Historical Casino Heists: The Real-Life Oceans’ Saga

Historical Casino Heists: The Real-Life Oceans’ Saga

By Alex J. Coyne © 2018 Great Bridge Links

Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online defines ‘heist’ as ‘to commit armed robbery on’ or ‘to steal’; casinos of the world have seen their fair share of robberies, some high-value, some not; some daring and some just really, really weird. Here’s our round-up of some historical casino heists which should show anyone with terrible ideas just why it really, really shouldn’t be thought of.

The First Robber-versary?

It’s not often that a casino gets to say that it’s their first. But that’s exactly what happened in 2005 when Gold Reef City got robbed at 4:15 in the morning. Claudia Crooney, their spokesperson at the time noted that this was the first time it had ever happened since Gold Reef City opened – not bad, considering that the mining rush-themed resort had been stuck on-top of a gold mine that had closed back in the early 70’s.

Source: IOL

Animal Farm

Some of you will know the famous Bellagio in Vegas from personal experience; most will recognize it from having been the casino taken in Oceans’ Eleven. Well, of course, people have tried to rob the place in real life. In 2017, a group of armed gunmen walked straight into the Bellagio – dressed in animal masks – and opened fire. We can’t say if this was inspired by cinema, but we can say that fictional George Clooney looked much better doing it than this.

Source: Independent

The Lone Ranger

Another robbery bringing us to the Bellagio, which shows us why you might not want to make your casino the setting of a freaking heist movie. This one was reported in 2010 and involved a single gunman wearing a motorcycle helmet who walked onto the Bellagio floor in Vegas and demanded money from the croupier. He walked away with $1. 5 million in chips. Anyone else watch the movie Stander?

Source: The Daily Mail

The Mysterious Story of Bill Brennan

We probably don’t need to mention the fact that Bill Brennan is not related to the fictional Temperance Brennan from Bones – though this might just have been the kind of robbery her father might have pulled back when he was still on that side of the law. On the 22nd of September 1992, Bill Brennan – an employee at the Stardust Hotel – simply walked out the front door with around half a million in chips. And then fell of the face off the earth.

There have been no reports since, and no subsequent traces of the man – or the money.

Source: Card Player

A High Tech Affair

Lastly, we have something a little more high-tech. In 2013, the Herald Sun reported that a “massive betting scam” had taken place at the Crown Casino and Resort in Australia: In short, it involved access to the system’s cameras – which pointed right at player’s hands – and an audio feed to a player’s ear telling him what bets would be safe. This scam apparently took a total of $32 million from the casino. Whoops.

Source: ABC Australia

Casino Bonuses

Because the online gambling industry is such a competitive field, casinos are always thinking of ways to attract customers to them. One of these is the casino bonus. Pepper Casino presents a list of some of the best casino bonuses out there.

 

 

Related Stories
Top online casino games in 2018
Top Live Casinos New Players Should Try in 2023
Live casinos provide a level of excitement and immersion that cannot be found at virtual
Licence Online Casino
Why Is License Important at Online Casinos 
For any online casino gambling platform, possessing a valid license and appropriate certifications from the
haunted casinos skeleton poker - Gifts for Card Players
Ghost of a Chance: Exploring Haunted Casinos
As a horror author I’ve always loved a good, bone-chilling ghost story; that got me
Songs About Poker - Gifts for Card Players
I’ll see you, I’ll call you, I’ll raise you and Other Songs About Poker
Song writers and performers have an affinity with poker. Here are some songs you might