Binion's Horseshoe
| Binion's Horseshoe 128 E. Fremont Street Las Vegas, Nevada 89101 |
|
|---|---|
| Number of rooms | 366 |
| Theme | Vintage Las Vegas |
| Gaming space | |
| Permanent show(s) | |
| Signature attraction(s) | World Series of Poker |
| Notable restaurant(s) | Binion's Ranch Steakhouse |
| Owner | |
| Date opened | |
| Casino type | Land-Based |
| Major renovation(s) | |
| Previous name(s) |
Eldorado Club The Mint Las Vegas |
| Casino website | |
Binion's Horseshoe (now the Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel) was a hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on what is now the Fremont Street Experience. The casino was named for its founder, Benny Binion and has 366 rooms, two restaurants and a rooftop pool.
History
Johnny Moss, Chris Wills, Amarillo Slim, Jack Binion, and Puggy Pearson outside
the Horseshoe at the 1974
World Series of Poker
Benny bought the Eldorado Club and Apache Hotel in 1951 opening them as Binion's Horseshoe. It was the first casino to have carpeting and comps for all its players. Binion's also instituted high table limits which was an immediate hit.
Binion's entire family was involved in the casino. His wife Teddy Jane managed the casino cage and his sons Jack Binion and Ted Binion would become president and manager, respectively. Ted would eventually be removed from all casino involvement after his addiction to heroin and other drug use were revealed.
In 1970 Jack started hosting the World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe which became the largest set of poker tournaments in the world. In 1988 the Horseshoe expanded by acquiring The Mint, a high-rise hotel adjacent to it.
In 1998, Binion's daughter, Becky Behnen, took over the presidency after a legal battle with Jack Binion. 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. Jack moved on to other gambling interests.
Behnen implemented cost-cutting measures, some of which were unpopular with the clientele. Among the most notable was the removal of the horseshoe exhibit that had held $1 million in $10,000 bills, providing a backdrop for free pictures of visitors. 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. Under Behnen's leadership, the casino became mired in debt and was closed during an IRS raid on January 9, 2004 for non-payment of taxes.
In March 2004, Harrah's Entertainment purchased Binion's Horseshoe, and re-opened Binion's in April 2004. This occurred shortly before Harrah's acquired the Horseshoe Gaming Holding Corporation in another transaction.
After aquiring the company, Harrah's Entertainment sold the Las Vegas property on March 11, 2004 to MTR Gaming Group which operated the hotel. Harrah's continued to operate the casino under a temporary contract until March of 2005. Harrah's retained the other Horseshoe Casino properties, rights to the Horseshoe name and the World Series of Poker.
When the casino was remodeled after the purchase, the original carpeting was installed. It seems that when the carpet was first ordered, Benny Binion had ordered and stored enough carpet to re-carpet the entire casino.
On March 11, 2005, MTR Gaming Group officially took control of the operation of the casino and it was renamed it Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel.