Binion’s Hotel To Close

Las Vegas’s famed Binion’s Hotel & Casino, the home of the WSOP from 1970-2005, has announced the closure of its hotel business due to the effects of the current economic climate. Being situated off-strip and lacking the pizazz and over-the-top themes of many of its rivals, Binions was always likely to struggle in modern Vegas but the news still comes as a shock.

Crucially, Binion’s Casino business will be running as usual, including the legendary poker room that crowned WSOP champions such as Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss and Stu Ungar. The news was delivered to Binions employees in a memo sent to all staff that read, ‘during this time, the Las Vegas economy has seen dramatic drops in visitor spending, average daily room rates, and gaming revenue….based on that analysis, we have currently decided to close the hotel rooms.’ The closure will result in more than 100 employees being made redundant.

This news highlights the huge negative effects that the recession has had on the once-infallible Las Vegas. However, the city is fighting back with today’s opening of the long-awaited CityCentre, a huge casino and hotel complex part-owned by MGM Mirage. It will add a staggering 4,000+ hotel rooms to Las Vegas, bringing the total up to over 140,000.

So, while the casinos may be feeling the pinch there really isn’t a better time for the customer to head to Vegas with hotel rooms cheaper than they’ve ever been and the poker action as juicy as it’s ever been. Check out our guide to beating Vegas cash games and get on the first plane out, just in time for Christmas.