For as long as what there has been large amounts of money in one place, there have been people that attempted to steal that money. Casinos are most certainly no exception to this rule. There are many wonderful reasons and stories as to why casinos get heisted. Some are serious tales about guns and robbers and other tales include details that could very well be part of a comedy. Some of the most memorable casino heists, with unexpected endings are in this article.
Oceans 11 Mimic
In 2007 in Las Vegas – at the Soboba Casino – there was a casino heist that was so ridiculous it seems like something from a movie. But because of this, it is definitely worth a mention. Renaldo Luda Ramos was an employee at the Soboba. As a maintenance officer, part of his job was to install security cameras throughout the casino. This placed him in an ideal position.
When he finally decided to make his heist, he pepper sprayed a fellow employee. He then tied up his hostage with duct tape. He continued to hold two more employee’s hostage with a BB gun and then proceeded to fill a duffel bag with about $1.5 million. Two days later he got caught. When he got caught, he asked if he had topped Oceans 11 and wasn’t even sure with how much he got away with in his duffel bag. It wasn’t about the money. It was about the thrill of the crime.
Attempted Heist
Jose Vigoa is a known criminal. He has been involved in many heists and robberies. But his arrogance is what led to him being caught. In the year 2000, Vigoa walked into the Bellagio with two accomplices. The Bellagio is a world-famous Las Vegas casino. The image of the casino with its water features is as an iconic image as the statue of liberty herself.
When Vigoa and his two accomplices walked into the Bellagio in 2000, their plan was simple. Walk up to any cashiers of any kind and simply grab as many chips and as much cash as what they possibly can. But their arrogance was so great that they refused to cover their faces. Being known criminals already, it didn’t take long for the security of the casino to apprehend them and foil their heist plans. Vigoa is currently serving 4 life sentences for all of his crimes.
Getting Off Free
The Crown casino in Perth Australia is one of the jewels of down under. Jewels attracts criminals. In 2013 a security surveillance officer was paying close attention to what is happening at the tables. He was linked to a player at one of the players, feeding him all the needed information to get slots win after win. When things seem too good to be true it usually is. The casino caught on to them but because the money was recovered, no charges were made against them. The employee was of course fired and both them have received a lifelong ban from the casino.
