Director Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s” series make the case for casino robberies by the boldest and bravest gang of thieves ever. But sometimes fiction exceeds reality. Here are the ten most daring robberies pulled off in casino history.
The Island Plunder
- Where: Treasure Island, Las Vegas
- Year: 2000
- Money Stolen: $30,000
Treasure Island has been the target of numerous robbery attempts over the past millennium, but only one has been successful. In October 2000, Reginald Johnson broke into the physical casino brandishing a gun and later escaping with $30,000 in loot. He had previously attempted two other unsuccessful hits, which left a security guard wounded. Johnson certainly didn’t prove to be a professional burglar, and his habit of repeatedly returning to the ‘scene of the crime’ was a testament to that.
Interestingly, in today’s digital age, the world of online casinos and online gambling has also seen its share of audacious heists. While Johnson’s criminal endeavors were confined to the physical realm, cybercriminals have attempted to exploit vulnerabilities in virtual casinos to amass illicit gains. The internet provides a new frontier for both entertainment and crime, and as technology evolves, so do the tactics of those looking to make a quick fortune.
Due to Johnson’s repeated mistakes, it was easy to expose him, leading to his arrest in January 2001 and a subsequent sentence of 130 years in prison.
The Charm Of The Third Time
- Where: Bellagio, Las Vegas
- Year: 1998
- Money Stolen: $160,000
Jose Vigoa, Luis Suarez, and Oscar Sanchez attempted several hits at the Bellagio in the 1990s. Although they had “gotten their hands” on a really big haul, they made a serious mistake right at the end “of the game.” Vigoa’s face was caught on a “camera,” which was an advantage for police officers who did not take long to locate the remaining two members of the trio and arrest them. In particular, Sanchez, who confessed to stabbing his companions in the back, was given a lighter sentence in spite of the other two who received life sentences.
Casino Royale
- Where: London
- Year: 2000
- Money stolen: £260,000
They may have been inspired by James Bond, the three Londoners equipped with espionage equipment to target the English capital’s six casinos. One of them, equipped with a micro-camera, which he hid in his sleeve, filmed the distribution of cards, then sent the images back to an accomplice hiding on the street in a van. Something strange had been noticed, however, in the ear of the man inside. The footage was intercepted by police and reviewed in slow-motion mode: the three black riders were arrested for their crimes.
Severance Pay
- Where: Stardust, Las Vegas
- Year: 1992
- Money Stolen: $500,000
This was not a robbery in the true sense of the word. A “sportsbook cashier,” Bill Brennan, decided one day to try his luck by running away with half a million dollars in chips and cash. Brennan disappeared without a trace after taking over the money, leading some to speculate that he may have been killed by an accomplice. It is likely that we will never know the truth about what really happened to him.
Laser Swag
- Where: The Ritz, London
- Year: 2004
- Stolen money: £1,300,000
The Ritz produced an inadvertent $1,300,000 “payout” to three cheaters in 2004, who used the laser system in their cell phones to measure the speed of the roulette wheels and predict the outcome of the spins. Incredibly, even though all three men were arrested, the judge who presided over the trial ruled that no crime had been committed, thus allowing the accused to get away with it.
Brute force
- Where: Soboba, Las Vegas
- Year: 2005
- Stolen money: $1,500,000
Scene from the movie, the robbery attempted by Eric Alan Aguilera and Roland Luda Ramos, when they robbed the Soboba. They broke into the casino, bound and gagged three employees and held seven hostage before making off with a pile of dough. After leaving the casino and fleeing into the street, the bandits attempted to run as fast as possible while being chased by a fleet of patrol cars. Unfortunately they couldn’t get far.
Bonnie and Clyde
- Where: Circus Circus, Las Vegas
- Year: 1993
- Stolen money: $2,500,000
They say love takes us to strange places. Heather Tallchief and Roberto Solis grasped this message when, in 1993, they decided to embark on a road trip to rob a couple of casinos and escape with two and a half million in an armored van. But there is no respect or honor between thieves, even when they are intimately related: Solis left the city taking the money with him and leaving Tallchief and his son only 1000 dollars.
Wealth in the Shoe
- Where: different areas of California
- Year: during the 70s
- Stolen money: nothing
Even if the theft wasn’t the most spectacular, it is rightfully among the top three for courage and stubbornness. In the 1970s a pair of students at the University of California developed miniaturized computers with the ability to read the movements of roulette wheels. Each student carried a computer in one of his shoes, a receiver and an emitter. Between them, the students hoped to measure and predict the outcome of roulette spins. Unfortunately, the computers short-circuited, electrocuting the would-be “sharks” and sending their socks up in flames.
Hawk eye
- Where: Crown, Perth
- Year: 2013
- Stolen money: $33,000,000 (Australians)
An ingenious computer hacker has stolen a loot worth 33 million Australian dollars by hacking the surveillance system of the Crown Casino in Perth, Australia. The expert, after having manipulated the matrices of the cameras present in the casino, availed himself of the collaboration of another fraudster to pocket the loot.
The Blackjack Gang
- Where: Crown, Perth
- Year: 1979-1993
- Stolen money: millions of dollars
The exploits of MIT Blackjack have become so epic that they were contained in a hilarious book “The House of Fire” released in 2003, and five years later in a film starring none other than Kevin Spacey. For 14 years, this very famous gang of university students expert in computer science raided the blackjack tables using a complex algorithm developed with the help of their professor Bill Kaplan, known as Mr.M. Although the group disbanded in 1993, in the last twenty years there have been several attempts to retrace the careers of these criminal geniuses.