Sex and Lies in Sin City: The Ted Binion Scandal

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-18?

-Stand.

-11?

-I want to double down.

Sandy, no. That's the last of your money.

-lf you...

-It's called gambling.

Good luck. 20, 17.

This is fast money, but if you want to

earn back all the money you lost

before you go home, we're gonna

have to rob a bank or something.

Yeah, well, you've never seen me dance.

Ride it, cowgirl!

Here's a front row seat, Herbie.

Shake it one time for Elvis.

Tequila, tequila! A double shot!

How about a shot for everybody?

Gentlemen, now something special.

Who here is a sports fan?

You will be after this young lady.

Put your hands together for Sandy!

Wow!

-Let's give it up one more time for Sandy!

-That's a wild one. That's a wild one!

Hey, where's my tequila?

All right, these girls are working on tips.

Why don't you let me take you home

and have a nice ride?

You think I'm a hooker?

You ever see a girl act like that?

She's a wild one. I bet you I can break her.

I bet you could.

Here, go give her that

and give her my phone number.

-Yeah?

-My address, too.

Oh, Jesus.

What? Yeah, I know,

I left my keys in your car.

I have to break into my own house.

Yeah, okay, bye.

Oh, my God! He's not breathing!

Oh, my God!

-How's he looking?

-He's gone.

Been gone awhile, I'd say.

Can't you shock him or something,

make him come back?

Just take her out of here, okay?

Okay, ma'am,

can you tell me what happened?

How long has your husband been

laying over there like that?

I don't know. All day, I guess.

He... Teddy, he was sick.

He was up all night.

-He bought a bunch of dope.

-Dope? What do you mean? Like pot?

No.

Black tar heroin, at least 10 empty balloons.

There were 1 2.

He stayed up all night,

and then he woke me up

because he said he was feeling sick.

He was afraid he might have a seizure

and wanted me to watch him.

So I just laid on the couch,

and I just watched him,

and then I fell asleep for a minute.

I was tired,

because he had kept me up all night.

And he wouldn't wake up.

I tried to make him breathe,

and he wouldn't breathe.

He wouldn't breathe. He wouldn't breathe.

There's a prescription bottle

there next to him.

It looks like a prescription for about

Do you think he took all of them?

Just last week I made him promise me

he'd go to rehab.

And he promised me.

You promised me! You promised me!

-You promised me!

-You got something to calm her down?

-Sure.

-You promised me.

Man, oh, man. It's already a circus.

Are we the last ones on the scene?

I told you we didn't have time

for you to stop and take a leak.

Let's go.

-I'm set. I'm going right in.

-All right. I'll meet you there.

I'm here on Palomino Lane, in front

of the home of former casino boss

Ted Binion, who was found dead today

after an apparent drug overdose.

Binion was, of course,

the son of Las Vegas pioneer Benny Binion,

immortalized in the statue erected

in his honor down on Second Street.

Ted Binion was part owner of the casino

founded by his father,

the famous Binion's Horseshoe, site of the

annual World Series of Poker tournament,

an event the older Binion introduced in 1970

and an event which Ted Binion himself

hosted for several decades.

Perhaps not coincidentally,

this tragedy occurs

only seven months after a hearing

in which Binion's gaming license

was permanently revoked

by the Gaming Control Board

because of his drug use and his ties

to mob figure Fat Herbie Blitzstein.

mr. Blitzstein is not now

or was he ever a business associate.

I simply knew him as a heck of a nice guy.

I don't think that having dinner

with a friend should bar me

from operating the casino

that I've run for my entire adult life.

It's the only life I know.

It's the only life I want.

Binion's body was discovered by

sandy murphy, his live-in girlfriend,

who was so shaken up she was taken to

a nearby hospital for evaluation.

Evan James, KmVB News, Las Vegas.

I'm sorry, sir.

... Vegas Police Department that casino boss

Ted Binion, recently in the news

for his troubles with

the Nevada Gaming Control Board,

was indeed found dead of a drug overdose...

You think anyone's surprised?

He was a junkie.

There are no additional details at this time.

We'll keep you up to date of this...

Rick Tabish. Hey, you okay?

The cops are here,

and they want to talk to me again,

and I swear to God I'm gonna lose it.

-Look, you're not gonna lose it.

-I can't deal with this alone.

-You have to come back.

-No can do.

That silver is an orphan.

That silver needs a new mommy and daddy.

Well, get it tomorrow.

I need you to come back now.

As Ted Binion's attorney and lifelong friend,

I can only express a sense of deep shock.

I saw him just the other day,

-and I can't believe it.

-Hello.

Jay Green, Las Vegas sun.

What do you say to the rumor

that Binion was a targeted mob hit?

I mean, after all,

Fat Herbie was murdered three months ago.

That is ridiculous.

There were absolutely no signs of foul play.

Look, that's all. No more comment.

Lou! Lou! Rick Tabish, construction...

I'm with Lou.

Lou. Hey, Sandy called. She's at

the hospital. The cops are all over her.

-She needs your help.

-Sorry. Not my problem.

Not your problem? Wait,

isn't it your job to protect your clients?

Look, just because Ted got drunk with you

a few times doesn't mean that you...

Come on, Lou, I've been here almost

every day for the past six months,

-and you know that.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-I know that.

What the hell is your problem?

-Come in.

-Hello.

Rick.

-I brought Greg.

-Your lawyer? Why didn't you bring Lou?

I just talked to your doctor, Sandy.

He won't release you until he knows

you have somewhere to stay.

-What do you mean? I'm going home.

-You can't.

Lou said they had to do an inventory

of the house first, preserve the contents.

But it's my house.

It's in Teddy's will. I get the house.

Lou knows that.

Oh, God. It's Becky. She wants me out.

That gold-digging, booty-shaking whore.

Crying her crocodile tears, was she?

Teddy said he was gonna

throw her ass out just the other day.

-Really?

-Come on.

-What day was that?

-I don't know, just the other day.

Overdose, my fat Aunt Fanny.

My brother has been smoking heroin

on and off for the last 20 years.

He knew exactly how much he could handle.

I'll bet you my casino

that harlot had something to do with it.

-Something meaning what?

-I don't know.

But I think the police ought to be

investigating it as a homicide.

A homicide? That's a pretty strong word.

I knew that Sandy Murphy would

be my brother's downfall

from the minute I laid eyes on her.

Benny! Benny! Benny!

Where the hell are you?

Hi.

Hey!

If you gave my boy drugs, I'm gonna

shoot you between the eyes right now.

He's not doing drugs. He's getting laid.

-Getting laid? Hey, he's a baby.

-Hello.

Hey, I remember you. Yeah, yeah,

come on over. Come on over. Yeah.

Hey, Sandy, honey,

you remember where I live.

You know what? You've got a date

sitting right by you, right now,

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