Benny Binion, center, was instrumental in the push to get the National Finals Rodeo to Las Vegas. He worked alongside, Herb McDonald, left, and Ralph Lamb, among others, to get the deal done.
Binion’s belief in rodeo helped bring Wrangler NFR to Las Vegas enny Binion grew up in a time when Las Vegas hotels had their own identity, their own brand, their own men. Men like Jackie Gaughan, Sam Boyd, Steve Wynn, Bill Bennett and so many more. At the Horseshoe, there was no bet too small, and there were few customers Mr. Binion did not know or help. Binion’s Horseshoe was all gambling, no show. No Follies or comedians or singers, just low, lowpriced great food, drinking and gambling. The big-hearted Texan helped revolutionize the city of Las Vegas after arriving there in the 1950s and was instrumental in bringing two of its most prestigious annual events to the city: the World Series of Poker and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The former began in 1979 after Binion and son Jack were looking for a way to bring in some gamblers and get some publicity. This year’s Main Event field boasted nearly 7,000 players competing for the $10 million winner’s share of a $62.8 million prize pool and the coveted World Championship bracelet. The Wrangler NFR followed six years later, turning the glum first two weeks of December into streets and hotels full of cowboy hats, jeans and boots. When Benny Binion wanted something done, it usually got done.
“The guy who brought the NFR to Las Vegas was Benny Binion, all by himself,” South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa owner Michael Gaughan said. “Benny wanted to do it and got a lot of people involved in it, but it was really all him. Mr. Binion never said no to me, and I never said no to him.” Mr. Binion. That’s what people still call him to this day, 25 years after his death. A member of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, Binion earned people’s respect and lives on as one of the most revered personalities in the history of ProRodeo. Mr. Binion never turned a cowboy away. “Benny Binion was larger than life and was probably the biggest single reason the rodeo came to Las Vegas,” Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins said. “The power he had and the opportunity we got because he loved rodeo made bringing it here so important.” Buoyed by his belief in the event and impassioned by his love of rodeo, cowboys and the Western way of life, Binion spearheaded the push to get the Wrangler NFR to Las Vegas. “Benny Binion loved cowboys. He was a cowboy and appreciated cowboys,” ProRodeo Hall of Fame saddle bronc rider Clint Johnson said. “He tried to help them any way he could, and moving the Finals he knew was good for Las Vegas, but he felt like the cowboys could stand to make a little more money, too.”