Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. NYSE: HET is a gaming corporation that operates a number of casinos in the United States. The company is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As of 2005, Harrah's owns 50 casinos in 13 states, under the following brands:

• Bally's
• Caesars
• Flamingo
• Grand Casino
• Harrah's
• Harveys
• Horseshoe
• Paris
• Rio
• Showboat

Harrah's has announced that it expects to consolidate the number of brands along with keeping selected stand alone names currently in use as discussed below.

History

The company started out in 1937 as a small bingo parlor in Reno, Nevada operated by William F. Harrah.

On June 13, 2005 Harrah's completed the takeover of Caesars Entertainment. While the companies were not required to divest any properties, they did sell several properties before the merger was completed. This merger made Harrah's the largest gambling company with over 4 million square feet (370,000 m²) of casinos, almost 100,000 employees and over 40 casinos.

At the end of June 2005, Harrah's Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman announced that the company will consolidate all their brand names under the following: Harrah's, Rio, Caesars, and Horseshoe. Some stand alone names, like Paris Las Vegas are likely to be retained.

First up will be the rebranding of the two remaining Bally's properties in the company, but Loveman did not give any exact specifics or a timeline of when this will occur.

• The implication is that Bally's Las Vegas will be either:

• Completely or partially imploded and rebuilt. Suggested plans involve bringing the current Bally's entrance closer to the Strip. If this option is selected, it is expected that work would begin no earlier than 2007.
• Renamed either as Horseshoe or Harrah's. If renamed as Harrah's, then the current Harrah's property will take the Horseshoe name.

• The Atlantic City Bally's will be rebranded with either the Horseshoe or Rio brand.

In August 2005, Harrah's New Orleans, Grand Casino Biloxi, and Grand Casino Gulfport were closed because of Hurricane Katrina. The Grand locations were largely destroyed, with all or of the barge-based buildings cotaining their gaming areas being torn from their moorings and blown across U.S. Highway 90. All three casinos are closed indefinitely, and ther futures are uncertain.

Casinos

Bally's brand

• Bally's Atlantic City (Includes Wild Wild West Casino and Claridge Towers)
• Bally's Las Vegas

Caesars brand

• Caesars Atlantic City
• Caesars Indiana (Being rebranded to Horseshoe)
• Caesars Palace at Sea (Operated by Crystal Cruise Lines)
• Caesars Palace Las Vegas
• Caesars Tahoe

Conrad brand

• Conrad Jupiters Hotel/Casino, Gold Coast Australia
• Conrad Resort and Casino, Punta Del Este, Uruguay
• Conrad Treasury Hotel/Casino, Brisbane Australia

Flamingo brand

• Flamingo Las Vegas
• Flamingo Laughlin

Grand Casino brand

• Grand Casino Biloxi
• Grand Casino Gulfport
  • The above casinos were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Their future is uncertain.
• Grand Casino Tunica

Harrah's brand

• Harrah's Atlantic City
• Harrah's Cherokee
• Harrah's Chester
• Harrah's Council Bluffs
• Harrah's Joliet
• Harrah's Lake Charles (Temporarily Closed Due to Hurricane Rita)
• Harrah's Lake Tahoe
• Harrah's Las Vegas
• Harrah's Laughlin
• Harrah's Louisiana Downs
• Harrah's Metropolis
• Harrah's New Orleans (Temporarily Closed Due To Hurricane Katrina - Future of property uncertain at this time)
• Harrah's North Kansas City
• Harrah's Phoenix Ak-Chin Casino
• Harrah's Prairie Band
• Harrah's Reno
• Harrah's Rincon
• Harrah's St. Louis

Hilton branded

• Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort
• Reno Hilton Casino Resort

Horseshoe brand

• Horseshoe Casino Bossier City
• Horseshoe Casino Hammond
• Horseshoe Casino Tunica

Other names

• Bill's Casino Lake Tahoe
• Bluffs Run Casino, (being rebranded to Horseshoe)
• Bourbon Street Las Vegas
• Casino Nova Scotia, Halifax Canada
• Casino Nova Scotia, Sydney Canada
• Casino Windsor
• Harvey's Lake Tahoe
• O'Sheas Casino Las Vegas
• Paris Las Vegas
• Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino Las Vegas
• Sheraton Hotel/Casino, Tunica, Mississippi
• Showboat Casino, Atlantic City

External links

• Harrah's homepage