head around the idea that the biggest hotel-casino in the country isn't found in Las Vegas, but in sleepy southeastern Connecticut. Yet Foxwoods is extraordinary not only for its size but for its elegance, luxuries and endless list of venues and amenities.

Foxwoods recently added an all-new casino-hotel, the $700 million MGM Grand at Foxwoods. This stand-alone resort (which is physically connected to Foxwoods) boasts a 30-floor hotel tower with 826 rooms and suites, along with a spa, a 4,000-seat theater; additional nightclubs, lounges and restaurants, and a full-scale casino—which raised the overall complex's total number of slots to nearly 9,000, along with 425 table games!

Back in 1995, the Hard Rock Hotel burst onto the Vegas landscape as the casino world's equivalent of a Jimi Hendrix guitar solo—innovative, explosive, and deeply influencing a new generation of players.

Owner Peter Morton had created the first Las Vegas property geared towards the "Gen-X" crowd. Rock music pumped in its casino 24/7. A nightclub was soon added, Baby's, which boasted energy—and a celebrity clientele—that could measure up against any A-list hangout in New York or Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the top names in rock n' roll regularly blew the roof off its intimate showroom, The Joint.

Over the years, the Hard Rock remained on the cutting edge by transforming Baby's into the fabulously decadent Body English nightclub, while introducing daytime pool parties on Sundays, known as "Rehab," which became one of the hottest tickets in Las Vegas.

Last year, Morton sold the property to Morgan's Hotel Group for $770 million. Morgan's launched ambitious expansion and renovation plans which will dramatically increase the size of the property, while preserving its authentic sense of rock n' roll cool.

Detroit, the fifth-largest gambling market in the United States, finally accomplished its mission to introduce full-scale, permanent gaming resorts when MGM Grand Detroit opened in October 2007.

For the state's gamblers and pro-gaming lobbyists, the opening of this property felt long overdue. Way back in 1996, Michigan voters approved operation of three casinos in the city's downtown core. The agreement allowed three operators to open temporary gaming facilities while they worked out the details to create permanent, Las Vegas-style gaming resorts within four years.

The temporary casinos opened, but the rest of the plan was delayed by legal challenges. Finally, MGM Grand Detroit managed to open its permanent complex last year in the heart of the downtown district—only 20 minutes from Detroit Metro Airport and near Ford Field and Comerica Park, home of the NFL's Detroit Lions and baseball's Detroit Tigers. The resort boasted upscale rooms, restaurants run by celebrity chefs, and a massive 100,000-square-foot casino.

As the city's other two gaming properties, MotorCity and Greektown, complete their own permanent complexes, the success of MGM Grand Detroit points towards a bright future for the region's industry.

Beau Rivage opened in 1999 in Biloxi, Mississippi as a glorious 1,780-room hotel-casino—the largest gaming property in the United States outside of Nevada.

The brainchild of Steve Wynn, the $685 million resort immediately became the region's gold standard. He opened the Beau Rivage in 1999 at a cost of around $685 million, building the waterfront property on a scale that was totally unprecedented for the region. (Trivia fact: Wynn originally planned to use the name Beau Rivage, which means "beautiful shore" in French, for his Bellagio resort in Vegas.)

Local laws required its casino to be based on a huge floating barge, which was connected to a land-based facility. This worked out just fine until August 29, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. Beau Rivage suffered extensive damage and was shut down, along with the region's 11 other gaming resorts.

But thanks to a monumental effort by parent company MGM Mirage (which had acquired the property when it purchased Wynn's company in 2000), Beau Rivage managed to reopen exactly one year to the day that the hurricane struck. And rather than simply repair the damage to the property, MGM Mirage invested $550 million to renovate and improve virtually every aspect. Additions included a magnificent poker room, a world-class golf course, and new restaurants and nightlife. In addition, all of its hotel rooms were remodeled, as was its casino.

The stunning resurgence of Beau Rivage signaled that the Gulf Coast gaming industry wasn't just going to repair itself; tragedy created an opportunity to return even bigger and better than before. Companies are currently spending billions on new resorts; it's been projected that by 2010, there will be 15 casino resorts on the Gulf and it will be an international tourist destination.

Beyond the casinos, the region is looking to expand its non-gaming attractions dramatically, with the inclusion of new retail complexes, condos, golf courses, and other attractions.

This riverboat casino operated by Harrah's Entertainment originally opened in 1998 as Caesars Indiana, located across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. The complex was centered around a four-deck riverboat, The Glory of Rome (now called The Legend), which was the world's largest riverboat casino and cost $50 million to construct.

The 93,000-square-foot casino within the riverboat is capable of holding 5,223 passengers and a crew of 101, with 3,600 gaming positions, 2,800 slot machines, and over 140 gaming tables. Anyone who still equates "riverboat casinos" with small, congested gambling joints needs to experience this fantastic complex.

In Las Vegas, "locals casinos"—those budget-friendly properties geared towards the local population, rather than tourists—have been around for decades. Stations Casinos became the dominant player in this segment of the industry, and in 2001 they took the concept to a new level with the opening Green Valley Ranch.

This $300 million hotel-casino, co-owned by the Greenspun family (a major force in the local publishing industry), was the most expensive and lavish locals property to date, earning the AAA Four Diamond Award.

Located in the upscale community of Henderson, about five miles southeast of the airport, it features almost 500 luxurious hotel rooms and a 55,000-square-foot casino, as well as sophisticated Strip-style amenities such as gourmet restaurants, a heated swimming pool with private cabanas, tennis courts, and a salon and spa. Three championship golf courses surround the property.

In addition, Green Valley Ranch contains The Whiskey, a chic nightclub with an 8-acre "Whiskey Beach" where you can play blackjack under the stars or watch concerts. The complex includes The District, a pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined shopping area featuring upscale retail shops, restaurants, office space, and luxury lofts.

The success of Green Valley Ranch—which caters to local gamblers, while also attracting the likes of Brad Pitt and George Clooney to its ultra-hip bars and clubs—paved the way for Stations Casinos to construct the enormous Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa, the first billion-dollar resort built off the Strip. Like Green Valley Ranch, Red Rock combines the comfort of a neighborhood hangout with sizzling nightlife and all the perks you'd expect of a top Vegas resort.

There was a time when horse racing was the only legal form of gaming in many states. But as casinos began to spread throughout the country, along with the arrival of gaming cruises, many gamblers abandoned the tracks.

Then, the "Sport of Kings" was revitalized by the advent of racinos. This is the term invented to describe pari-mutuel racing tracks that have added slot machines. In 1995, Iowa created the original racino when it allowed an ailing racecourse named Prairie Meadows to add slot machines. In a single weekend, its slots took in nearly $1 million.

This turnaround prompted racetracks across the country to install their own slots, and the resulting revenue enabled the tracks to expand. Some built hotel facilities, gourmet restaurants and showrooms that featured star headliners. The influx of slot revenue also did wonders for the sport of horse racing, as the tracks were able to offer larger purses and attract top competitors.

The Seminoles were the first U.S. tribe to get into the gaming business in a big way, opening a high-stakes Indian bingo hall in Florida in 1979. By prevailing over legal challenges from the state, they encouraged other tribes to build casinos on their own reservations.

But the Seminoles were more ambitious than most. In 2003 the tribe unveiled Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, boasting a 90,000-square-foot casino that stayed open around the clock. The resort's hotel earned a Four Diamond rating from AAA, while its emphasis on nightlife and entertainment made it one of the premier after-dark hot spots in Tampa.

The tribe followed by opening Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood in 2004. Among its outstanding amenities are a lavish pool area and a tremendous outdoor retail and entertainment complex, Seminole Paradise.

These two properties (which we combined into one for the purposes of our Top 20) paved the way for the tribe to announce a landmark deal in 2005, when the Seminoles purchased the whole Hard Rock Café business for $965 million. The transaction included 124 Hard Rock Cafes, four Hard Rock Hotels, two Hard Rock Casino Hotels, two Hard Rock Live! concert venues, and stakes in three unbranded hotels, along with some 70,000 pieces of rock n' roll memorabilia.

Formerly known as Grand Casino Tunica, Harrah's Tunica is a sprawling resort destination located just 20 minutes south of Memphis, Tennessee. It's the largest casino between Las Vegas and Atlantic City, featuring a 140,000-square-foot gaming floor; three luxury hotels; a Hale Irwin-designed golf course; a full-service spa and salon; and a variety of restaurants, including the Paula Deen Buffet—whom you may recognize from the Food Network—marking the first time a celebrity chef has designed a casino buffet.

The casino itself was built in 1996 by Grand Casinos Inc., headed by Lyle Berman, a pioneer in developing gaming resorts on Native American reservations and in Mississippi. After some ownership changes, it fell under the control of Harrah's Entertainment in 2005. Last year, Harrah's announced $45 million worth of renovations and renamed the property Harrah's Casino Tunica.

You'll notice that in this story—as in my other story in this issue about the last 20 years of gaming—any history of the industry's last two decades comes back to Steve Wynn.

Flush with capital after selling his company Mirage Resorts in 2000—and always an enticing figure to Wall Street—Wynn mounted his comeback with Wynn Las Vegas, which required him to buy—and implode—the Desert Inn.

In April 2005 he opened Wynn Las Vegas, a 2,715-room resort that cost $2.7 billion. (That's $1 billion or so more than Bellagio cost, which was considered unbelievably expensive only eight years earlier.)

But Steve Wynn isn't one to fret over an extra billion if it means delivering a jaw-dropping experience. Once again, his latest resort trumped the skeptics while racking-up industry awards—particularly for its restaurants, which include some of the finest in the world. But beyond the incredibly extravagant amenities, Wynn Las Vegas—which claims the tallest hotel building on the Las Vegas Strip—also introduced a number of firsts to the gaming industry.

It was the first Vegas casino to combine the room key and the casino player's club into one card. (How come no one else thought of this?) Then there's the car dealership adjacent to the casino, selling Ferraris and Maseratis. (What better way to impress your girlfriend after scoring huge at the blackjack tables?) Wynn was also among the first casinos to install RFID tags inside chips to detect counterfeiting and track play with far greater accuracy.

But the biggest surprise was the private nature of the resort. The previous three resorts that had made him a Vegas legend—Mirage, Treasure Island, and Bellagio—all featured elaborate outdoor attractions (a volcano, battling pirate ships, and a dancing lake) that were designed to draw in passers-by. But this latest resort was shielded from public view by a man-made mountain and forests. You had to venture inside to see what Steve Wynn had in store for you.

Soon he will unveil Encore, a $2 billion-plus, 2,034-room hotel project adjacent to Wynn Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Wynn Macau, located in the red-hot Chinese gambling enclave, has brought his unmistakable brand of high-end luxury to the most important new gaming frontier of the 21rst century.

There you have it: 20 years, and 20 hotel-casinos that raised the bar and motivated the properties that followed to take their concepts, and budgets, to the next level. So how do you top the world's biggest riverboat, the hippest resort in Atlantic City, and the multi-billion dollar marvels on the Las Vegas Strip? Stay tuned…because I'm sure there are plans on the drawing board right now.