VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: The Strip Tried Appealing to Families and Failed

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Vegas Myths Busted” publishes young entries every Monday, with a fillip Flashback Fri edition. Today’s accounting entry inward our on-going serial originally ran Feb. 17, 2023.

In ane of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority’s funny young TV commercials, a male parent informs his son that broccoli is “the only when nutrient they have” inwards Vegas. “Everything is broccoli,” including the frappe cream, he tells the grimacing tyke, who elects to continue rest home instead.

In the ’90s, Las Vegas wanted you to come in with your kids. Now, it wants you to result them at home. That’s because Vegas’ try at appealing to families failed miserably, leading to a massive deprivation of revenue. Right?

Nope.

In 1993, a unexampled MGM Grand opened. (The old single became Bally’s, and now, Horseshoe.) The largest bingle hotel in the world with 6,852 rooms, MGM was the firstly resort to cover $1 one million million inwards grammatical construction costs. It was also the world-class unexampled Vegas resort to direct point families since Circus Circus opened inwards 1968.

In gain to a “Wizard of Oz” video display featuring conspicuously indoors the casino, MGM built a $100M amusement commons on 33 acres come out back. Its rides included a tumbler pigeon coaster, lumber flume, rapids raft, and a simulated shoot studio backlot boat tour.

By 1996, Dorothy and Toto were gone, and past 2000, so was the amusement park. Disappointing attendance was to blame, as it usually is. At the time, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reasoned that MGM Grand Adventures “failed to make into thoughtfulness that a thirdly of its visitors amount from California, where motif parks are ubiquitous and ever racing to unveil the modish in tickle rides.”

Here’s the thing, though: nearly all of the other attractions that debuted during Las Vegas’ supposed family-friendly nonstarter survived and go along to thrive. They include the genus Circus Circus Adventuredome, New York-New York’s tumbler coaster, the Big Shot sit atop the Stratosphere, Mandalay Bay’s beach and undulation pool, and M&M’s World.

Not So Magical

The only when other major instance of a kid-friendly attractive force to debut inwards the ’90s and tight inwards the aughts was Caesars Magical Empire, an almost completely forgotten “high-tech, in an elaborate way themed, multi-chambered wonderland” geared at visitors ripened 12 and up. It opened in 1996 and closed in(p) inwards 2002. Though it was trinity hours long and included dinner, it be a whopping (for backward then) $125 to $200 per person. And frankly, reviews were mixed.

Despite these two closures, Vegas has added young kid-friendly attractions every year of the new millennium. The Stratosphere (now The Strat) debuted trinity rides (X-Scream, Insanity, and SkyJump) that noneffervescent keep thrilling on its upper decks, though it removed its High Roller roller-coaster inwards 2005. It was the world’s highest coaster but also i of its slowest.

Shows targeting kids, which also debuted during the family-friendly push, are still around. Today’s include Mac King’s comedy thaumaturgy show up at the Excalibur, Nathan Burton’s thaumaturgy show up at the Miracle Mile Shops, and Popovich Comedy Pet Theater at the Miracle Mile Shops.

Last year, a 7K square-foot picture colonnade replaced the former sportsbook at Bally’s/Horseshoe. And the immersive, 200K square-foot Area 15 artistic creation have featuring the Virtualis VR mettlesome way opened inwards 2020, and is expanding to lineament Universal’s first year-around horror see non connected to a idea park.

Failure of Failure Evidence

After the MGM Grand amusement park, the most oft cited grounds for the nonstarter of Las Vegas to charm to families is the disengage pirate show at one time staged 5 times a night inward forepart of MGM’s Treasure Island.

In 2003, MGM transformed “The Battle for Buccaneer Bay” into “The Sirens of TI,” an MTV-inspired try to titillate Gen-Xers that unexampled gambling casino proprietor Phil Ruffin mercy-killed 10 years later.

The media made a vainglorious sell when “The Battle for Buccaneer Bay” was sunk, noting that the last-place family-friendly Vegas vestige was sledding away. But what this gag rule really signaled was the stop of a different trend. Steve Wynn stated state of war on resort hotel themes with his Mirage inwards 1989 and vanquished the trend with his Bellagio ix years later.

The impulse to build more pyramids, Eiffel Towers, and Venetian canals gave way to a want to come out to a greater extent luxurious than the next guy.

Ironically, the gambling casino place that previously served as the backstage region for both pirate shows is at present rented by Victory Hills Exhibitions for its Marvel Avengers Station attraction, which opened inwards 2016.

A kids show.

Success by the Numbers

The biggest job with the family-friendly nonstarter myth is that numbers don’t assume it out. Between 1993 and 1994, Vegas visitation grew from 23.5M to 27.2M. Discounting the recent post-pandemic recovery, this remains the largest bingle annual pct uptick inwards touristry ever.

From 1992 to 1996, the percentage of families visiting Las Vegas roseate from 7% to 12%, according to the LVCVA. Today, that number is a whopping 21%.

So, the next time you ascertain a commercial message well-nigh Vegas’ broccoli water ice cream, another right smart to read that is that Vegas at present appeals so strongly to families that casinos at present want more adults drinking and swearing at their vingt-et-un tables to fifty-fifty things out.

Look for “Vegas Myths Busted” every Mon on Casino.org. Click here to read previously busted Vegas myths. Got a proposition for a Vegas myth that needs busting? Email corey@casino.org.

Looking for the best casino games in Malaysia? Look no further than NTC33 online casino. Join now and experience the excitement of winning big! With its diverse collection of games, user-friendly interface, and a secure gaming environment, NTC33 provides an unmatched gaming experience that caters to the preferences of every player.