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The Legendary Las Vegas Suitcase Man

If you ask anyone today about the Suitcase Man or the Phantom Gambler, most people will look at you with a puzzled face. They don’t remember one of the most legendary Vegas gamblers.

But I know about him.

He was a high-flying, prosperous gambler in the 80s, and his story remains a Las Vegas lore. He has inspired many prize giveaways and awards in the city, and today, I will tell you about him.

The Beginning

William Lee Bergstrom was born in 1951 in Austin, Texas. He attended Austin High School and graduated in 1969. He then attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock and majored in electrical engineering. He didn’t finish, though. He was a man who enjoyed aviation and trained and became a private pilot. He dropped out of Texas Tech in 1971 and enrolled at the University of Texas. Again, he didn’t finish. He dropped out in 1974.

After dropping out of UT, he made a living by selling real estate in Texas.

Las Vegas

Bergstrom’s fame and legendary life in Las Vegas began on September 24, 1980, when he arrived at Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in the city with two suitcases. The first was carrying $777,000, and the other was empty. Benny Binion, the casino owner, implemented a strict policy of honoring a bet of any size if it’s the player’s first.

You must understand that, at the time, Bergstrom was anonymous. Nobody knew him. Nobody recognized him. In a surprising twist of fate, he placed the total amount on a single bet of dice which he actually won. Yes. The man placed a single bet for all his money and won. How lucky can a person be? Binion was the one who helped him stack the winnings into his empty suitcase.

He took his money and disappeared into oblivion as he had come.

Nobody heard from him for three and a half years. On March 24, 1984, he reappeared. He placed another bet of $538,000 on a single roll of dice and won. Yes! He won.

That same night, he took his mother to a Willie Nelson Show, placed three more craps bets, and won an additional $117,000. Some of us will bet our whole lives and will never win anything. I guess luck has its people.

He disappeared again for a month and returned on November 16. He had a suitcase filled with $550,000 in cash, $140,000 in gold Krugerrands, and $310,000 in cashier’s checks. He placed a $1,000,000 bet. But one person can only be so lucky so many times.

He lost the bet, unfortunately.

The End

He never recovered from his $1 million loss. He died in 1985 by suicide. While the reason for his suicide remains unknown, it’s usually believed that it was not because he was broke. According to his family and friends, he had at least $647,000 at his death. He left a note which led people to believe that his suicide was triggered by a breakup with a man ten years his junior.

When interviewed, Ted Binion said that Bergstrom had borrowed most of the money for his first bet and intended to commit suicide if he lost. But when he won, he traveled the world for the years he was missing in action.

Do you see why William Lee Bergstrom is a legendary Vegas gambler? I find his story very interesting.

Author

I love humanity. Writer and Traveler. Please visit www.spectrewriters.com.