This section tells the stories of the people who built American gambling: casino founders, operators and the players who turned poker into a spectator sport. Their decisions still shape how casinos look, how they treat customers and which games get the spotlight.
Bill Harrah opened his first bingo parlor in Reno in 1937 and built Harrah’s into a casino brand known for customer service; the name now belongs to Caesars Entertainment. Benny Binion came to Las Vegas from Texas, opened Binion’s Horseshoe on Fremont Street in 1951 with high betting limits, and the Horseshoe hosted the first World Series of Poker in 1970. Bobby Baldwin won the 1978 World Series of Poker Main Event and later became a senior casino executive at MGM Resorts.
Each biography covers where the person came from, what they built or won, and the mark they left on the industry.
Gambling legends
- Bill Harrah: from a Reno bingo parlor to a casino empire, and the customer-service ideas that came with it.
- Benny Binion: the Texas gambler behind Binion’s Horseshoe and the World Series of Poker.
- Bobby Baldwin: the 1978 World Series of Poker champion who moved from the poker table to the executive suite.
Related
- Caesars Entertainment: the company that owns the Harrah’s name today.
- Casino owners: the companies that run today’s casinos.
- Best Las Vegas poker rooms: where today’s players compete.
- Poker: card room poker guides.
- Las Vegas Club history: another downtown Las Vegas story.
Gamble for fun and set a budget before you play. If gambling stops being fun, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET (call or text).