In 1994, Gold Strike Resorts announced a partnership with Mirage Resorts to build a $250-million casino targeted at budget-conscious visitors, on part of the site of the demolished Dunes on the Las Vegas Strip. The establishment was the home of the first permanent Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, and the show went on to be voted nine times as the best production show in the city by the Las Vegas Review-Journal reader's poll. Intended to be family-friendly, the resort featured pools in front of the casino enacted the Battle of Buccaneer Bay with two full-scaled ships, the pirate ship 'Hispaniola' and the British Royal Navy frigate 'HMS Britannia,' while the inside featured romantic tropical theming and 18th century Caribbean pirate theming.

Īfter the Mirage, Wynn built the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, which he opened in the Mirage's old parking lot in 1993, and overall cost $450 million. Much of the financing for the Mirage was obtained in cooperation with Michael Milken. įollowing the completion of The Mirage in 1989 Steve Wynn changed the name of the company to Mirage Resorts, Inc. Afterwards Wynn decided to invite Cirque to create Mystère for the soon-to-be-built Treasure Island resort next door. Known for its entertainment, the hotel became the exclusive venue for the Siegfried & Roy show in 1990, and in 1993 the hotel hosted the Cirque du Soleil show Nouvelle Expérience. Its construction is also considered noteworthy in that Wynn had set a new standard for Vegas resorts, and when it opened The Mirage was the first casino to use security cameras full-time on all table games. The hotel, with its erupting volcano and South Seas theme, ignited a $12 billion building boom on the Strip. The resort's high cost and emphasis on luxury meant that it was considered high risk at the time, though the project ended up being enormously lucrative. It was the first time Wynn was involved with the design and construction of a casino, and he financed the $630 million project largely with high-yield bonds issued by Michael Milken.

Wynn's first major casino on the Las Vegas Strip was The Mirage, which opened in November 1989. See also: The Mirage, Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, and Bellagio (resort) Wynn's first major Strip casino was The Mirage, which was the first time Wynn was personally involved with the design and construction of a casino.

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