Top 5 Casino Heists Of All Time

Since the advent of gambling establishments, there have been those looking to rob them. The reasoning is quite simple - there’s usually quite a lot of money stored at casinos, and security is presumably (or at least used to be) more lax than it is at banks. Robbing casinos is such a high profile crime that casino robbers quickly gained incredible notoriety, and have since been romanticized in stories and movies such as Oceans 11. 

So, let’s take a closer look at some of the most infamous bank heists in history, each of them having a unique story worth telling, no matter the sums of money that the criminals made off with.

The Motorcycle Heist at Bellagio Casino 

Surprisingly, the Bellagio robbery hasn't been immortalized in a casino heist movie, at least not yet. In one of the more recent high-profile casino heists, Anthony Carleo targeted the renowned Bellagio, making off with $1.5 million in 2010.

Just five days after robbing the Suncoast Casino for $19,000, Carleo, a habitual gambler, set his sights on a craps table at the Bellagio. Disguised in motorcycle gear and a helmet, he stormed the table in the early hours, brandishing a gun, and seized as many casino chips as he could. 

Escaping on his Suzuki motorcycle, Carleo became known as the ‘Biker Bandit’ or ‘Bellagio Bandit’. Instead of laying low, he brazenly returned to the Bellagio casino, even playing at the same craps table he had robbed. However, he avoided using the $25,000 chips, nicknamed ‘cranberries’, to evade detection.

As his stolen fortune dwindled due to significant gambling losses, Carleo grew desperate. He turned to the online poker forum TwoPlusTwo under the username ‘oceanspray25’ seeking someone to trade his two $25,000 chips. However, this move only worsened his situation, as authorities tracked his IP address and used online evidence to secure his conviction.

Walking Off Into The Sunshine - Stardust Casino Heist

While the Stardust Casino robbery is not regarded as the largest in casino history, it remains one of the most captivating and enigmatic heists ever executed. On September 22, 1992, Bill Brennan, a sportsbook cashier, departed the Stardust Casino after his usual shift. Unexpectedly, Brennan absconded with a mix of casino chips and cash totaling just over $500,000.

Brennan, tasked with counting money from the sportsbook, skillfully navigated his exit from the casino, mindful of surveillance camera angles. Hours later, Stardust management alerted the authorities upon discovering the missing chips and cash.

The search of Brennan's apartment revealed no traces of him or his cat. Bill Brennan vanished without a trace. In 2006, the State of Nevada dismissed the case.

For Brennan's scheme to succeed, he likely required at least one accomplice to cash in the chips. During that period, casino chip security lacked the sophistication seen today. Over the past two decades, security measures at both land-based and online casinos have significantly advanced. Bypassing surveillance cameras and cashing out chips undetected by RFID technology would be exceedingly challenging today. 

Vanishing with $3 Million - Circus Circus Casino Heist

A major casino heist in 1993, involving a 21-year-old woman named Heather Tallchief and her accomplice Roberto Solis, stands out as one of the largest in history. Together, they targeted Circus Circus in Las Vegas, making off with approximately $3 million.

Tallchief, previously dismissed from her job as a nursing assistant for cocaine use, met Solis at a nightclub during a challenging period in her life and relied on him for support. Solis, with his apartment adorned with curious items like goats' heads, tarot cards, crystals, and an altar, introduced Tallchief to cocaine and asked her about her beliefs regarding the devil. 

Under Solis' influence, Tallchief took a job at Loomis Armored, a company providing services to local Las Vegas casinos, including Circus Circus Hotel & Casino. On October 1, 1993, instead of following her usual routine, Tallchief vanished with an armored van and $3 million intended for filling ATM machines at the casinos, starting with Circus Circus.

Initially, authorities suspected Tallchief had fallen victim to a heist, but it was later revealed that she was the perpetrator. After evading capture for 12 years, Tallchief surrendered, claiming she had been manipulated by Solis into carrying out the heist. Following her prison term, Tallchief has been released, whereas Solis remains a fugitive, still considered armed and dangerous. The Circus Circus Casino became so notorious that the robbery is depicted in the Netflix documentary "Heist."

The Inside Job - Soboba Casino Heist 

In another case involving an employee orchestrating a casino heist, surveillance technician Rolando Luda Ramos masterminded a $1.5 million robbery at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, California.

Leveraging his position as a surveillance technician, Ramos utilized his insider knowledge of the casino's operations to execute the heist. Holding his co-workers at gunpoint, he proceeded to hog-tie three of them while systematically transferring bundles of cash from the casino vault into a duffel bag.

After collecting the $1.5 million loot, Ramos swiftly fled the casino premises and went into hiding. However, law enforcement eventually tracked him down to a hotel near LAX. Upon arrest, he was found wearing a cheap wig and in possession of cocaine. Ramos had already squandered approximately a million dollars on various expenses, including transportation, accommodations, women, drugs, and food. 

The Casino Heist to End All Casino Heists - Crown Melbourne Casino

And the ‘best’ for last - how about an insane $33 million heist loot?!

At Crown Casino in Melbourne, a $33 million heist was orchestrated through a collaboration between a high roller and casino staff. James Manning, a wealthy VIP customer, was lured into the high-limit room by a services manager, under the guise of routine high-stakes gaming invitations extended to VIPs. However, unbeknownst to Manning, the VIP services manager was complicit in the scheme. Manning embarked on an extraordinary winning streak at the blackjack table, claiming victory in eight consecutive hands and amassing $33 million in winnings! 

The irregular betting patterns and uninterrupted winning streak aroused suspicion among casino security personnel, who subsequently discovered breaches in the security camera system and identified covert signals being relayed to Manning with the manager's assistance.

Upon being confronted by a security guard in his suite, Manning was asked to vacate the premises. However, as a significant portion of the winnings had not yet been credited to Manning's account, Crown Casino opted not to pursue legal action and chose to keep the incident confidential. Now doesn't that sound like the plot of Oceans 14 right there?

Casino Heist Honorable Mentions

While the above-mentioned casino heists are some of the most interesting, there is a whole trove of memorable robberies that didn't make the cut for some reason or another. It wouldn't do to not mention some of these cases, so here are another 3 casino heist cases for you to sink  your teeth into among the Honorable Mentions:

The Bugster - Ritz Casino Heist

In 2004, a Serbian man known as The Bugster successfully hacked the security system of the Ritz Casino in London. Using a specially modified mobile phone, accomplices, and lasers, he exploited vulnerabilities in the casino's security cameras to gain an advantage in his gambling.

Over the course of a few days, he amassed approximately £1.3 million in winnings before being caught by casino authorities. The case highlighted the vulnerability of casino security systems to sophisticated hacking techniques. However, after years of legal battles, The Bugster and his crew were allowed to keep their winnings due to lack of evidence against them. Top 5 Casino Heists Of All Time

The MGM Grand Heist - One of Vegas' Unsolved Mysteries

In 1993, a group of robbers orchestrated a daring heist at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The robbers, armed with handguns and pepper spray, stormed the casino floor, targeting the high-limit baccarat tables. They quickly subdued security guards and patrons, making off with over $500,000 in cash and chips.

The heist was meticulously planned, with the robbers timing their entry during a shift change to exploit weaknesses in security. Despite an extensive investigation by law enforcement, the perpetrators managed to evade capture, leaving behind a trail of mystery and intrigue in the annals of casino crime.

The Stardust Heist - Volume II

Some casinos just don't have luck on their side when it comes to getting robbed or are infamously insecure to the point that they get targeted again and again. That seems to have been the case with the Stardust Casino, seeing as this is the second time Stardust was mentioned in this article as a victim of a high-profile heist. 

In one of the most audacious heists of its time, Tony Spilotro, a notorious mobster associated with the Chicago Outfit, orchestrated the theft of millions from the Stardust Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in the 1970s. Spilotro, along with his crew, rigged the casino's slot machines to pay out on cue, allowing them to siphon off massive sums of money.

This ingenious scheme went undetected for years, until law enforcement finally caught wind of the operation. Spilotro and his associates were eventually apprehended and convicted, but the legacy of the Stardust robbery remains a testament to the ingenuity of organized crime in Las Vegas during that era.