Casinos on the highly popular Las Vegas Strip are owned or operated by only a few gambling operators. In fact, more than 65 percent of the more than 29 hotels, resorts, and casinos on the Strip are owned by only two hospital brands, namely MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment.
Let’s break down who owns Las Vegas Strip casinos:
1. MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International has a heavy presence on the Las Vegas Strip, owning more than a third of the casinos in the area. The American entertainment and hospitality brand operates 13 casinos on the Strip, although the sale of The Mirage is expected to close in mid-2022. It also owns many casinos in New Jersey, Maryland, Mississippi, Detroit, Massachusetts, and Macau.
The Las Vegas Strip casinos owned by MGM Resorts International include:
- Aria Resort & Casino
- Bellagio Las Vegas
- Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
- Excalibur Hotel & Casino
- Luxor Hotel & Casino
- NoMad Las Vegas (a 50-50 joint venture with Sydell Group)
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Las Vegas
- MGM Grand
- Delano Las Vegas
- The Mirage (Expected to be sold to Hard Rock International)
- Park MGM Las Vegas
- New York-New York Hotel & Casino
2. Caesars Entertainment
Formerly known as Harrah’s Entertainment, Caesars Entertainment operates 8 Las Vegas Strip Casinos and one off-strip casino. The Paradise-based hospitality and entertainment brand operates over 7 golf courses and 50 casino properties under multiple brands.
Las Vegas Strip casinos under the ownership of Caesars Entertainment include
- Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
- Caesars Palace
- The Cromwell Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
- Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
- Harrah’s Las Vegas
- Linq / O’Sheas
- Paris Las Vegas
- Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino
Caesars Entertainment owns one casino located off the Las Vegas Strip, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The company was formed following the 2005 merger between Caesars and Harrah’s.
3. Phillip Gene Ruffin
The American business mogul, Phillip Gene Ruffin (aka Phil Ruffin), owns three Las Vegas Strip casinos, namely:
- Circus Circus Hotel & Casino
- Slots A Fun
- Treasure Island Hotel and Casino
4. Apollo Global Management, Inc.
Apollo Global Management, Inc. owns only two but some of the most recognized casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.
- The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
- The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort
The two adjoined resort properties feature casino space spanning 120,000 square feet, over 40 restaurants, 12 swimming pools, and the Sands Expo Convention Center, which offers 2 million square feet of meeting and event space.
5. Wynn Resorts
Wynn Resorts owns the best casino on the Strip and the entire Las Vegas. The two hotel properties boast 191,424 square feet of casino gaming space with more than 240 table games and 2,195 slot machines.
- Wynn Las Vegas
- Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
6. Golden Entertainment
Golden Entertainment owns only one Las Vegas Strip casino, the Strat Hotel, Casino & Skypod (formerly known as The Stratosphere). Outside of the Strip, the group operates Lakeside Casino RV Resort in Pahrump, Arizona, Charlie’s Decatur in Charleston Heights, and Laughlin’s Aquarius Casino Resort and Edgewater Casino Resort.
- Strat Hotel, Casino & Skypod
7. Bally’s Corporation
With more than 14 gambling facilities under its badge, Bally’s Corporation doesn’t have much presence on the Las Vegas Strip.
It owns only one casino in the area: Tropicana Las Vegas – a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Resort
Bally’s Corporation bought the casino in 2021 from Gaming and Leisure Properties, a spin-off from Penn National Gaming.
8. Meruelo Group
Meruelo Group (a company owned by Alex Meruelo) owns Sahara Las Vegas in conjunction with SBE Entertainment Group and Stockbridge Real Estate.
Sahara Las Vegas is the only casino owned and operated by Meruelo Group.
9. Tommy Ilardi
Businessman Tommy Elardi owns Casino Royale Hotel & Casino.
The only Las Vegas casino owned by Tommy Ilardi is the Casino Royale Hotel & Casino
10. Genting Group
The Malaysia-based Genting Group owns Resorts World Las Vegas.
The only land-based casino under the belt of Genting Group is Resorts World Las Vegas
Does MGM own Treasure Island?
No, MGM does not own Treasure Island. American businessman and billionaire Phil Ruffin owns Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. Although Treasure Island was built and first opened in 1993 by Mirage Resorts (now part of MGM Resorts International), the casino sale to the business mogul began in late 2008. More than three months later, Phillip Gene Ruffin assumed full ownership of the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in March 2009.
How many casinos are in Las Vegas, Nevada?
One hundred forty-three (143) casinos are currently in Las Vegas, Nevada. The majority of these casinos (around 70) are located on the renowned Las Vegas Strip, while the rest are found on Boulder Strip (43), North Las Vegas (17), and Downtown Las Vegas (23), respectively.
How many casinos does MGM own?
MGM owns around 29 casinos worldwide, but the majority are on the famous Las Vegas Strip. It also owns or operates stadia, gardens, entertainment venues, events spaces, chapels, hotels, and an aviation firm.
The most popular casinos owned by MGM Resorts International include:
- Aria Resort & Casino
- Bellagio Las Vegas
- Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
- Excalibur Hotel & Casino
- Luxor Hotel & Casino
- NoMad Las Vegas (a 50-50 joint venture with Sydell Group)
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Las Vegas
- MGM Macau
- MGM Bridgeport – Connecticut
- Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway
- MGM Grand Las Vegas
- MGM Springfield – Massachusetts
- Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Mississippi
- The Mirage (May be sold to Hard Rock International by June 2022)
- Park MGM Las Vegas (formerly Monte Carlo Las Vegas)
- Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa – Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Grand Victoria Casino – Elgin, Illinois
- Gold Strike Casino Resort – Tunica Resorts, Mississippi
- Delano Las Vegas
- MGM National Harbor – Oxon Hill, Maryland
- MGM Cotai
- MGM Grand Detroit
- New York-New York Hotel & Casino
How many hotels does Las Vegas have?
Las Vegas has around 335 hotels offering more than 150,000 rooms in the form of standard guest rooms, suites, villas, lofts, apartments, and penthouses. Nearly half of these hotel rooms (roughly 62,000) are found in properties spread across the sprawling Las Vegas Strip.
Most hotels in Las Vegas are resort-style properties with a gaming floor, hotel rooms, and other amenities like pools, spas, bars, and restaurants on the same ground. However, Las Vegas also has boutique hotels, all-suite hotels, non-gaming hotels, and even motels.
Some of the best and most popular hotels in Las Vegas include:
- Wynn Las Vegas
- Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
- Vdara Hotel & Spa
- Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa
- Bellagio Las Vegas
- Signature at MGM Grand
- Delano Las Vegas
- Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino
- SKYLOFTS at MGM Grand
- Aria Resort & Casino
- Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas
- Mandalay Bay Casino & Resort Las Vegas
- MGM Grand
- The Venetian Las Vegas
Is Caesar’s part of MGM?
No, Caesars Palace is not part of MGM. Caesars Palace is a separate hotel & casino property owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. Meanwhile, MGM Resorts International is a global hospitality conglomerate that owns the most significant chunk of casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, including ARIA, Luxor, Bellagio, The Mirage, and MGM Grand, and NoMad Casino.
Who owns casinos in Vegas?
Casinos in Vegas are owned by several hospitality & entertainment companies, as well as wealthy individuals. These include:
- MGM Resorts International owns around 13 casinos in Vegas, including Bellagio, Excalibur Hotel & Casino, Luxor Hotel & Casino, Aria Hotel & Casino, MGM Grand, Park MGM Las Vegas, and many others.
- Caesars Entertainment, which owns over 9 Vegas casinos, including Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, The Cromwell Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Harrah’s Las Vegas, Linq / O’Sheas, Paris Las Vegas, Rio Las Vegas, and Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino
- Apollo Global Management, Inc., which owns The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort
- Golden Entertainment, which owns Arizona Charlie’s Decatur and The Strat Hotel, Casino & Skypod
- Wynn Resorts, which owns Wynn Las Vegas and Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
- Penn National Gaming owns Henderson M Resorts Casino of Las Vegas and Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. It bought most properties under Bally’s Corporation.
- Virgin Group, which owns Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
- Phil Ruffin, who owns Circus Circus Hotel & Casino, Slots A Fun, and Treasure Island Hotel and Casino
- Tommy Elardi, who owns SAHARA Las Vegas in partnership with SBE Entertainment Group and Stockbridge Real Estate
- Genting Group, which owns Resorts World Las Vegas
Who owns most of the Las Vegas Strip?
MGM Resorts International owns most of the Las Vegas Strip. It owns a total of 13 casinos in the area, including:
- Aria Resort & Casino
- Bellagio Las Vegas
- Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
- Excalibur Hotel & Casino
- Luxor Hotel & Casino
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Las Vegas
- MGM Grand
- The Mirage
- Park MGM Las Vegas
- New York-New York Hotel & Casino
If you do the math, that means MGM Resorts owns more than a third (33%) of the Strip casinos.
Other entities that own most of the Las Vegas Strip are Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, Phil Ruffin, Genting Group, and Bally’s Corporation, under the umbrella of Penn National Gaming.
Who owns the Bellagio casino?
MGM Resorts International owns the Bellagio casino and hotel property. It is a sister property to MGM Grand, The Mirage, Luxor, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, and New York-New York Hotel & Casino.
Are any Vegas casinos privately owned?
Caesars Entertainment and MGM International own the biggest chunk of real estate on the Strip. Even casinos, hotels, and hospitality properties that have an individual’s name like Wynn and Trump International, are owned by publicly traded corporations. Even so, you can find a few privately owned casinos and hotels in Vegas, including:
- Treasure Island – TI is privately owned by Phil Ruffin, who purchased the casino from MGM Mirage in 2009
- South Point Hotel, Casino, and Spa – The South Point is privately owned by Michael Gaughan
- El Cortez Hotel-Casino – Originally built and owned by mobster Bugsy Siegel, El Cortez is now in the private hands of the Epstein family.
- The D Las Vegas Casino Hotel – This property is currently privately owned by brothers Derek and Gregory Stevens
- Golden Gate Hotel – The Stevens brothers, together with partner Mark Brandenburg, also own the Golden Gate Hotel, Las Vegas’s oldest hotel-casino. Indeed, the hotel’s tagline is “What happens in Vegas begins here.” The Golden Gate is a boutique-style hotel with 106 guest rooms, all of which have flat-screen televisions. Although the Golden Gate has only one restaurant (open 24 hours), its position near the Fremont Street Experience puts you steps away from a variety of restaurants.