Binion's Closing Hotel Rooms But Not Casino

LAS VEGAS-Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas will indefinitely shutter all 365 of its hotel rooms on Dec. 14 and lay off 100 of its 800 workers in response to decreased business due to the recession, property spokesperson Lisa Robinson confirmed for GlobeSt.com following a report in the Las Vegas Sun. Robinson works for TLC Casino Enterprises Inc., which also owns the adjacent Four Queens Resort & Casino, which has nearly 700 hotel rooms.

The casino and sports book and poker room on the ground floor will remain open as will the steakhouse on the 24th floor and other casual dining outlets, she tells GlobeSt.com, but a basement coffee shop also will close and a small keno operation also will be discontinued. The closures are being timed to a seasonal lull following the Nationals Finals Rodeo, which concludes Dec. 12.

With the average daily room rate plummeting and gaming revenue down significantly due to fewer tourists spending less money, Robinson tells GlobeSt.com that TLC had to look at its costs, identify the “biggest drains” and make some “unfortunate but necessary decisions in order to keep the remaining property operational.”