Movie-goers are familiar with famous casino heists as popularized by Hollywood. The Ocean's 11, Ocean's 12 and Ocean's 13 franchise had viewers rooting for the thieves who set out to relieve a crooked casino owner of his casino's cash. Robert Redford and Paul Newman concocted an elaborate con in which they set up a phony casino to bring down a mafia boss and Chicago's dirty cops in the 1973 The Sting. Other casino heist movies include 21, Inside Man, Now You See Me and The Town.
Sometimes, however, truth is stranger than fiction. Join the Grande Vegas online casino as we look at some of history's most memorable real-life casino heists.
Stardust Casino, Las Vegas, 1992
In 1992 Bill Brennen, a long-time casino employee, was given the job of examining the casino's security system. Brennen had no record and no history of doing anything other than fulfilling his job as a cashier for the casino's sportsbook. As far as anyone could see, he lived a simple life in an apartment across the street from the casino with his cat.
The casino entrusted the job of working on the casino's security system – where the blind spots were, identifying which cameras needed to be upgraded, etc – to Brennen. Brennen went about his work but while he was performing his duties, he also stuffed about $500,00 in cash and casino chips into his briefcase. He then succeeded in walking out of the casino with his stash without being picked up by the very cameras that he was supposed to be upgrading.
So Bill is sitting in jail now, right? Well, actually, he was never caught. Police and security analysts reviewed the surveillance cameras that recorded every square inch of the casino floor 24/7, but they were unable to determine where Brennen had exited the building or in which direction he had gone.
When authorities entered Brennen's apartment, they found that the cat had also disappeared, but that Brennen had left a number of books with instructions about how to change one's identity.
No trace of Brennen has ever been found.
Soboba Casino, San Jacinto, 2007
Evidently, security personnel need to be better monitored, as the experiences of both the Stardust Casino and the Sobaba Casino in San Jacinto, California, demonstrate. But in 2007, the Sobaba Casino fell into the same trap that the Stardust Casino had dealt with by employing thieves whose knowledge of the casino's surveillance cameras allowed them to hack the casino's computer system and gain entry to the cashier's station.
Rolando Ramos, who had installed the cameras, took 10 employees hostage and stole $1.5 million dollars in cash before making his escape with a friend who drove the getaway car. The case attracted national attention with the robbers' defense that their cocaine addiction caused them to have no memory of the incident. The courts were not amused and both robbers served prison time.
Stake.com, Online, 2023
Online casinos are also vulnerable to thefts, though the method of operations of the robbers involves Internet hacking and other online shenanigans.
In 2023, a group called the Lazarus Group, believed to be a North Korean enterprise, stole $41 million in crypto from multiple blockchains and then converted the funds into Bitcoin. The theft was carried out by hackers who accessed Stake.com's Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Polygon cryptocurrency wallets, moved the funds through several layers of intermediaries and finally bridged them to Bitcoin. The funds have never been recovered.
Treasure Island, Las Vegas, 2000
Some casino robbery attempts are simply too ridiculous to take seriously – but it's always good for a bit of a giggle.
Treasure Island in Las Vegas was finally burgled by Reginal Johnson in 2000 – on his 4th attempt. The first two attempts didn't even merit police intervention. The third involved Johnson firing shots at a security guard on his way to rob the cashier. The guard was injured, and other guards chased Johnson from the casino before he had a chance to steal anything. Attempt #4 saw Johnson succeeding in absconding from the casino with $30,000 in cash but he was picked up within minutes. For all his efforts, he was rewarded with a 130-year prison sentence.
Crown Casino, Perth, Australia, 2013
Australia's largest casino operator, Crown, was hit with a $33 million heist in 2013 when a foreign high-stakes gambler, working with a casino insider, hacked into the security cameras and used them to spy on dealers' cards and other players. The thief was able to leverage the advanced-tech, high-resolution cameras which sent images that were so clear and detailed, it was easy to see the exact cards that were being played and then play his own accordingly.
Many observers call the Crown Casino Perth robbery an "Ocean's 11 style heist" because of the tech that facilitated the swoop. In addition, observers marveled that the scam continued long enough for he thieves to collect $33 million and walk away without a trace of their whereabouts.
Circus Circus Casino, Las Vegas, 1993
There are still many unanswered questions surrounding the Circus Circus casino robbery of 1993, but what is known is that $2.5 million disappeared and has never been recovered.
In 1993, Heather Tallchief was making her rounds as an armored truck driver filling ATM machines with cash. When she skipped her final stop at the Circus Circus Casino ATM, it was discovered that she had disappeared, along with her ex-con boyfriend Roberto Solis and $2.5 million in cash.
Tallchief and Solis stayed underground for 12 years. Tallchief eventually turned herself in and claimed that Solis had absconded with the money, leaving her high and dry. She served 5 years in prison. Neither Solis nor the cash has ever been seen again.
Thrill-seeking robbers, calculating cyber-criminals, and other casino thieves add to the fascinating history of casino gambling.
