Few casinos have a reputation for being “ America’s Most haunted Casino” one of which can’t be compared with Bally’s. The hotel opened its doors on the Las Vegas Strip in 1985, but that’s not where our story starts. No, our story starts with the building that held claim to that land before…the infamous MGM Grand Hotel.
Constructed in 1973 as the largest hotel of its time, the luxurious MGM Grand met with tragic disaster in 1980. With the building filled to 99 percent capacity, and guests from around the country visiting to see a show in the 900 seat Celebrity Room, a fire broke out in the hotel deli. Despite the best efforts of two employees, the fire spread to the casino. The fire and smoke quickly cut off those in the upper floors–by the time many realized the danger, it was far too late to escape.
Malfunctioning fire doors, fire ladders too short to reach past the ninth floor, and the thousands of panicked guests only compounded the problem. In the end, eighty-seven lay dead and over 650 were injured. The disaster lead to over $200 million in lawsuits and the implementation of some of the strictest fire laws in the country. The gutted MGM was quickly cleared from its valuable location on the strip…
It’s on the site of this disaster that the Bally’s Hotel opened its doors in 1985. Almost immediately, guests and employees began reporting unsettling and horrifying experiences. Unexplained screams and weeping filled the halls and rooms of the upper floors. Misty apparitions wandered the stairwells at night. Employees were, and still are, advised to keep their mouths shut to avoid tarnishing the hotel’s reputation.
But the reports only grew in number in detail as years passed. In an upper story guest room, guests regularly report the stench of smoke and burning. On the 7th floor, guests hear a young boy screaming and crying for his mother.
Bally’s is still open for business. It’s not the most modern, luxurious hotel and casino on the strip…but it may be the most interesting, if you’ve the courage to stay a night in the upper floors.