But such was the dual life of Benny Binion—one of Las Vegas’ founding fathers (owner of Binion’s Casino in Las Vegas and founder of the World Series of Poker) and also one of Jordan, Montana’s most colorful characters. But just about the time Binion got started in Vegas he also staked his claim in Jordan. Sometime between the ownership of Binion's Gambling Hall by Becky Behnen and Harrah's Entertainment, Benny Binion's gun collection quietly disappeared. It wasn’t put on the market or transferred to another casino owner, to the best of our knowledge. In fact, your question raises a mystery that baffles some of the best minds in Las Vegas. Benny was a real pioneer in the gaming industry; he is responsible for many of the parts of the industry that we know today. Starting with remodeling casinos to add carpeting and nicer fixtures, Binion would always put the player first.
Now seems like a good time to give you an overview of the family. Benny Binion married Teddy Jane, and they had five children: two sons, Jack and Ted, and three daughters, Barbara, Brenda, and Becky.
The kids started to get involved in the family business when Benny’s legal troubles caught up with him. Jack and Ted took over the day-to-day operation of the Horseshoe, while Benny’s wife managed the casino cage until her passing in 1994.
Benny himself died in 1989, starting a series of arguments within the family to determine ownership of the casino and other businesses.
In 1998, Benny’s daughter Becky fought a legal battle with her brother to gain control of a failing Horseshoe casino. Baby shower bingo cards for 30 people. She won that battle, taking control of the company.
However, the bigger news story in 1998 was the murder of Ted Binion.
Becky was no help to the Binion’s organization; the company’s financials were getting worse, plus they were getting into hot water with the union representing the majority of their employees.
In the end, Binion’s Horseshoe was sold to Harrah’s in 2004. The casino, however, wasn’t the jewel in the crown at that point… one of its events was.
Lester Ben 'Benny' Binion (November 20, 1904 – December 25, 1989) was an American gambling icon and mob boss.
Early history
Binion was born and raised in Pilot Grove, Texas in Grayson County, north of Dallas. His parents initially kept him out of school due to poor health. His father, a horse trader, let him accompany him on trips. While the outdoor life restored his health, Binion never had any formal education. As he traveled with his father, the young man learned to gamble, a favorite pastime when horse traders met up with farmers and merchants during county fair trade days
Criminal history
Binion's FBI file reveals a criminal history dating back to 1924, listing offenses such as theft, carrying concealed weapons, and two murder convictions.
Binion moved to El Paso when he was 18.There, he began moonshining.A year later, at the age of 19, Binion moved to Dallas where he set up moonshining operations, for which he was twice convicted. In addition to his moonshining, in 1928, Binion opened up an even more lucrative numbers game.
In 1931, Binion was convicted of shooting and killing an African American rum-runner, Frank Bolding, 'cowboy style.' This was the origin of Binion's 'Cowboy' nickname. Binion received a two-year suspended sentence.
In 1936, Binion established a network of private dice games at several Dallas hotels, including the Southland Hotel in downtown Dallas. This came to be known as the Southland Syndicate. By the end of 1936, Binion had gained control of most gambling operations in Dallas, with protection from a powerful local politician.
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In 1936, Binion and a henchman killed a numbers operator and competitor, Ben Frieden, emptying their pistols into him. Binion then apparently shot himself in the shoulder and turned himself in to police, claiming that Frieden had shot him first. Binion was indicted, but the indictment was later dismissed on the grounds that Binion had acted in self-defense.[12] In 1938, Binion and another henchmen allegedly killed Sam Murray, another of Binion's competitors in the gambling rackets. Binion was never indicted for this murder, and charges were dropped against his henchmen.
By the early 1940s, Binion had become the reigning mob boss of Dallas. He then sought to take over the gambling rackets in Fort Worth. The local mob boss of that city, Lewis Tindell, was murdered shortly afterwards.
Real money slots no deposit bonus codes. The Chicago Outfit made a successful move into Dallas after World War II. With the 1946 election of a Dallas County Sheriff Steve Gutherie, Binion lost his fix with the local government and fled to Las Vegas.
While in Dallas, Binion had begun a long-running feud with Herbert Noble, a small-time gambler in Dallas, which continued after Binion moved to Las Vegas. Binion demanded that Noble increase his payoff to Binion from 25 to 40 percent, which Noble refused to do.Binion posted a reward on Noble's scalp that eventually reached $25,000 and control of a Dallas crap game. Noble survived numerous attempts on his life, sometimes narrowly escaping with gunshot wounds. In November 1949, Noble's wife was killed in a car bombing intended for him. In retaliation, Noble planned to fly his private plane to Las Vegas to bomb Binion's house, but was restrained by local law enforcement before he could execute his plan.[8] In August 1951, as Herbert Noble drove up to his mailbox, a bomb exploded nearby, killing him instantly.
Binion lost his gambling license in 1951, and was sentenced to a five-year term in 1953 at Leavenworth federal penitentiary for tax evasion.
Casino years
In Las Vegas, Binion became a partner of the Las Vegas Club casino, but left after a year due to licensing problems after the casino relocated.In 1951, Benny purchased the building which had previously housed the Las Vegas Club, and opened it as the Westerner Gambling House and Saloon.
In 1951, he purchased the Eldorado Club and the Apache Hotel, opening them as Binion's Horseshoe casino, which immediately became popular because of the high limits on bets. He initially set a craps table limit of $500, ten times higher than the limit at his competitors of the time.[20] Because of the competition, Binion sometimes received death threats, although eventually casinos raised their limits to keep up with him. Additionally, the Horseshoe would honor a bet of any size as long as it was the first one made.
Binion was in the vanguard of Las Vegas casino innovation. He was the first in the downtown Glitter Gulch to replace sawdust-covered floors with carpeting, the first to dispatch limousines to transport customers to and from the casino, and the first to offer free drinks to players. Although comps were standard for high rollers, Binion gave them to all players. He also shied away from the gaudy performing acts typical of other Las Vegas casinos.
Binion said he followed a simple philosophy when serving his customers: 'Good food, good whiskey cheap, and a good gamble.'
Binion was known to be generous to patrons. For many years the Horseshoe had a late night $2 steak special, with most of the meat for the steaks coming from cattle on Binion's ranches in Montana. The Horseshoe is also believed to be the first major casino to offer 100-times-odds at craps (a patron with a bet on the pass or don't-pass lines could take or lay up to 100 times their bet in odds).The Horseshoe was one of the more profitable casinos in town.
One of the tourist attractions in Binion's was a large horseshoe with $1 million in $10,000 bills, embedded in plastic.
After his trial and conviction in 1953, to cover back taxes and legal costs, Binion sold a majority share in the Horseshoe to fellow gambler and New Orleans oilman Joe W. Brown. Binion’s family regained controlling interest in the Horseshoe in 1957, but did not regain full control until 1964. Benny was never allowed to hold a gaming license afterwards. Instead, his son Jack became the licensee, with Benny assuming the title of Director of Public Relations.
Benny Binion
Binion styled himself a cowboy throughout his life. He almost never wore a necktie, and used gold coins as buttons on his cowboy shirts. Despite being technically barred from owning guns, he carried at least one pistol all his life, and kept a sawed-off shotgun close by. His office was a booth in the downstairs restaurant, and he knew many of his customers by name.
Benny Binion Grandson Behnen
Death
Binion died of heart failure at the age of 85 on December 25, 1989 in Las Vegas. Poker great 'Amarillo Slim' Preston suggested as an epitaph, 'He was either the gentlest bad guy or the baddest good guy you'd ever seen.' He was posthumously inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1990.