Las Vegas wasn’t built by saints.
It was built by gamblers.
In this episode, we dive deep into the life of Benny Binion — the Texas-born gambling boss who fled murder rumors and federal heat, arrived in the Nevada desert, and helped shape modern Las Vegas.
Born in rural Pilot Grove, Texas, Binion left school early and learned odds at livestock auctions instead of in classrooms. By the 1930s, he was running powerful illegal gambling operations in Dallas, shadowed by allegations of violence and gangland-style rivalries.
In 1946, under mounting legal pressure, he packed up his family and headed west — to a young Las Vegas still finding its identity.
What followed was a career that would define downtown Vegas:
A deadly rivalry with Herbert “The Cat” Noble that led to car bombings and bloodshed
The loss of his Nevada gaming license
A five-year federal prison sentence for tax evasion
The bold creation of Binion’s Horseshoe, where gamblers could truly “bet the limit”
And the founding of the World Series of Poker, transforming a backroom game into a global phenomenon
But the story doesn’t end with Benny.
We explore the shifting landscape of 1970s Las Vegas, the violent undercurrent of the era, the murder of G. William Coulthard, and the unraveling of the Binion dynasty — culminating in the shocking 1998 death of Ted Binion and the buried silver fortune that stunned the nation.
This is not just the story of one man.
It’s the story of how risk built a city — and how time eventually collects its debts.
🎙️ If you’re fascinated by Las Vegas history, organized crime, poker, or the rise and fall of American gambling empires… this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
