Lester Ben "Benny" Binion, is a native of Texas, born in Pilot Grove in 1904. His family were farmers, stock raisers, and horse traders near El Paso, Dallas, and Sweetwater. In his early teens, Benny Binion developed interests in gambling, especially by traveling with friends and relatives to farm-town "trade days," where card and number games were popular. From the 1920s through World War II, Binion worked to become established in gaming in Dallas; then, having gained considerable experience there, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1946.

Las Vegas was just beginning to boom in legal gaming activities when Benny Binion arrived there to establish the Las Vegas Club (in partnership with Kell Houssels); then the Westerner; and finally, the Horseshoe Club in 1951. He has been the principal owner of the Horseshoe since that time, becoming well known throughout the nation as one of Nevada's most colorful casino owners.