Casino denies report alleging financial woes

Friday, Jan. 19, 2001 | 10:51 a.m.

The owner of Binion's Horseshoe Club is denying a report that the downtown Las Vegas gambling hall is experiencing financial difficulty.

A report in the Jan. 3 issue of the Las Vegas Tribune, citing unnamed sources, said that Binion's had failed to make a rental payment to its landowner in more than a year, and owed more than $1 million. The article stated that other Horseshoe landlords and the Fremont Street Experience had also not received payments from Binion's, "indicating that the casino may be experiencing cash flow problems."

Binion's owner Becky Behnen denied that the property had fallen behind on payments, saying the privately held hotel-casino is operating at a profit. "I'm certainly not going to complain" about Binion's current financial performance, Behnen said.

"The gaming authorities are so stringent that you can't fall behind ... you can't do anything wrong," Behnen said. "They know your financial situation at all times. If you're in any kind of financial trouble, they'd step in."

Behnen also said she's planning a renovation of part of the casino floor, probably by this summer. The older wing of the casino will be renovated to resemble the casino's newer wing, which is more brightly lit and features higher ceilings.

"We never did make one side look like the other side, but I think it needs to be done," Behnen said. "We're going to be doing some other things, but I'm not going to announce it just yet."

Mark Paris, executive director of the Fremont Street Experience, declined to comment on the Tribune report, saying the private company doesn't comment on business or financial matters.