Worldwide Casino Heists

2008-09-20 Word Count: 334 Category: Arts & Entertainment

Casinos hold very large amounts of cash on-site and this makes them very tempting targets for heists. Listed below are some of the most famous casino heists in history, many failed but the odd one actually succeeds.

• September 1992 – the Stardust, Las Vegas. Bill Brennan, who worked as a cashier at the casino, simply walked out of the door for his lunch break, but with $500k in cash and chips in a bag draped over his shoulder. This is the biggest successful theft from a Las Vegas casino in history, and Brennan has never been found.
• October 1993 - the Circus Circus, Las Vegas. Heather Tallchief and Roberto Solis stole a truck filled with $2.5m and fled to the Cayman Islands. Solis fled with all but $1,000 of the money and after 12 years of running from the law, Tallchief gave herself up and was sentenced to 63 months in prison.
• August 2001 – Isle of Capri, Lake Charles. 11 people conspired to scam this casino out of $1m through the slots machines. Only $700k of the money was recovered from the scheme which involved a host of casino staff as ‘inside men’.
• May 1999 – Caesar’s Casino, Johannesburg. An eagle-eyed casino spotted a scam that could have cost the whole South African gaming industry $10m a year. The high cards on the blackjack game were marked, meaning that players could tell what cards the dealer had and which were to be drawn next.
• March 2008 – San Diego. This scheme helped the plotters pocket around $7m in winnings, including $800k from one casino in less than 90 minutes. The system involved the use of cameras and crooked casino staff to relay information to an offsite centre where hints were then transmitted back to the players.

Casinos are always at risk of being robbed, and although most thieves do not get away with the crime, a lot of casino owners are opting for online casino websites as these are much more secure.

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