A Las Vegas Strip icon reopened its doors Thursday after going dark for more than five months.

MGM Resorts International announced the official layoff of 18,000 furloughed employees Friday, with separations beginning Monday, Aug. 31. MGM CEO and President Bill Hornbuckle made the official announcement following almost six months of the temporary closure of their U.S. properties due to COVID-19.

No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you; the Mirage resort-casino has reopened on the Las Vegas Strip.

A massive $4 billion resort is scheduled to open next year at the site of the old Stardust property on the Strip, but that doesn’t mean the famed casino will be forgotten.

Officials at MGM Resorts International declined to comment about when or how the Park MGM, closed since mid-March because of the pandemic, will start welcoming guests again. But that has not stopped observers and industry experts from speculating about whether a smoking ban in casinos can limit the spread of the coronavirus and attract new customers going forward.

Celebrity magician and longtime Las Vegas resident Penn Jillette didn’t mince words when asked to describe what Sin City is like without live entertainment.

For decades Las Vegas has been perceived as a place where almost anything goes, an adult playground where many vices are allowed.

The headlines concerning the corporate parent of the Las Vegas Strip’s Caesars Palace haven’t been the most auspicious or promising during the last decade.