The casino would inevitably sell the WSOP and the Horseshoe brand to Harrah's in 2004, while the Binion's casino was sold to MTR Gaming Group. In 2003, federal agents and the IRS seized $1 million from Binion's to satisfy past debts. Jack, who established the WSOP in 1970, was forced to sell the property in 1998 to his sister, Becky Behnen, who implemented some cost-cutting measures that turned off gamblers, eventually contributing to the casino's demise. His sons Jack and Ted would later take over the casino as Benny was no longer legally permitted to operate a casino in Nevada due to his multiple felony convictions.
Prior to the Rio years, the WSOP was hosted downtown at the Binion's Horseshoe, one of the most iconic casinos in Las Vegas.įounder Benny Binion, a convicted murderer with a lengthy violent criminal history, and his family ran the casino from 1951 until 2004. The 2021 World Series of Poker was the 17th and final series hosted at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, an off-Strip Caesars property. In 2005, Harrah's Entertainment (now named Caesars Entertainment), bought the casino, along with its next-door sister property, Paris. Since then, Bally's has become one of the top budget hotels on the Strip.
