Under her father and brothers, the Horseshoe had reportedly been the most profitable casino in Las Vegas (it was privately held, so it never had to report its earnings).īehnen also attracted the attention of the state regulators by failing to keep sufficient funds available to pay winners in the casino cage. Despite these measures, the Horseshoe became bogged down in debt. Benny had used one of the tables in the restaurant as his office. She also made changes in the distribution of the money from the entry fees in the World Series of Poker that were unpopular with the casino dealers, and closed a popular restaurant in the casino. Among the most notable was the removal of the Horseshoe exhibit that held $1 million, having been sold to collector Jay Parrino, that had served as a backdrop for free pictures of visitors. īehnen implemented several cost-cutting measures, most of which were unpopular with the gamblers. Behnen became president of the Horseshoe while her husband, Nick, took over as manager. Jack moved on to focus on Horseshoe Gaming Holding Corporation, running other casinos under the Horseshoe brand. The battle ended with Jack being bought out while retaining a 1% interest in the casino so that he could retain his Nevada gaming license. In 1998, Becky Behnen acquired a controlling interest in the casino following a protracted legal battle with her older brother Jack. He was forced to sell his 20% interest to his younger sister, Becky. In 1998, he was stripped of his gaming license for his continued association with Blitzstein. He would ultimately be banned from even entering his family's casino. Ted was under constant scrutiny from the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1986 onward for drug problems and associating with known mob figure "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein. The expansion of the casino from this purchase provided room for Binion's first poker room. In 1988, the Horseshoe expanded by acquiring The Mint, a high-rise hotel on the west side of the casino. Eventually, the WSOP became the largest set of poker tournaments in the world. In 1970, Jack began hosting the World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe. Benny assumed the title of Director of Public Relations. Jack became president while Ted became casino manager. The display became one of the casino's attractions.Īs a convicted felon, Benny was no longer allowed to hold a gaming license, so his sons took over day-to-day control when the family bought out Brown. He sold the display in 1959 and it was later recreated using 100 of the $10,000 bills by Benny in 1964. While Brown operated the casino, he installed the famous $1 million display on the casino floor. He did not regain full control, however, until 1964. It was generally understood, however, that Brown was only a caretaker, and Benny regained controlling interest in 1957. Brown to cover back taxes and legal costs. He sold a majority share of the casino to fellow gambler and New Orleans oilman Joe W. īenny served time in Leavenworth Penitentiary from 1953 to 1957 for tax evasion. His sons, Jack and Ted, supervised the games, while his wife, Teddy Jane, kept the books until her death in 1994. Other members of Binion's family were involved in the casino. The casino was also very egalitarian there were no private pits for high rollers. Unlike other casinos, the emphasis at Binion's was on gambling, not on big performing acts. Ultimately, Binion's raised the table limit to $10,000 and even eliminated table limits completely at times, which was an immediate hit. When Binion first opened the Horseshoe, he set the craps table limit at $500-ten times higher than any other casino in Las Vegas at the time. Binion also instituted high table limits. It was the first casino in downtown Las Vegas (also called Glitter Gulch) to replace sawdust-covered floors with carpeting, and was the first to offer comps to all gamblers, not just those who bet big money. The casino's interior had a frontier flavor, like an old-style riverboat, with low ceilings and velvet wallpaper. History Binion's Horseshoe (1951–2004) īenny Binion bought the Eldorado Club and Hotel Apache in 1951, re-opening them as Binion's Horseshoe (also called the Horseshoe Casino). TLC reopened 81 of the rooms as a boutique hotel called Hotel Apache in July 2019. The hotel, which had 366 rooms, closed in 2009. The casino is named for its founder, Benny Binion, whose family ran it from its founding in 1951 until 2004. Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel, formerly Binion's Horseshoe, is a casino on Fremont Street along the Fremont Street Experience mall in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.
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