Report: Flatley interested in buying hotel-casino

Friday, Aug. 9, 2002 | 10:58 a.m.

A London tabloid says entertainer Michael Flatley, whose Irish folk dance shows have been seen by millions of people worldwide, is making a bid to buy the bankrupt Aladdin hotel-casino.

A report in today's Mirror of London said Flatley is offering 500 million euros, or $485.9 million under the current exchange rate, for the 2,567-room Strip resort.

Citing unidentified sources, the Mirror report said Flatley has been considering a deal for the hotel-casino since he first came to Las Vegas. Flatley's name is associated with a "Lord of the Dance" show that recently closed at the New York-New York hotel-casino after a four-year run.

Flatley, who could not be reached for comment, was not a performer in the local show. The source said acquiring the hotel is part of Flatley's plan to build a chain of Irish clubs and bars across the globe.

Representatives of the Aladdin could not be reached for comment on the report. A spokesman for the KPMG accounting firm in Los Angeles, which is marketing the property to potential buyers, also was not available. Attorneys working on the deal have said they and potential bidders are prohibited from talking about their plans by confidentiality agreements.