The violent Texas bootlegger who built a Las Vegas empire
In short: Before he was the 'grandfather of Glitter Gulch,' Benny Binion was a Dallas mob boss with a reputation for lethal precision. From moonshining in El Paso to running a legendary casino, his rise was fueled by horse trading, heavy weaponry, and a complete disregard for the law.
Born Lester Binion in 1904, the man known as 'Benny' never received a formal education due to childhood illness. Instead, he learned the mechanics of gambling and trade while traveling as an errand boy for his father, a Texas horse trader. By 1928, at age 24, Binion had transitioned from a trader to a powerful operator in Dallas, running lucrative bootlegging and 'policy' lottery operations.
Binion's career was marked by extreme violence and political influence. In 1931, he was convicted of killing a rumrunner, Frank Bolding, a crime that earned him the 'Cowboy' nickname. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he dominated the Dallas underworld, allegedly involved in numerous murders and the formation of the Southland Syndicate. However, by 1946, shifting political tides and gang warfare forced him to flee Texas for Nevada.
In August 1951, Binion opened Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. Unlike the era's highbrow resorts, the Horseshoe was a 'sawdust joint' famous for its no-frills approach: free alcohol, cheap food—including chili made from a prison recipe—and a policy of accepting any bet a player could propose. In the 1960s, he even displayed one million dollars in cash in a glass case to attract tourists.
Despite his success, Binion's criminal past remained a shadow. He served time in Leavenworth from 1954 to 1957 for tax evasion and was never reissued a gambling license. He remained a pivotal figure in Vegas, helping found the World Series of Poker in the 1970s, until his death from a heart attack on Christmas Day, 1989.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Benny Binion (1904-1989) | American Experience | PBS
- Also: Benny Binion
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