VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: MGM Grand Fire Victims Died Because They Wouldn’t Leave Slots

2024-12-02

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Vegas Myths Busted” publishes new entries every Monday, with a bonus Flashback Friday edition. Today’s entry in our ongoing series originally ran on March 18, 2024.


This is by far the most repulsive myth we’ve had the displeasure of busting. Enough real lessons were learned from the MGM Grand Hotel fire, which claimed 87 lives on Nov. 21, 1980. Blaming some of these poor souls for their own deaths is beyond abhorrent.

the MGM Grand in Las Vegas
On Nov. 21, 1980, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas became the site of the second-worst hotel fire in US history. (Image: Las Vegas Sun)

“Gamblers in the casino who had refused to immediately leave their slot machines were killed when a fireball shot through the casino, scorching everything from the ceiling to the floor and out the doors to valet parking,” reads a quiz posted to vegasslotsonline.com.

Responding to a link to the quiz on Reddit, one user commented: “Can’t believe that some people died in the MGM fire because they refused to leave the slot machines! Greed kills.”

In reality, not one victim of this horrific tragedy lost their life because they were on a roll. However, that Reddit user got one thing right…

Fire investigators comb through the wreckage of the casino following the tragedy. (Image: Scott Henry)

Greed Kills

Greed was the primary cause of the tragedy.

Kirk Kerkorian and Fred Benninger, the owner and the chairman of MGM while the corporation built the MGM Grand in 1972-73, fought against equipping it with automatic sprinklers. This was despite pressure from Clark County’s fire marshal and a letter from one of their own consultants, Orvin Engineering Company, stating that “the liability of all the unsprinklered areas in this building should be a concern to your corporation.”

The MGM Grand’s total construction bill came to $106M. Yet apparently, an extra $192K was just too much to bear. So Kerkorian and Benninger sought relief from the Clark County Building Department.

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