Bally's Lake Tahoe Explained

Bally's Lake Tahoe
Location:Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
Address:55 U.S. Route 50
Rooms:438
Space Gaming:48456square feet
Shows:Bally's Showroom
Convention Center
Attractions:Opal Nightclub
Blu Nightclub
Onsen Spa
Puzzle Room
Tahoe Axe & Darts
Notable Restaurants:Café Del Soul
HQ Center Bar
Ciera Steak + Chophouse
Parlays Coffee & Quick Bites
Owner:Edgewood Companies
License Holder:Bally's Corporation
Architect:Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall (1978), Worth Group (renovations)
Names Pre:Park Tahoe (1978–1979)
Caesars Tahoe Palace (1979)
Caesars Tahoe (1979–2006)
MontBleu (2006-2021)
Renovations:1979, 2006, 2015

Bally's Lake Tahoe (formerly Park Tahoe, Caesars Tahoe, and MontBleu Resort Casino) is a casino hotel in Stateline, Nevada. It is owned by Edgewood Companies and operated by Bally's Corporation. The property includes a 48456square feet casino and a 438-room hotel on a 21acres site.[1] It is the home to the Ciera Steak + Chophouse. The entire property underwent a $25-million remodel in 2015, with all guest rooms, the casino, 1,200-seat showroom, and exterior being upgraded.

History

Park Tahoe (1978–1979)

The casino first opened in 1978 as the Park Tahoe, built by Park Cattle Co. The building was designed by Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall and constructed by Del E. Webb Corporation.[2] Caesars World took over the next year under a 25-year lease, with options to extend it another 50 years.

Caesars Tahoe (1979–2006)

Caesars agreed to spend $40 million to complete construction of the hotel portion of the property,[3] which was renamed as Caesars Tahoe Palace[4] and later simply Caesars Tahoe. In line with the Caesars name, the property was remodeled with a Roman theme.

Caesars Tahoe was known for its top entertainment offerings, and over the years played host to many famous artists, including Dean Martin, Cher, Mac Davis, Jimmy Buffett, Glen Campbell, and Tony Bennett. In its later years, the Caesars showroom included appearances by comedians including George Carlin, Johnny Carson, Jerry Seinfeld, Gallagher, Rosie O'Donnell, and many other well-known headlining comedians. Celebrities such as Michael Jordan, Randy Quaid, Kenny Rogers and others would play games in the Caesars Tahoe casino. Caesars was also the host hotel and title sponsor of the American Century Championship golf tournament at nearby Edgewood Golf Course every July, until 2004. After Caesars sold the hotel in 2005, the title sponsorship and host switched to Harrah's/Harveys Casinos. Also, in its earlier years, Caesars Tahoe was home to title fights for championship boxing events.

Caesars Entertainment sold the resort in June 2005 for $45 million to Columbia Sussex, owner of the nearby Horizon Casino. It was one of a series of sales made by Caesars to avoid antitrust issues with its planned acquisition by Harrah's Entertainment.

MontBleu (2006–2021)

Columbia Sussex rebranded the property as MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa in May 2006. After the bankruptcy of Columbia's gaming businesses, MontBleu became part of the reorganized Tropicana Entertainment in March 2010.

MontBleu and the Horizon appeared as the Nomad Hotel, during the Caesars-to-MontBleu transition, in the 2007 film Smokin' Aces.[5]

In 2018, Tropicana Entertainment, including the MontBleu, was acquired by Eldorado Resorts.[6] [7]

Bally's Lake Tahoe (2021–present)

In 2020, Eldorado acquired Caesars Entertainment (the former Harrah's) and changed its own name to Caesars Entertainment. This merger necessitated the sale of one of the companies' properties in Stateline to gain approval from FTC antitrust regulators.[8] To satisfy this requirement, the company sold the operations of the MontBleu to Bally's Corporation for $15 million.[9] The property was rebranded as Bally's Lake Tahoe in November 2021.[10] [11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Listing of Financial Statements Square Footage. Nevada Gaming Control Board. March 16, 2015.
  2. Web site: Webb Spinner 1975-1978. 2018-10-23. 2018-09-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20180916022646/https://delwebbsuncitiesmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/1975-1978.pdf. dead.
  3. News: Caesars World board backs buying lease of hotel in Nevada. Wall Street Journal. October 23, 1979. .
  4. News: Reno – after the money's gone. Oakland Post. Young. Terry. December 4, 1979. .
  5. Web site: Director puts Tahoe in spotlight . January 12, 2007 . Tahoe Daily Tribune . https://web.archive.org/web/20110709224342/http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20070112/NEWS/101120077 . 2011-07-09.
  6. News: Parent company sells MontBleu Casino Resort & Spa in Stateline. Tahoe Daily Tribune. April 24, 2018. October 14, 2018.
  7. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. completes previously announced acquisition of the real estate assets of Tropicana Entertainment. Gaming and Leisure Properties. October 1, 2018. October 14, 2018.
  8. News: Eldorado required to sell Tahoe Montbleu resort for FTC approval of Caesars merger. Reno Gazette-Journal. Jason. Hidalgo. June 26, 2020. 2020-07-21.
  9. News: Nevada: Bally's closes on purchase of MontBleu in Lake Tahoe from Caesars. CDC Gaming Reports. Howard. Stutz. April 7, 2021. 2021-04-07.
  10. News: MontBleu Resort & Spa to undergo name change to Bally's Lake Tahoe. South Tahoe Now. Paula. Peterson. July 2, 2021. 2021-11-15.
  11. howardstutz. 1460249858602766337. November 15, 2021. Bally’s Corp. has officially named its Northern Nevada casino - Bally’s Lake Tahoe..