The Battle for Las Vegas 

"While mom and dad gamble upstairs, the kids go downstairs to the arcade" responsible parenting right there

As a non-American, Las Vegas looks like such a surreal place

I like how the video game, Fallout New Vegas, depicted the hotels as being ganglike factions competing for power, with one being ran by a mafia, another by cannibals, and one ran by a senior citizen with bloodthirsty robots. The House always Wins 💰

I'm so glad that the 0.1% can avoid federal tax, I was worried for a moment that casinos might have to close down

Crazy how many monopolies exist where we might not even realize it. Love the visuals you did for this, really easy to get a sense of how everything shifted around until we got to how everything is today!

About a year ago, I was super drunk in Vegas trying to get back to my hotel and I kept walking around in circles because I kept seeing MGM on everything and thinking I was still all the way back at the actual MGM Grand hotel. I'm actually very familiar with where everything is on the strip and I don't get confused or disoriented if I'm not extremely drunk. But I was, so it was hopeless. I had to literally just sober up enough to realize the MGM logos were on other casinos, I'm not all the way back at the MGM Grand.

I do agree heavily that Vegas is like GTA. It really feels like it having lived here for years. People drive fancy cars with total disregard for traffic laws, there's crazy guns and many people are armed, there's constantly helicopters including police copters flying around, an airforce base nearby so sometimes you see jets in the sky, and the whole culture is over the top. Even our billboards are completely ridiculous, crazier than anything I saw growing up 18 years in the Midwest. I once saw a digital billboard go from an ad for beer, to an ad for guns, to an ad for a Marijuana dispensary. Doing all those together is a felony but on a billboard in vegas? A typical Tuesday 😅

This is literally a Monopoly game in real-life. Another thing, these resorts are in Paradise, a town created in 1950 so that the resorts WOULDN'T pay taxes to the city of Las Vegas. Vegas tried to absorb the strip that year, and then the state government itself tried absorbing the strip for Vegas in 1975 and also failed. Something else to note: When Treasure Island opened, it became the first Las Vegas resort to house a Cirque du Soleil show, called Mystère. Thus, this changed Vegas entertainment forever as more Cirque du Soleil resident shows dominated. O would later join at the Bellagio in 1998 with the feat of being Cirque's first aquatic show, then Zumanity at the New York-New York in 2003 (since retired in 2020 and replaced with the show Mad Apple), Kà at MGM Grand in 2004, The Beatles Love at The Mirage in 2006, Criss Angel Believe at Luxor in 2008 (retired in 2016), Viva Elvis at Aria in 2009 (retired in 2012 and replaced with Zarkana which retired in 2016), and Michael Jackson: One at Mandalay Bay in 2013.

I would love to see a full history from say the 1960's to the present Las Vegas Strip. Showing what was where and when it was built and destroyed would be really impactful.

One takeaway from this is companies can't make up their minds on a name

I literally just realized the Caesar's Legion being a faction in New Vegas was a reference to Caesar Entertainment.

War never changes. The battle for the Mojave strip raged on. Caesar’s Entertainment and The MGM continued to skirmish in the ruins of New Vegas, taking no prisoners. Only a courier, with luck 10, shot in the head by some junkie in Fremont, could bring change…

As a vegas native this honestly blew me back at a few points and made my jaw drop. The fact the battle is alot deeper is amazing great work!

The history of Las Vegas is fascinating. I've been there maybe a dozen times, a few times for pleasure and the rest for work. To think that the old popular part of Vegas was it's downtown by the 1970's or 1980's, the strip became the hot spot while downtown began to die out. The strip even pivoted in the 90's to family friendly only to drop that a few short years later. When I first went to Vegas around 2005, downtown (Freemont Street) was dead and old. Looks nothing like today -- it was mostly seniors and locals. By around 2010 when I next went to Freemont, I saw some changes happening with new hotels plus the light show. It still didn't draw huge crowds like today but on my next trip to Freemont around 2015ish, it was a hot spot. Numerous improvements and modifications. It looked nothing like a decade before. Today, Freemont St is a must stop even for one day if you're visiting the strip. The light show is a great fun experience, there are at least 3 stages playing live music and sometimes even famous acts. I saw Shaggy perform for an hour for free with thousands of people watching. Step away from downtown or the strip, and you have some areas serving great food. To the west of the strip is a huge area of great Asian food -- Chinese, Japanese and Korean. There are also great Mexican restaurants throughout the city. And from Vegas you can go to the lowest spot in the Americas which is the hottest place in the world -- Death Valley. Hoover Dam is a very popular half day trip for tourists and it's a must do. Or hit the mountains nearby, especially the beatiful Valley of Fire park.

There's also Las Vegas Sands who owned the Venetian and Palazzo before selling them to Vici in 2021 to focus on Macau. As successful as Vegas is, it's still nothing compared to its Asian rival Macau who is one of the richest territories/countries in the world. Las Vegas Sands replicated the Strip by using landfill to combine Coloane and Taipa, and built a way bigger Venetian there, as well as The Londoner and The Parisian. Other chains like Wynn and even MGM have opened resorts there. This creation of the Cotai Strip has boosted Macau's economy. Gambling being banned in Mainland China also plays a role.

Four years have passed since MGM Resorts held the Dam - just barely - against Caesars Entertainment onslaught. The Legion did not retreat. Across the river, it gathers strength. Campfires burned, training drums beat. Through it all, the Vegas Strip has stayed open for business under the control of its mysterious overseer, Mr. House. And his army of rehabilitated Tribals and police robots. You are a courier, hired by the Mojave Express, to deliver a package to the Vegas Strip. What seemed like a simple delivery job has taken a turn ...for the worse.

I never heard anyone pronounce "Bally's" as "Baileys" Baileys is something you might find in a cocktail!

The Mirage acquisition from MGM by Hard Rock International was finalized in 2022; HRI now has a long-term lease with Vici. The property is in renovation and will be renamed Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. What wasn't mentioned was that Steve Wynn sold his Wynn Resorts company to MGM back in 2000. That's how MGM acquired the Mirage, Monte Carlo, Treasure Island, Bellagio, and Mandalay Bay. Good video overall (though the pronunciation of Bally's and Mirage was odd).

Caesar's has a smaller connector in Reno: Circus Circus, Silver Legacy and El Dorado. All three are quite busy for Burning Man.

I first went to Vegas in 1989 and then 1991. There was some growth then. But when I lived there from 2001 to 2015 to see the growth and change was tremendous on and off "The Strip". Even the Welcome To Las Vegas sign had to change and add parking because tourists were getting killed and or hurt crossing the street to take pictures.

This video only focused on MGM vs Ceasars, there are still other very important players in the strip that drove some decision makings, like Las Vegas Sands, Wynn and the new entrant named Genting

I live in Vegas, and it is interesting how interconnected so many of the casinos are, some even have trams connecting one another. Personally, if you want to stay at any specific resort/hotel/casino depending on your budget, caesar's palace and the venetian I believe are going to give you a pretty good bang for your buck. Nice rooms, facilities, casino floor, and shopping area, and hey, marble nude statues in caesars too. If you want to go expensive, Bellagio, Wynn, The Cosmopolitan now and the new Resorts World are fairly luxurious. Especially the two other hotels inside Resorts World and their separate casinos (its weird). Budget, Treasure Island, Mandalay Bay, and Planet Hollywood are fine. Planet Hollywood's miracle mile is kinda fun. I wouldn't want to stay downtown unless maybe you are staying at the Circa. Maybe you may want to visit it if you go to the strip, but it is a bit of a drive from downtown to the strip, but the small restaurants, container park, and the general area can be fun, particularly with friends. No gambling advice, I mean, slot machines are a waste of time, roulette is fun with people at the table, same with blackjack and especially craps. Poker can be stressful for some but can be fun for others. Budget yourself though, because every single thing at the strip is very expensive, even bottled water or a protein bar.

Excellent job on the story telling, presentation, high quality production. Anyone who wants to know about the subject, this video has it all.

I've been a regular Vegas visitor since 1978, so this type of content was very interesting. Great job!

I stayed at the Venetian - it took 25 mins to get from my room to outside, it was a myriad of mazes to ensure you won’t leave the place.

This is the best video explaining all of the acquisitions and mergers that I've ever seen. I remember this all happening in real time and didn't fully understand what exactly was going on. Thanks for the explanations

The most confusing thing is that Circus Circus in Las Vegas is an independent casino, but Circus Circus in Reno, is owned by Caesar’s Entertainment.

I just moved to Las Vegas from the east coast (where I grew up, I'm 33 now) and WOW what a crazy place to live. I moved into the Downtown area on Fremont Street and I have to say I'm glad I didn't commit fully to the strip. It's a whole different vibe up this way and I love it. Enjoying learning more about my newly adopted city with videos like this

The history and cultural impact of Vegas is fascinating, It's crazy to learn the actual business behind all these casinos which people never second guess are actually under the same corporations.

I live in Los Angeles and visit Vegas at least 3-4 times every year. And have done since about 1982 or maybe 1983. I don't gamble and visit for meetings and trade shows. Vegas is like Disney Land for adults. Love it. Very very interesting video, and what great graphics. Whoever did those need an Oscar.

I live in Vegas and the battle of the Strip is real- the battle of Las Vegas is intense when it comes to your entertainment dollar. When you look into who owns who and who leases what, its really eye opening and this is just the Strip. We haven't even started with Strip corridors, Downtown, and local casinos that add names like Red Rock Resorts/Stations Casinos, Boyd Gaming, even Indian/Native American casino operators Mohegan Sun (Virgin Hotel), San Manuel (Palms Resort), and the Seminoles (The Mirage soon to be Hard Rock).

I’ve just found this channel and I immediately subscribed. Great job, please do more films like this!

Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter

There is so much space out there, make a Vegas part 2.

I hate how they took out the interior themes even from the highly-themed buildings: Luxor had the Nile river, cocktail waitresses in Egyptian wigs, shirtless valets dressed as pharaohs with eye makeup and headdress, hieroglyphics on the interior walls, Nefertiti's Lounge, etc. Excalibur had medieval candelabras and room decor and themed shops too. They all become more generic. And the buffets have not be a great deal since the 1990s. Do they even still have buffets after Covid?

Excellent video, thank you. Big history lover here and this was really nice to see. Thank you so much!

Steve Wynn is the GOAT of casino design. That's why MGM casinos are superior to Caesars. And the Wynn is the classiest casino in Vegas.

Living here it’s so fascinating to me how everybody is so interested in this city

The same time I was watching this I was thinking about food in Canada because we think brands are different and think we do something but we’re still helping one main player grow. Thanks for the video. Life is a game of monopoly everywhere

what an absolutely incredible video. So entrancing and easy to follow, truly top notch stuff

This story clearly shows how capital works. Small businesses and BS like that have absolutely no any chances to survive because any capital always strives to capitalization or conglomeration (to become bigger), parallelly getting rid of all smaller and weaker competitors.

most of the Las Vegas Strip (the casions you talk about) is located in the unincorporated town of Paradise, which is separate from the City of Las Vegas

Very well done. I really enjoyed this documentary. Things change so quickly in Vegas it is hard to keep up - kudos!

Very well made video with great visuals for better understanding. Great work 👍

I laughed when the narrator pronounced (my workplace) Bally's as "Bailey's".😂

Ive been to the Excalibur before and lemme tell you, being in that huge shopping tunnel was so surreal. I remember so SO many side shows and activities it was almost overwhelming, we went in through the Castle casino and got out on the complete other side. Its almost impressive how much time flies while you're in there, I spent like 8 hours in there and it felt like 4.

A lot of work went into this. Thank you, Joey for sharing!

There could be something wrong with me, but there is nothing about Vegas that appeals to me at all.

I've been a Las Vegas resident since 1986 and have witnessed everything mentioned in this video. The video is very well put together. (Except the pronunciation of Bally's. BAH-lee. Rhymes with Tally. Taken from on old pinball machine called BallyHoo.)

This was interesting… I’ve spent a lot of time in Vegas and have stayed at several of the hotels on the strip and never knew any of this, but I am not surprised by it at all. Great video!

Probably one of my favorite videos on the site. Great editing, great storytelling, great subject.

My favorite thing about Vegas is being able to walk in hotels you don’t stay at.

Saw this on Nebula first. Neo never disappoints

Vegas is such a cyberpunk dystopia. I’ll never go there but I love learning about it. Almost every aspect feels so surreal.

Wow! Great educational video. I’ll be in Vegas in 2wks and will be looking at it with a new set of eyes 👀 Love to visit often as I have over the years and this really taught me something.

How the hell did you get all this amazing model flyover footage? Incredible.

Great visual representation for the Las Vegas Strip, especially with the high quality 3D of the hotels

Ayoo! My most recent trips suddenly make more sense now. What a doc! Thank you for researching this and making such an amazing vid!

It's mind blowing to see what Vegas has become. First time I visited in 1990, all they had was Excalibur, Tropicana, Flamingo, Mirage, Caesar's, Circus Circus, and a few others. Even people with money stayed at the lower end hotels. Now it seems to be all about prestige and bragging about where you stayed, vs having a good time.

It’s also really interesting to know if you look at all the events and shows that go into these hotels, all the A/V is done by one company, Encore Event Technologies. Those hotels and the money they make are actually mostly responsible for Encore still being alive today as many of their other properties around the world are failing. It’s a very interesting topic and I absolutely think it’s worth research

For someone that visit Vegas multiple times a year and now lives here is sure feels like a magical place.

Lots of great content here. Thank you for doing the research! I know it’s a lot of work.

This video was so well produced, the music, animation, it was compelling throughout 🔥💯

Technically speaking the strip is not in Las Vegas. It's actually in Paradise, Nevada

You always have the best quality! Can't wait to watch.

Seeing The Battle for Las Vegas and Caesar in the same context had me like "Fallout New Vegas, in the real..."

Omg I love this video!! I’ve been researching about vici properties and this gave me even a bigger picture about Las Vegas strips and the competitiveness

This is the first video I’ve watched on your channel. Love it

great video! Love the Animations of a city I thought I knew well, but never seen like that before.

I like learning about the background and backstory of things and I learned a lot here. Well put together too.

such a well made video, I wish I knew how to make videos like this

I've been waiting for this video my whole life

I love the artstyle the overhead view looks superb!!

Great Video. So well done for the content and the production. Kudos.

I'd heard that so many people coming to Las Vegas who aren't gamblers meant the price of everything isn't as subsidized as it used be, but the monopolistic practices of highly leveraged companies can't help either.

What happend to the good old days where several mafia families had casinos. Now it's just 2

Such a stunningly made video! This is so pretty! Amazing job.

_WoW_ .... Great video .. Very informative .... I never knew this.... Thank you.... _Keep up the great worK_

Yes while these mega resorts are battling people forget to notice Station and Boyd own huge chunks of land and casino operations in Las Vegas with Boyd owning 8 properties along with having a larger national presence than MGM Resorts.

(Early in view.) I remember as a kid, long before MGM bought the south end (and they had an amusement park that's now a parking garage), Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay (as per the example) were connected, but each one had a distinct feel, making it obvious when you shifted from one to the other. And as for interior walkways, the summer heat is cancer there. Also, who remembers that arcade at Excalibur and the dragon shows?

MGM Grand was already there but was damaged by a fire. It moved down The strip from it's original location. I love the clips of Old Las Vegas!!

i just went to vegas with my mom to celebrate my 18th birthday and we were SO disappointed. we paid for a nice room at the planet hollywood hotel and they literally didnt even give us blankets and we had to pay to use the hot tub. my mom said she almost wishes we stayed in a motel 6 because at least we would have known what to expect

This is one of the best use of google 3D view I’ve seen in a video

Back in the late 1980's through the 1990's I would go to Vegas 2, 3, and sometimes 4 times a year because the airfare from Maryland where I lived was in the range of about $200 to $250 per person round trip. And I joined all of the player's clubs so got really cheap room rates even though I was never a big gambler. While I never knew about all of the acquisitions and moves going on in the background, what I did notice was the strip was getting much too crowded. All of those new hotels with cheap room rates brought in a lot of people. And I also noticed that the slots got a lot tighter than they once were. I liked it much better when the "mob" ran the strip because they didn't care if you won $500 or $1,000 because they were still making money off the gambling. Its been about 5 years since I have been to Vegas now mainly because it way too crowded, you can't win any money (even small wins like $500 or so became rare), there are too many peddlers on the strip outside the hotels, people in costumes hawking photos, people selling water, and people selling time shares. And besides that the buffet prices, which at one time was a BIG draw for many, have now skyrocketed. I am so glad that I enjoyed the place before all of these changes.

This is an amazing documentary. You deserve millions of subscribers.

An interesting history. My favorites have changed over time. Alladins was my fav for quite a while and when they reconstructed it- wow, it was so nice and posh- it's nothing like that now. Caeser's was always a class act and still awesome, another one I enjoyed a lot but more when it was in the 90's than now. Mandalay was opulent when it first opened but has since been scaled down and isn't very nice anymore- a lot like the Rio. I still think, for older hotels= Luxor is hard to beat, it looks great and it's affordable. MGM was nicer too back then. I'd say Cosmo is my fav now and has been for a while.

Went to Vegas a little while back, I hate the entertainment there but I admit the architecture is insane

I was born and raised in that city for the first 26 years of my life, and have only last year moved away. My mom was an accountant there for over 30 years. My aunt and uncle and all of them still live there, my grandma lived there, my aunt's son's family, my little sister...several other adults moved on from childhood there. I cannot begin to describe the amount of bad influence that city has on people. Pretty much all of my close friends growing up(whose parents werent smart enough to move away when they could) have at least tried meth at some point. The school systems are constantly ranked horribly low and underfunded(even moreso than some states with major cities, and most states in general). Being a desert valley with lights and infrastructure pumped into it, it's literally a giant undying shithole whose only redeeming quality was decent work and cheap housing, but now it doesn't even have that. Before I moved away, 1200 people a DAY were moving in from LA and Chicago ALONE. Its also around the time they were building the raider's stadium, and the real estate market started foaming at the mouth. Section by section everyone's rent literally doubled. If you didnt buy a home within the last 20 years suddenly youre one of the fucked.

This video is amazing, and please update it every year as we all know they're going be more changes as the years a pass.

The visuals were fantastic! Such an interesting topic

I used to go annually to Vegas for a work conference. The Caesar's Palace Mall is cavernous and always seemed completely empty. Dead-Mall level empty almost, except the area where H&M and some other shops were.

One small thing, Bally rhymes with valley. It's not Bailey.

great video and the music goes well with the tone of each story!

I would love to get a playlist, the soundtrack sounds amazing!

So, Oceans Eleven (2001) wasn't actually over the top when they said the Mirage, Belagio, and GMG Grand all belong together. In fact, the group counted five casinos at that point.

It is situations like this that make you wonder what the gaming commission is thinking. They are supposed to prevent this sort of things from happening in addition to keeping the Mob out of the business. We have 2 companies and as they have gotten bigger, the work has gotten worse. Las Vegas went Corporate in the 90's instead of just being in the casino business...

"And so the Caesar, who had cheated death in the cemetery outside Vegas, cheated death once again, and the Vegas Strip was forever changed."

My favourite place in the world. Been twice and both were the best times. Absolutely incredible. Downtown vegas strip, lightshows and constant music.

This is an excellent video. It would be interesting to see how the mob has been involved in the development. I know there's many videos out there but the way you break it down is the best.

Watching your videos feels like playing Hitman. It’s so good!