Vegas therefore decided to try to become a more family-friendly destination, turning its back on the Mafia influence that had been so pervasive through the historic development of Sin City. In the eyes of the general public, it was now clear that Vegas could not be considered to be fully safe. Those two incidents contributed to a period of reinvention for Vegas, which faced increased competition for visitors after gambling was legalised in Atlantic City during the same era. Not too long afterwards, another fire at the Las Vegas Hilton resulted in the deaths of another eight people.
The decade started in disaster, with a fire at the original MGM Grand accounting for the lives of more than 80 people.
We love the 1980s here, so we decided to take a look at what Vegas casinos were like then - this story of reinvention could show the path forward for Sin City.
