Famous Casino Robberies

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Do you remember the famous Ocean’s Eleven-style heist that left Australia’s largest Crown casino $32 million Australian dollars (about $33.2 million) out of pocket.

In September 1992, long term casino employee Bill Brennan pulled off one of the greatest robberies of all time. A cashier at the Stardust casino in Las Vegas, one day in September he got up to go for his lunch break and simply walked out f the casino. Soboba Casino $1.58 million Forget the movies about casino robberies, they are just fiction – but two criminal friends believed that they could use ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ as their inspiration for robbing the Soboba Casino in 2007. Rolando Ramos and Eric Aguilera planned this robbery after an evening spent drinking and dreaming of becoming rich.

This was carried out by a high rolling gambler, a card dealer, and someone working in security for the gambling den. The dealer had been fired and the card player had been banned from the premises for life. The man was playing cards in one of the casino’s high-stakes rooms. These rooms are outfitted with more sophisticated surveillance than the rest of the casino due to the millions of dollars that change hands there. It’s believed that the man had someone on the inside, viewing the CCTV footage, and through an earpiece was told what cards the dealer was holding. The gaming regulator in Melbourne also believe the dealer was in on the heist, ensuring his cards could be seen by the cameras.

The FBI believed that casino magnate Benny Binion ordered the hit on Coulthard when Coulthard refused to renew Binion’s lease of the Horseshoe Casino. Robbery and Execution of Al Bramlet In the 1970s, Al Bramlet was the head of one of the country’s most powerful unions; Las Vegas’ Local 226.

Such kind of casino robberies are often on the news though not glamorous as it is portrayed in Hollywood’s movies like the Ocean’s 11. These heists in history are the players who are crazy or psychologically hands in glove with such casino crimes. Here are the 10 biggest casino robberies in history

1. MIT Blackjack Team

The Casino: Various across the world

Famous Casino Robberies

This multi million casino robbery have been made famous in many different books and movies. Adapted in books like Bringing Down the House in 2003 and a Kevin Spacey flick in 2008 , the “MIT Blackjack Team” for 14 years, this notorious team of student maths geniuses ran the most prolific card-counting ring in history under the auspices of Harvard MBA Graduate, Bill Kaplan (Mr. M). Over the course of their long career, the MIT crew nabbed millions at high-stakes blackjack tables. These math wizards employed an advanced method for counting cards and raked in millions of dollars in winnings. Today, it’s unknown as to how many card counters are still out there and following in the footsteps of this notorious team. Despite ostensibly dissolving in 1993, various splinter groups, imitators and adventurous newcomers carry on the MIT team’s legacy.

Robberies

2. Peaking through Camera

Casino: Crown, Perth

As said above this happened in 2013 where a high roller player nabbed a hefty sum of $33 million by remotely hacking into the surveillance system at the Crown Casino in Perth, Australia. By manipulating the casino’s camera array and sneaking peaks at dealers’ plays, he was able to feed winning strategies to an inside man via an earpiece, pocketing the lion’s share of the take. The Crown was cagey about the exact nature of the scam, but has allegedly captured the inside man, though the hacker remains at large.

3. Roulette wheel command inside the sole

Famous Casino Robberies

Casino: multiple across California

In one of the most hi-tech heists of all time, in the 1970’s two physics students from the University of California, Santa Cruz,developed a small computer that fit into a shoe and interfered with the roulette wheels. The device would interfere with the wheel and read its movements so one player could wear the shoe while the other would have the information relayed on his own show and bet accordingly. Unfortunately the computer would short circuit, causing an electric shock and setting their socks on fire . The two were able to keep up the gag for few months but were eventually caught and charged.

4. Heather Tallchief and Roberto Solis partner in crime

Casino: Circus Circus

Heather Tallchief and Roberto Solis took in 1993went to casino robbery and making off with two and a half million in an armoured truck, Solis skipped town, leaving Tallchief and her young son a mere $1,000. She stayed on the run until her arrest in 2005. All was fair in love and robbery for this couple.

5. Classy Teamwork

Casino: Soboba Casino, Las Vegas

The Villains to this robbery were Eric Alan Aguilera and Roland Luda Ramos. Ramos was an employee at the Soboba and managed to convince his friend Aguilera to rob $1.5 million from the casino’s vault. They didn’t try any fancy plans or employ the use of hi-tech gadgets. Ramos held and gagged three workers and barged another 7 at gunpoint. Aguilera drove the getaway car. They didn’t make it for very long and were both apprehended within a short amount of time.

6. Mobile Lasers to spin the wheel

Casino: Ritz, London

Most Famous Casino Robberies

The Ritz made an involuntary pay-out of £1.3 million to three cheaters in 2004, who used lasers in their mobile phones to measure the speed of roulette wheels and predict the outcome of spins. Incredibly, although all three men were arrested, the judge presiding over their trial determined that no crime had been committed and the accused were let off scot-free. But things are not easy to let go at the casinos. They were given a life time ban.

7. Sports book cashier

Famous Casino Robberies In Philadelphia

Casino: The Stardust, Las Vegas

The Stardust casino is no longer on the scene but the famous story of a sportsbook cashier who got a little greedy is still talked about today. A sportsbook cashier in 1992 at The Stardust, Bill Brennan, decided one day to walk out of the casino after his shift with a bag containing over $500,000 in chips and cash. Brennan was never seen or heard from again and while he’s still on the FBI’s most wanted list. Brennan vanished without a trace after lifting the money, leading some to speculate that he might’ve been killed by a greedy accomplice.

8. The three shady men

Famous Casino Robberies In Las Vegas

Casino: multiple across London

This happened in the year 2000 where three Londoners armed themselves with state-of-the-art spy equipment and hit six casinos across Britain’s capital and took away £200,000. One of the bandits used a miniature camera hidden in his sleeve to film cards as they were dealt, feeding images to an accomplice in a van outside. The footage was reviewed in slow motion and wagering instructions were fed to the inside man via a small ear piece. All three of these greedy gentlemen were arrested for their crimes.

9. Danny Ocean Style

Casino: Bellagio, Las Vegas

Jose Vigoa, Luis Suarez, and Oscar Sanchez made several attempts to fleece the Bellagio Casino in the year 1998 while trying to rob the Bellagio for over $160,000. Vigoa was a known bank robber and his face was caught on camera, giving the authorities a clear lead. Then, Sanchez confessed to police and gave up Vigoa and Suarez. Vigoa was sentenced to life in prison and Sanchez committed suicide in jail with Suarez a lighter sentence.

10. The Treasure Island

Casino: Treasure Island, Las Vegas
This Las Vegas casino was actually subject to multiple robberies at the turn of millennium, though only one was successful. In October, 2000, Reginald Johnson burst into the Treasure Island Casino wielding a gun, making off with $30,000. This followed two previous hits on the establishment, during which Johnson failed to nab any dough and wounded a security guard.

Johnson’s general incompetence and habit of returning to the scene of the crime meant he was eventually apprehended in January 2001. This psychopathic klutz was eventually sentenced to 130 years behind bars.

Famous casino robberies in nyc

11. Superfast with no clue

The Casino: Mandalay Bay

This robbery was superfast and took place in the afternoon of March 11 2005. Two men came up to the change booth and held up the casino cashier at gunpoint. The two made off with an undisclosed amount of money neither the police nor casino spokespeople wouldn’t disclose that information. No one knows which entry and robbers came in from or what booth they robbed. Leaving the casino embarrassed till date one can only imagine such a robbery which was so swift and fast.

Baffled? Right; such are the tales of casino robberies.

As a security guard, one has to be aware of their surroundings at all times. The job at hand is to maintain the safety and security of the staff and patrons of an establishment, and to diffuse any potentially hazardous or disruptive situation before it can happen. But, what about taking on this job in a uniquely challenging setting like a casino? Casinos have their own set of security concerns to contend with including large crowds of people, large sums of money being passed around and also kept on site, and the risks that accompany any situation with alcohol present (including rowdy patrons and relaxed inhibitions). And, as one would expect, there will always be people who will try to cheat at gambling.

It takes a certain amount of skill and finesse to maintain order in a casino. There are many types of sophisticated security and monitoring systems in place in casinos, and they vary from location to location. We all know about the ‘eyes in the sky’, and different establishments are constantly introducing additional security measures to stay one step ahead of the cheats. Even given the sophisticated level of technology available today, it doesn’t mean security professionals on the floor can relax and go on autopilot.

Famous las vegas casino robberies

Famous cheaters such as Richard Marcus will tell you that in their opinion, technology currently being used won’t stop cheaters in their tracks. According to Marcus, “technology is still only as good as the casino’s workers, whom he fooled for years. If cheaters don’t draw too much attention to themselves, quickly getting onto and then away from the table, it’s unlikely their records will be checked.” (CNET News).

Given this, one must continue to watch for suspicious behavior, your eyes, ears and instincts will always be the best tools for the job. Here you’ll find information on different examples of suspicious or disruptive activity to watch out for.

Famous Casino Robberies In Nyc

Cheaters never prosper, and your job as a security guard is to make sure they don’t get away with it. Scammers are always finding new ways to cheat at casinos and in gambling, so it is incredibly important for security professionals to remain alert and stay up-to-date about new types of scams – your employer will tell you what they want you to watch for. In addition to what you’ll learn from your employer or security training program, keep an eye out for patrons who look overly nervous, sweaty or shifty eyed. Most cheaters get caught because they are easy to read, and if not, you can also catch them when they get greedy; an unusual pattern of excessive winning may be more than just luck.

The variety of scams used to cheat are far too numerous to list here. For a succinct list of some of the most popular scams employed in Vegas casinos, you can refer to Vegas Chatter’s article, “The Most Popular Ways To Cheat in Vegas.” Once you’re familiar with some of the more common dupes and how to spot them, you are on your way to becoming a formidable security professional.

However, one should be aware that it’s not just cheaters and thieves that need to be managed in a casino setting; security professional needs to be on the lookout for disruptive patrons, rowdy drunks, and even dishonest employees.

No one likes to lose money, but look out for those who become overly combative or upset. Stress can make people do senseless things, and anyone who will argue with or become rude to a dealer or another player should be watched carefully to make sure they don’t take out their anger in an inappropriate way. One angry or disruptive patron at a gaming table can have an effect on their other patrons at the table that might choose to play elsewhere.

As mentioned, it’s not just players and patrons a security guard should watch, casino employees should be observed as well. Casinos have all types of procedures in place to first hire honest and trustworthy individuals, and then to them from participating in scams or skimming off the top. However, you’ll always find the occasional bad seed, so be alert for employees skimming casino chips, or those who partner up with guests to help steal personal items like checked coats or purses. Ronald Petyak, a police official reporting to Pennsylvania casino officials on security measures in 14 of the state’s casinos recently said, “theft by casino employees is one of the most prevalent forms of theft, and the hardest to detect. More employee theft has been documented than theft by patrons.” He said one employee of a Connecticut casino was “caught placing $97,000 [in casino funds] in his socks.” (Pittsburgh-Post Gazette via SecurityInfoWatch.com).

As a security professional, one must always remain vigilant. Read more about the recent 1.5 million dollar heist perpetrated at the Bellagio Casino in our recent blog article, “Are You Concerned About Recent Rash of Casino Robberies?” What types of scams or suspicious behavior have you witnessed while working as a security guard? What tips would you give to someone looking to work as a security professional in Las Vegas?

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