The Most Famous Casino Heists
Casino heists have been a topic of interest for decades, with several movies like Ocean’s Eleven and 3,000 Miles to Graceland based on them. There have been quite a few heists in history that stand out as symphonies of strategy, nerve, and sheer audacity. From famous casinos in Las Vegas to opulent gaming houses in London, these heists have left an irreplaceable mark on the world of crime, being a source of fascination and intrigue for a long time. This article explores the most legendary casino heists in history, as well as the brainwork and planning that went behind them.
Heist Name | Year | Location | Perpetrator | Method | Amount Stolen |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crown Casino Heist | 2013 | Melbourne, Australia | VIP Services Manager | Card Signaling | $33 million |
MIT Blackjack Team | 1979-1999 | Worldwide | Bill Kaplan | Card Counting | $22-57 million |
Circus Circus Heist | 1993 | Las Vegas, USA | Heather Tallchief | Armored Vehicle Theft | $3 million |
Soboba Casino Heist | 2007 | Las Vegas, USA | Ronaldo Luda Ramos | Surveillance Manipulation | $1.5 million |
Ritz Casino Heist | 2004 | London, UK | Gang of Gamblers | Laser Beams & Microcomputers | $1.9 million |
Bellagio Heist | 2010 | Las Vegas, USA | Anthony Michael Carleo | Armed Robbery | $1.5 million |
Stardust Casino Heist (1) | 1992 | Las Vegas, USA | Bill Brennan | Cashier Walkout | $500,000 |
Stardust Casino Heist (2) | 1991 | Las Vegas, USA | Royal Hopper | Inside Job | $150,000, $1 million |
Crown Casino Heist
The Crown Casino heist is one of the most high-profile criminal incidents that took place in 2013. The VIP services manager at Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia, invited James Manning, a millionaire New Zeland businessman, to play in the high rollers room. The manager had breached security cameras and used card signaling techniques to help Manning, who ended up winning a whopping $33 million after winning eight hands of blackjack.
However, Manning never cashed out his winnings, and the casino owners tried to keep news of the heist from getting out. The Crown Casino heist turned out to be unsuccessful because it received widespread attention worldwide.
MIT Blackjack Team
The MIT Blackjack Team was founded by Bill Kaplan, a Harvard MBA graduate. Kaplan delayed his entrance into Harward to earn a small fortune by playing Blackjack worldwide when he found out card counting could give him an edge over the dealer. He put together a team of students from MIT, Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Chicago and taught them the art of counting cards.
Over a time period of 20 years, the MIT Blackjack Team was able to win huge amounts from various casinos globally. Estimates range between $22 million to $57 million. Even though this was not a traditional heist, the team managed to outsmart the system and generate a lot of money.
Circus Circus Heist
The Circus Circus Heist happened in 1993, and it received worldwide recognition because it did not involve any security camera breaches or an elaborate scheme. The mastermind behind this heist was a woman called Heather Tallchief, who planned it with ex-convict Roberto Solis, whom she was dating at the time.
He asked Tallchief to get a job with Loomis and drive armored vehicles that transport cash to fill casino ATMs. When stopping at Circus Circus Casino in Las Vegas, Tallchief drove away with over $3 million while the guards were inside the casino. The couple moved abroad with the cash and could not be located until 2005 when Tallchief turned herself in. She later claimed that she only got $1000, and the rest was taken by Solis, who was never found by the authorities.
Soboba Casino Heist
The infamous Soboba Casino heist of 2007 was conducted by a man named Ronaldo Luda Ramos, who was a surveillance mechanic at the Soboba Casino in Las Vegas tasked with installing security cameras. He held his co-worker at gunpoint and turned the security camera off before hogtying his other fellows and stealing an estimated $1.5 million from the casino vault. His getaway driver, Eric Aguilera, transported him from the casino. Ramos was found 48 hours later at the Los Angeles International Airport, where he was apprehended for robbery, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.
Ritz Casino Heist
The Ritz Casino heist of 2004 is another heist that involved the use of mathematics and technology to outsmart the system. A gang of gamblers made use of laser beams and microcomputers to calculate the orbital decay of a ball in roulette. This calculation allowed them to predict where the ball would land so they could analyze the most favorable bets.
The gamblers were able to walk away with $1.9 million. Surprisingly enough, later on, when the case was investigated, the police arrived at the conclusion that the activity was not illegal, and no arrests were made. The group was allowed to take back the money they earned at the Ritz Casino in London.
Bellagio Heist
The Bellagio Heist of 2010 is considered to be one of the boldest heists in history. It was carried out by an individual named Anthony Michael Carleo, who was the son of a Las Vegas judge. He entered the Bellagio in Las Vegas wearing a bike helmet and brandishing a gun. Carleo took chips worth $1.5 million from a craps table and got away with them. He had also stolen over $20,000 worth of chips from the Suncoast Hotel and Casino just a day before the Bellagio Heist. Carleo was proud of managing such a huge heist all by himself and was unable to resist taking credit for the crime. This is what ultimately led to his capture.
Stardust Casino Heist
Stardust Casino was one of the most popular casinos in Las Vegas back in the 90s. The heist was carried out by Bill Brennan in 1992, who was a cashier at Stardust Casino. He was given the task of counting money worth $500,000, which was half cash and half casino chips. After counting, Brennan did the most bizarre thing imaginable: he simply walked out with the money in his backpack.
It was several hours before the police figured out that it was Brennan who took off with the money, which gave him ample time to run away. Brennan was on the FBI’s most-wanted list for several years until 2006, when the Stardust Casino closed down. The crime remains unsolved, with no clue of the whereabouts of Brennan or the money.
Stardust Casino Heist (2)
Being one of the most popular casinos in Las Vegas at the time, Stardust was no stranger to heist attempts. Before the Brennan heist in 1992, the casino had already experienced a high-profile theft in 1991. Royal Hopper was a security guard at the casino, and he managed to track down all the security procedures.
He asked his son to act as a robber, who managed to get away with $150,000 in cash. Hopper reported the robbery himself to avoid suspicion. However, he wasn’t satisfied and carried out another operation. Along with his two sons, he intercepted a truck full of cash and managed to steal almost $1 million. All three of them were caught soon, with Robert being sentenced to 17 years in prison.