![Babyface and Bruno Mars appear at the VIP opening of Pinky Ring at the Bellagio on Saturday.](https://www.reviewjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/18970336_web1_Babyface-joins-Bruno-Mars-on-stage-at-his-new-cocktail-lounge-The-Pinky-Ring-at-Bellagio-_CreditJohnEsparza_fullres.jpg.jpg?w=1200)
Babyface and Bruno Mars will appear at the VIP opening of Pinky Ring at the Bellagio on Saturday, February 10, 2024. (John Esparza)
![Bruno Mars appears at the VIP opening of Pinky Ring at Bellagio on Saturday, February 10, 2024...](https://www.reviewjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/18970336_web1_Bruno-Mars-and-The-Hooligans-perform-at-The-Pinky-Ring-at-Bellagio_CreditJohnEsparza_fullres.jpg?w=1200)
Bruno Mars will appear at the VIP opening of Pinky Ring at Bellagio on Saturday, February 10, 2024. (John Esparza)
![Bruno Mars and the Hooligans will appear at the VIP opening of Pinky Ring at the Bellagio on Saturday.](https://www.reviewjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/18970336_web1_Mars-Hooligans.jpeg?w=1067)
Bruno Mars and the Hooligans will appear at the VIP opening of Pinky Ring at Bellagio on Saturday, February 10, 2024. (Nathalie Meunier)
MGM Resorts says its relationship with Bruno Mars is one of “mutual respect” and any speculation otherwise is completely false. He doesn't owe anything to MGM. ”
The statement, released Monday, was in response to a Friday report by media website NewsNation that the Park MGM headliner is in tens of millions in gambling debts. Citing unnamed sources, the magazine claimed Mars owed $50 million from table games.
In response to a request for comment, a representative for MGM Resorts International emailed the following statement:
“We are proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world's most thrilling and dynamic performers. From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring Lounge at Bellagio, Bruno's Entertainment The brand attracts visitors from all over the world.
“MGM and Bruno's partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any assumption otherwise is completely false. He does not owe anything to MGM. I want to continue creating experiences like no other.”
The NewsNation report further stated that Mars continues to perform residency productions at Dolby Live to pay off his debts. Unconfirmed figures put Mars making $1.5 million a night, or $60 million a year after taxes. As a result, sources were quoted in the pub as saying, “(MGM) is basically his property.”
But the 38-year-old superstar and the resort company just entered into a long-term partnership with Pinky Ring at Bellagio. Mars has appeared several times at the club, which opened on February 10, and his backing band, The Hooligans, has performed at the club.
Mars' stage show debuted in December 2016, and his residency was repeatedly extended. Although the show hasn't changed much since its inception, Mars has implemented a “porch” phone policy since 2018. Meanwhile, rumors about his gaming activities leaked out of the hotel, culminating in a NewsNation report and MGM's categorical denials.
One of the pieces of information conveyed in this story was the rumored feud between Mars and Anderson .Paak, who played a sold-out Silk Sonic series at Dolby Live. The 47 dates lasted from 2022 to 2023. The story goes that the two got into an argument because .Paak felt he was underpaid, but the two reconciled. Reports list a May date for Silk Sonic at Dolby Live, but this performance is not on the venue's schedule.
John Katsirometes' column appears daily in Section A. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Please contact us at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com.to follow @johnnykats X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.