A new TV series will soon tell the story of World Series of Poker and Horseshoe Casino founder Benny Binion.
Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions and MGM Television are adapting the 2014 book Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker. Longtime Dallas Morning News reporter and editor Doug J. Swanson wrote the book.
The book tells Binion’s story – from running underground casinos in the Dallas area to eventually facing two murder charges, to eventually leaving North Texas to found the famed downtown Las Vegas casino in 1949. He and his son Jack would go on to create the WSOP at the property in 1970.
“Douglas J. Swanson’s book captures the incredible life of Benny Binion, a New West icon who was a conduit connecting many worlds, some glamorous, some dangerous, some shady, but all intriguing, while helping to build the foundation for both Las Vegas as we know it and the explosive worldwide popularity of poker,” Stallone told Deadline.
Company Hasn’t Announced Release Date Yet
Along with Stallone, the new series has another major name tied to the project. The company casted Cole Hauser, who played Rip Wheeler on the Paramount Network hit “Yellowstone,” to play Binion. Additionally, the actor’s American Outlaw Entertainment is also teaming up in the production.
Stallone believes Hauser is a perfect fit to play the mobster and casino owner.
“This is a story that will captivate audiences, and it’s a role made for Cole Hauser to play,” Stallone told Deadline. “I am proud and excited to partner with Cole to bring this story to life.”
Stallone’s company hasn’t announced a release date yet. Binion passed away in 1989 after suffering a heart attack. He was inducted posthumously into the Poker Hall of Fame that same year.
The upcoming Binion production is just one of many gambling-related television series in the works.
Last December, Starz announced a new series in December focusing on the sports betting saga involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. Furthermore, the creators of Rounders are partnering with Martin Scorsese on a new Netflix casino drama.
