If there's one hotel that can be said to have become a symbol of a particular place on its own, it's The Bellagio in the gambling capital of the USA, Las Vegas. The hotel has been featured in many movies and TV series, but perhaps the most famous one is “Ocean's Eleven” (2001). The film features various areas of the property. A staircase descended by character Tess Ocean (Julia Roberts) was later removed to make way for the Spa Tower. At the end of the movie, the entire gang of main characters lines up against The Bellagio’s facade and the famous fountains.
The Bellagio is depicted in the 2007 film “Lucky You”. The film is set in 2003, but the resort's poker room had been renovated since then, prompting the filmmakers to construct a replica of the original room on a soundstage in Los Angeles.
The Bellagio has been the scene of multiple real-life robberies as well. In June 2000, three individuals stole $160,000 in cash and casino chips, and they were subsequently apprehended. This incident was part of a series of casino heists carried out by the same group.
In December 2010, a man wearing a helmet robbed a craps table, making off with $1.5 million in chips, some of which were valued at $25,000 each. Stringent security measures made it challenging for the thief to cash in the chips without getting caught. Following the robbery, MGM announced its decision to discontinue the use of $25,000 chips within four months. The thief, who happened to be the son of a Las Vegas judge, was arrested in February 2011 after attempting to sell $25,000 chips to an undercover police officer. Approximately $793,000 worth of chips, primarily consisting of $25,000 denominations, remained unaccounted for. The robber pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement and was subsequently sentenced to a prison term of 3 to 11 years.
In July 2014, a man used a BB gun to rob the cashier cage of $43,500. He was apprehended the following day after spending a significant portion of the stolen money on prostitutes and a shopping spree. Subsequently, he was deemed incompetent to stand trial.
Bonus fact: the hotel is named after the village of Bellagio in northern Italy. The resort's designer, Jon Jerde, had been vacationing on Lake Como. Impressed by its beauty, he convinced the future casino owner Steve Wynn to come see the area. Wynn loved it, and was inspired by the Italian architecture of the nearby village of Bellagio.
