Binion's Horseshoe, also known as the
Horseshoe Casino or simply
The Horseshoe, 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 had 366 rooms, three restaurants and a rooftop
pool.
The property is still open, but
Harrahs owns the
The Horseshoe brand name. As of 2008 it is owned by TLC Corporation and runs under the name
Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel.
Binion also instituted high
table limits. When he 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. Ultimately, Binion's raised the table limit to $10,000 and even eliminated table limits completely at times, which was an immediate hit.
Unlike other casinos, the emphasis at Binion's was on gambling, not on big performing acts. The casino was also very egalitarian; there were no private pits for high rollers.
Binion's entire family was involved in the casino. His wife Teddy Jane managed the
casino cage until her death in 1994. His sons,
Jack and
Ted, supervised the games. His daughter, Becky (later
Becky Binion Behnen), managed the kitchen.
The
Horseshoe brand was used for several casino properties owned by the Binion family members. While not part of the same company, the other
Horseshoe Casinos were owned by
Jack Binion, a co-owner of Binion's.
History
Benny Binion bought the
Eldorado Club and
Apache Hotel in 1951,...
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