Your memory serves you correctly and back in June, 1999, Circus Circus Enterprises, Inc., became Mandalay Resort Group, which later merged to become MGM Mirage. Then, in the summer of 2010, it was announced the group's name would change to MGM Resorts International and that the name of the company’s players club would transition from MGM Mirage to "M Life."
At the time we assumed that all the group's properties would be subject to the changeover, but it turned out that the 60 million names in its M Life database do not include those players at Circus Circus, which retains its own separate Circus Players Club. Points earned here are not tranferrable to or redeemable at other MRI properties, and vice versa with M Life points accumulated at sister properties, which can't be used at Circus Circus.
It's not unprecedented for a property to be excluded from a players club, especially if the casino's deemed to be somewhat "low rent" in comparison to its sister properties: It took Caesars Ent. a long time to finally integrate the Imperial Palace into the Total Rewards program, while Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon still has its own separate club, for example. We can only speculate, but as Circus Circus is generally considered to be the red-headed stepchild of MRI in Las Vegas, we have to assume that the group didn't want its M Life database sullied by clowns.
We canvassed Stiffs & Georges blogger David McKee for his take on things, and he reminded us that when the Sahara closed, its customer database was handed over to Circus Circus as part of the negotiations between MRI and SBE Entertainment that also saw Hyde nightclub take over the former Fontana Lounge space at Bellagio. (Guests with reservations at the Sahara when it closed found themselves relocated to the Big Top, too.) So, it seems that Circus Circus is being deliberately kept in its own box, with its own marketing strategy and guest database, segregated from the rest of the group. We're waiting for confirmation of this, but got the feeling there are no plans for any future integration.
Not that Circus Circus is alone in terms of all MRI properties not being equal. This is especially true when it comes to M Life, where the benefits and calculations to earn points and achieve higher tier levels differ by property. Again, we'll refer you to an earlier entry from Stiffs & Georges for more details about that.
