Downtown Mob Walk
Themed tour 20 discoveries Audio narration
Binion's Horseshoe neon frontage on September 1, 1986, with part of the neighbouring Mint sign visible.
Benny Binion bought the Eldorado Club on Fremont Street in 1951 and renamed it the Horseshoe Club. The casino that became Binion's began by taking over an existing gambling property. UNLV's collection history records a period of majority ownership by Joe W. Brown after Binion's 1953 tax-evasion conviction, followed by Binion regaining ownership. By 1964 the business was known as Binion's Horseshoe.
A complex assembled from neighbouring sites
The site expanded as neighbouring properties were incorporated. The operator records the purchase of the Boulder Club in 1960 and the later acquisition of the Mint by Benny Binion's sons. Sources differ over the Mint transaction's year: the operator uses 1988, while a World Series of Poker retrospective uses 1987. The broader sequence is clear: the late-1980s expansion made a larger complex out of several downtown sites, so the current footprint should not be projected back onto the original Horseshoe.
Poker before the tournament boom
Poker gave the place an identity beyond its frontage. The first World Series of Poker was held at the Horseshoe in 1970. The event's own history describes seven invited players playing cash games, with Johnny Moss selected by a vote. That beginning differs from the large elimination tournaments the name later came to represent.
The property, the name and the tournament
Ownership of a casino and ownership of its name could also separate. MTR Gaming's financial filings record its 2004 acquisition of the property, with Harrah's acting as the interim operator. Harrah's retained the Horseshoe and World Series of Poker rights. MTR took over operations in March 2005 and renamed the business Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel. The bulk of the 2005 WSOP moved to the Rio, although the Main Event's concluding play returned downtown for a final farewell.
The hotel closure and the Apache return
TLC Casino Enterprises bought the property in March 2008, according to the operator. In December 2009 its hotel rooms closed while the casino continued operating. Accommodation acquired a different shape in 2019, when Binion's announced an 81-room Hotel Apache opening under the historic hotel's name. The Apache's origins reach back to 1932, before the Horseshoe. This was a renewed hotel offering within the existing complex, rather than a new casino replacing Binion's.
The current operator presents both the gambling hall and Hotel Apache at 128 East Fremont Street. The mapped point identifies the expanded casino area. It does not identify an entrance, the precise boundary of any earlier casino or the location of a relocated sign. The Eldorado, Boulder Club, Mint and Apache layers each deserve their own evidence and identity; sharing part of today's complex does not make their histories interchangeable.
Read the full historySources and context
UNLV: Binion's Horseshoe Club Photograph Collection finding aid
Biographical note, PDF pages 3–4: 1951 Eldorado purchase and rename, the ownership interruption after 1953, and the name used by 1964. Supports introduction paragraph 1.
Binion's: operator history
Operator history: 1960 Boulder Club purchase, Mint acquisition dated 1988, TLC purchase in March 2008, and the current 128 East Fremont Street address. Supports introduction paragraph 2 and significance paragraphs 2–3.
WSOP: Seventh Heaven retrospective
The 2013 retrospective uses 1987 for the Mint annexation, conflicting with the operator's 1988. Supports the explicit year uncertainty in introduction paragraph 2.
WSOP: event history
The inaugural 1970 event at Binion's Horseshoe: seven players, cash games and the vote selecting Johnny Moss. Supports introduction paragraph 3.
MTR Gaming:2006 first-quarter filing
Note 3 and management discussion: March 2004 asset acquisition, Harrah's interim operation, and March 2005 takeover and rename. Supports significance paragraph 1.
MTR Gaming:2004 first-quarter filing
Acquisition section: Harrah's retains Horseshoe and World Series of Poker intellectual-property rights; MTR retains the Binion's name. Supports significance paragraph 1.
WSOP: The Longest Goodbye
June 2, 2014 retrospective: most 2005 events at the Rio and the Main Event conclusion returned to Binion's. No exact day of the conclusion adopted. Supports significance paragraph 1.
Las Vegas Sun:2009 hotel closure announcement
Contemporary November 30 report: hotel rooms closing December 14, with the casino remaining open. Dark rooms and continued casino operation corroborated by the January 12, 2010 report at https://vegasinc.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/jan/12/rooms-dark-there-still-action-binions/ . Supports significance paragraph 2.
Binion’s: Hotel Apache
Current operator hotel offering and the Apache's 1932 origin. Supports significance paragraphs 2–3. Promotional superlatives and haunting claims are not adopted.
Binion’s:2019 Hotel Apache announcement
July 23, 2019 operator release announces 81 rooms and the July 29 opening ceremony. Supports significance paragraph 2; the current operator hotel page corroborates the accommodation offering.
OpenStreetMap contributors: Binion’s casino area
Way 501328472, version 9, updated September 16, 2026; full geometry read October 19. Existing point 36.1714198, -115.1443457 lies inside the current polygon, roughly 135 by 150 metres. OSM data © contributors, ODbL. Supports location and expanded-footprint boundary.
The operator dates the Mint acquisition to 1988; a WSOP retrospective uses 1987. This history retains late-1980s precision rather than silently choosing one account.
The current mapped casino area includes multiple historic sites. Its point and extent do not establish each predecessor’s exact footprint or visitor access.
