By Mitch Rice
Casino heists are exciting enough to inspire multiple movie franchises, and you can’t blame them. The colorful environment, games of skill and luck, and large amounts of money are the perfect combination for an intriguing story. There are some casino heists from real-life that turn the fiction into reality. Here are the biggest casino heists in history.
The Biggest Real-Life Casino Heists of All Time
There have been several heists and heist attempts made at casinos in the past. Some use charming methods of deception, others have had violent outcomes. If you’d rather stay away from the potentially dangerous environment of a brick-and-mortar casino, online casinos might be a good alternative.
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If you still want to read up on the thrill of casino heists, here are the 10 biggest casino heists in history:
MIT Blackjack Team
- 1979 to 1993 | Multiple Casinos Worldwide | $22 million to $57 million
The MIT Blackjack Team is not only the most famous, but also the most successful heist team on this list. Led by Bill Kaplan, a group of students and ex-students from prestigious universities used statistics to increase their odds of winning in blackjack. They were active for about two decades and made up to 57 million US-dollar in total, playing in multiple casinos on the planet.
By using statistical analysis, they counted the cards and adjusted their play according to the discarded cards, hands, and cards on the table. This method is still used today. As long as you don’t use any physical tools, card counting is strictly speaking not illegal. It is, however, frowned upon by casino owners and might lead to a ban if they suspect you are using the practice.
Stardust Casino (Twice)
- 1991 & 1992 | Stardust Casino, Nevada | $150,000 + $1.1 million / $500,000
The Stardust Casino became victim to two inside jobs back to back. Both are interesting in their own ways:
The first one includes security guard Royal Hopper and his sons, who staged fake robberies as distractions and even used devices like smoke bombs to flee. They took $150,000 from a staged robbery at the casino and $1.1 million sometime later when they robbed an armored transport truck.
In 1992, the cashier Bill Brennen was counting money for the casino. Eventually, he grabbed a total of $500,000 in cash and chips and just walked out. He was never apprehended, even though he was on the Most Wanted List of the FBI for years. In 2006 the Stardust closed, and his case was dismissed. Brennen’s location is still unknown.
Circus Circus Heist
- 1993 | Circus Circus Hotel & Casino, Nevada | $3 million
Heather Tallchief and Roberto Solis worked as drivers for the armored vehicles the casino used to transport money. One day, they used a beneficial window of opportunity to steal one of the trucks and with it about $3 million. While Roberto Solis, who supposedly took off with the majority of the money, is still on the run, Heather Tallchief turned herself in in 2005. She claims to only ever have gotten $1,000 of the money.
Treasure Island
- 2000 | Treasure Island Resort & Casino, Nevada | $30,000
Reginald Johnson was a particularly dedicated robber who tried to steal from the Treasure Island Casino a total of three times in just one year. While he got away with a combined $30,000 in his first two attempts, his luck ran out the third time. He used guns and harmed some people and was charged for robbery and attempted murder.
Bellagio (Twice)
- 2000 & 2010 | Bellagio Casino, Nevada | $160,000 / $1.5 million
The poor Bellagio Casino was hit twice, and neither of the heists were as elegant as the MIT Team’s strategy. This time, the culprits used guns and violence. First, Jose Vigoa robbed the cashier counter of about $160,000. The police apprehended him quickly because he had not disguised himself. He is now serving multiple life sentences, since this heist was only a part of a two-year crime spree.
A year later, Antony Michael Carlea, who hid his face at least, robbed $1.5 million worth of chips from a game table. He had done the same to the Suncoast Casino just a few days before. In the end, he was caught because he left a calling card to take credit for the robbery.
Ritz Casino
- 2004 | Ritz Hotel Casino, London | $1.7 million
Similar to the MIT Crew, the culprits in the Ritz Casino Heist in 2004 used their minds (and technology) rather than violence. The method they used was originally created by graduate physics students in the 1970s. They used lasers and computers to scan and calculate the trajectory of a roulette ball. Since the needed technology was much smaller in 2004, the team got away with it and got to keep their $1.7 million.
Soboba Casino
- 2007 | Soboba Casino Resort & Hotel, California | $1.5 million
The Soboba Casino was victim to another inside job. The surveillance technician Rolando Luda Ramos waited for the right moment to tie up some colleagues and rob $1.5 million from the casino vault. Two days later, he was apprehended.
The Crown Casino Heist
- 2013 | Crown Melbourne Casino, Australia | $33 million
The Crown Casino Heist is almost charming. The culprit was the millionaire James Manning, who teamed up with one of the casino’s employees. The guy in question worked as an VIP service manager and invited Manning to join in on an exclusive high roller tournament. When Manning arrived and played, the manager gave him access to surveillance footage and signaled cards. This way, Manning won $33 million by supposedly just playing a few hands of excellent blackjack. He did however never cash in the winnings.
Conclusion
Casinos themselves give us an exciting environment. As a player, we get thrilled by the potential of winning big jackpots. Some people with more criminal energy have decided to reach this goal with other means. By using guns and violence, insider knowledge, or smart technologies and strategies, they have stolen multiple millions from several casinos in and outside the US. The most successful among them have never been charged or avoided prison sentences by fleeing, and are still unaccounted for even today.
Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.
