VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: Visitors As soon as Entered MGM Grand By means of the Gold Lion’s Mouth
EDITOR’S NOTE: “Vegas Myths Busted” publishes new entries each Monday, with a bonus Flashback Friday version. Right this moment’s entry in our ongoing collection initially ran Oct. 7, 2022.
In response to a pervasive Las Vegas fantasy, the mouth of the previous MGM Grand lion served because the on line casino resort’s entrance. Even the Pulitzer Prize-winning Las Vegas Solar described the unique MGM Grand entrance in March 2001 as “An enormous lion head with its wide-open mouth serving because the doorway.” As you possibly can see from the picture under, this simply wasn’t true.
The unique entrance to the MGM Grand, because it appeared on the nook of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue from 1993 to 1998, featured a mouth that was a minimum of 30 ft off the bottom. (Picture: Twitter)
The lion’s mouth fantasy is extra explainable than most this collection has busted. That’s as a result of it was really circulated by the resort’s company homeowners, then repeated over the following many years by journalists who didn’t trouble fact-checking. MGM Grand CEO Terry Lanni, who took over in 1995 when the on line casino resort was two years previous, steadily cited the lion’s-mouth entrance as a chief instance of the failure of companies to present correct consideration to cultural sensitivities.
It has been extensively reported that many Chinese language gamblers consider that touring anyplace by way of a illustration of a lion’s mouth invitations unhealthy luck — not practically as a lot unhealthy luck as touring by way of an precise lion’s mouth, presumably. However sufficient.
It wasn’t actually true (that they entered by way of the lion’s mouth),” former MGM Mirage govt spokesperson Alan Feldman informed On line casino.org. “However many shoppers believed it to have the identical adverse vibes, and refused to make use of that entrance.”
In 2014, On line casino.org’s personal Scott Roeben printed a “Very important Vegas” weblog itemizing eight fascinating Chinese language playing superstitions that Las Vegas casinos heed to attempt to please their excessive rollers from China. These superstitions clarify why, for example, each the Rio and Encore on line casino accommodations are completely lacking flooring 40-49. The quantity 4 is taken into account unfortunate as a result of it sounds just like the Chinese language and Japanese phrases for dying.
Lion in Wait
The MGM Grand’s new lion is reportedly the second-largest bronze statue on this planet and its identify shouldn’t be Leo. (Picture: wikimapia)
Lanni changed the lion with the present one in 1998. It was sculpted by Snellen Maurice Johnson, a convicted con man who modified the course of his life by changing into an artist.
Reportedly the second-largest bronze statue on this planet – after a Hong Kong Buddha that stands 90 ft — Johnson’s gold bronze-polished lion stands 45 ft tall, weighs 50 tons, and sits atop a 25-foot pedestal.
Oh, and its identify isn’t Leo. Leo was the identify of the unique MGM Grand lion, after the one who roars initially of all MGM movies. (There have been really 11 totally different film Leos, and the unique one was named Slats, however let’s persist with busting one lion fantasy at a time.)
Right this moment’s MGM Grand lion is named, merely, Grand Lion.
Along with switching lions, Lanni ditched the MGM Grand’s unique Wizard of Oz-themed space and amusement park, changed a number of eating places, and constructed the Mansion, a gaggle of 29 individually designed Mediterranean-themed residences.
Feldman did state one more reason the unique MGM Grand lion needed to go, by the best way — one primarily based on a extra proven fact.
“It was additionally ugly,” he stated.
Search for “Vegas Myths Busted” each Monday on On line casino.org. Go to VegasMythsBusted.com to learn beforehand busted Vegas myths. Bought a suggestion for a Vegas fantasy that wants busting? Electronic mail corey@on line casino.org.
