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"I did some bootlegginU in Dallas. But I never did make no money bootleggin"," Lester "Benny" Binion said in an interview with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas oral history department.
The founder of the block-long Binion's Horseshoe was buried five years ago Dec. 28, his funeral procession led down Fremont Street by a stagecoach. Binion's death, sandwiched between that of J. Kell Houssels Sr. and Sam Boyd, signified the end of an era when most Las Vegas casinos were privately run, family operations.
Binion learned the gambling business from Warren Diamond, an old-time racketeer and gambler who ran a no-limits craps game in the St. George Hotel near the Dallas courthouse. He recalled the day a Dallas oilman threw an envelope on the line and said, "Diamond, I'm gonna make you look." Diamond glanced at the oil man and, without opening the envelope, said, "Pass him the dice."
Gaming chips
He was a mule dealer and a horse trader; an admittedly lousy poker player and a bootlegger, although to hear him tell of it, he wasn't a very good one.
"I did some bootlegginU in Dallas. But I never did make no money bootleggin"," Lester "Benny" Binion said in an interview with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas oral history department.
"Every time I get ahold of any money, somethin'd happen, and I'd lose a bunch of whiskey or somethin', and I just kept me poor as a church mouse, all the time."
The founder of the block-long Binion's Horseshoe was buried five years ago Dec. 28, his funeral procession led down Fremont Street by a stagecoach. Binion's death, sandwiched between that of J. Kell Houssels Sr. and Sam Boyd, signified the end of an era when most Las Vegas casinos were privately run, family operations.
Binion was at times a gruff man. Mobsters were numbered among his companions and he killed two men in gunfights in his home state of Texas. He served a prison sentence on a tax conviction and his name never appeared on a state gaming license.
But his Western roots and jovial demeanor made him a Las Vegas icon.
In his oral history interview with UNLV, Binion said his earliest recollection was a buggy ride to the 1908 Texas State Fair. Binion was 4 years old.
"It was early in the morning, before daylight, I guess. So when we crossed this creek, there was a big bottom country there, and it was cotton, all of the year, and the frost'd hit this cotton, and it has a terrible odor. And the horses hit this bridge, trottin' across the bridge, woke me up, and I remember this odor, you see. I don't even remember bein' to the state fair, but I do have this cup to, you know, to give me the date and all."
Binion learned the gambling business from Warren Diamond, an old-time racketeer and gambler who ran a no-limits craps game in the St. George Hotel near the Dallas courthouse. He recalled the day a Dallas oilman threw an envelope on the line and said, "Diamond, I'm gonna make you look." Diamond glanced at the oil man and, without opening the envelope, said, "Pass him the dice."
"He shot the dice, caught a point, and missed it," Binion recalled. "They opened up the envelope and there's 172 $1,000 bills. That was the biggest shot I ever heard of."
The Horseshoe would later take bets of up to $1 million on one throw of the dice.
_ Dave Palermo
ITT split?
Barron's, the financial tabloid, says ITT Corp. may split into three companies, making ITT stock worth as much as $130 per share.
That would produce fat gains for shareholders with the stock trading around $95 recently.
ITT, which is buying out Caesars World Inc., could bring about $15 billion or from $115 to $130 per share if it is split up, according to analysts Barron's interviewed. The company may divide into an insurance company, manufacturer and leisure firm.
ITT's tender offer for Caesars' stock ends Jan. 24.
_ John G. Edwards
Victoria Bay?
The 3,000-room Strip hotel and casino proposed as a joint venture by Gold Strike Partners and Mirage Resorts Inc. likely will be called Victoria Bay, according to a Strip hotel executive familiar with the two companies.
Gold Strike would have preferred to call the resort Grand Victoria, the name used by its Elgin, Ill., riverboat casino. But that would have created confusion with the MGM Grand Hotel & Theme Park.
"If somebody suggested `Let's go to the Grand' people might get confused," the executive said.
_ Dave Palermo
Laughlin plans
Grand plans for a megaresort of sorts are in the works for Laughlin.
Robert Bilbray, president of Bilbray Industries, said he hopes to break ground in May or June on the first phase of a project that eventually could include as many as five hotels.
"This project is going to create more interest in Laughlin than anything else that's there right now," said Bilbray, cousin of Rep. Jim Bilbray, D-Nev.
The project would be built on 196 acres between the Needles Highway and the Colorado River on the north and south sides of James H. Bilbray Parkway, he said.
"It really represents the largest undeveloped piece of property in Laughlin right now," he added.
Two weeks ago, Bilbray received Clark County approval to change a portion of the property that was zoned rural open to limited resort and apartment.
The next step, he said, is to begin designing a family-oriented recreational and show area that would be the project's centerpiece.
He said the project could offer from 2,000 to 4,000 rooms and 2,000 recreational vehicle spaces.
Bilbray said he hopes to break ground in May or June, and open the project's first phase in January 1996. But he noted the dates are very tentative.
_ Marian Green
Light up
Silver City Casino's nonsmoking policy has gone up in smoke.
Circus Circus Enterprises Inc., which operates the small Strip casino, has decided to drop the policy after "relaxing" it during the recent National Finals Rodeo to accommodate rodeo visitors, many of whom smoke.
Silver City was Las Vegas' only smoke-free casino.
The casino will have some nonsmoking areas, including the poker room, restaurant and an area in slots, according to spokesman Ron Garrett.
The company re-examined its nonsmoking policy because it was concerned the casino did not appeal to all potential customers because of the ban, he said.
_ Monica Caruso
Gambling lawsuit
The family of a Mississippi man who fatally shot himself is suing Splash Casino of Tunica County, claiming the dead man's gambling drove him to suicide.
Debra Kimbrow, 37, and her two children are seeking $50 million in damages following the death of Eric Kimbrow, 43, who shot himself to death after having lost more than $100,000.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out," attorney James Brockman of Memphis, Tenn., told the Jackson, Miss., Clarion-Ledger.
"His death was the result of his depression that came about from being turned upside down on this gambling." Splash casino executives declined to comment.
The lawsuit alleges that the casino continued to give Kimbrow credit despite his losses. It states that Splash contacted Kimbrow's survivors seeking payment of $1,000 in bad checks.
_ Dave Palermo
Good stocks
Forbes magazine says gaming company stocks are among those likely to perform well during 1995.
"Looking ahead, gaming companies like Circus Circus, Mirage and Promus that know how to entertain the masses should continue to thrive," the magazine says in its Jan. 2 issue.
"But outfits like Caesars World and Showboat may not be so lucky," the magazine says. ******Their problem: intense and growing competition, from Las Vegas to Louisiana."
The article apparently was written before ITT Corp. made a $1.7 billion tender offer for Caesars World.
_ John G. Edwards Hot slots
An analyst thinks Casino Data Systems is going to hit the jackpot with its Cool Millions multisite progressive system.
Progressive jackpot systems pool a portion of the bets made on a group of slot machines so players have a chance of winning a jackpot. Multisite systems link slot machines at several casinos.
CDS' Cool Millions system earlier received "excellent initial player acceptance" in Mississippi, and the company now can start selling it in Nevada, said David Ehlers, publisher of the Las Vegas Investment Report.
International Game Technology's Megabucks system pays annuities on million-dollar jackpots, but Cool Millions pays in cash, creating instant millionaires, Ehlers said.
He believes the cash payments "may result in a significant player preference over IGT's Megabucks" for Cool Millions.
_ John G. Edwards
Gaming chips is compiled by Review-Journal gaming writer Dave Palermo. The column appears Sundays.
Copyright Donrey Media Group Jan 1, 1995