Casino Robberies Part Two

Yesterday, we looked at individual casino robberies and their frequency. Today, we turn our attention to how the gaming industry handles the problem.

Expounding recently on the topic of casino security, Hotel & Fixed Site Security Consulting Director Mac Segal gave the fruit of his experience. “Hostile events may occur despite your best efforts to prevent them, and recent events have shown us that we are ill-prepared to deal with them when they do.”

He could have been writing of a recent smash-and-grab raid on a Bellagio jewelry store when he penned, “Time after time we bear witness to attacks on hotels, casinos, and events that attain an unacceptable rate of success … Physical and technological security measures without properly trained manpower and proper procedures in place create an illusion of security that is both ineffectual and dangerous.

“The fact is, however, that no camera has ever stopped a gunman from entering a hotel lobby, any more than an alarm prevents them from accessing the premises,” Segal continued. “Procedures, both routine and emergency, must be simple, effective and implementable. It is not good enough that they look good on paper; they must be field-tested and properly imparted to the employees, both security and general staff.”

Eschewing bars and barriers on the cage is practically an invitation for robbers to leap over the counter and grab what they can. “Casinos should consider having a well-designed plan that involves deterrence, documentation, customer warning processes for carrying large amounts of cash, cash payout protocols, and training of employees who distribute cash,” opines Global Gaming Business’ Alan Zajic. “Many criminologists are of the belief that a motivated offender is not deterred from committing violent crimes by traditional crime-prevention strategies … Recent history appears to support this, in that even with an abundance of surveillance cameras and uniformed security, incidents of robbery are occurring in larger Las Vegas properties on the Strip during busy periods.” Studies of convicted criminals support Zajic’s conclusion. The risk/reward ratio is too appealing.

“Robbery is one of the most difficult violent crimes to deter or eliminate in any environment, including casinos,” writes Zajic, who teaches at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and University of Nevada-Reno. “There are more casino areas that are susceptible to robbery based on the public’s desire and demand for convenience when it comes to cash transactions.”

He also notes that the robbery trend parallels a diminution in the visibility of casino security. Zajic chides casinos for trending away from traditional security garb in favor of “soft uniforms” like blazers and other garb that blends in with the general public. “In my experience, the more times an obvious security officer is observed in a particular area, the less likely a violent criminal event will occur at that location.” Security foot traffic in the cage area should also be stepped up, he tells GGB.

At our casino-industry source’s current company, security personnel “typically do not confront in the casino. We’re watching the situation on surveillance, we’re alerting the police department, and we will track them. But you don’t want to confront a potentially armed person, because you don’t want to put anyone at risk.” If you can imagine a shootout on a casino floor, the dangers become pretty darn obvious.

In addition to a higher security profile, more camera coverage of cash-handling areas is recommended. As for cash, the less on the casino floor the better. Zajic concedes that resistance to robberies could result in injury, although he maintains this is “very rare.” He concludes, “The move toward being warm and fuzzy toward customers is moving away from traditional, time-proven, crime prevention strategies.”

Still, our source warns would-be bandits, “You’re not going to get away with it. The industry and law enforcement are darn good at catching people at this."

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[email protected] Mar-30-2018

Dumb criminals

When I was 16 years old, I worked as a sales clerk at a Montgomery Ward Store in Detroit. Two people had literally  just walked out with a aluminum canoe from sporting goods. Thus, I befriended the store detective and he gave me some truthful advise: The "mastermind criminal is (almost) a myth. Most criminals are dumb and can't think beyond committing the crime. They are motivated by either desperation or habit. I guess that if I was homeless (in Vegas) this would be a great way to secure free room and board for the next 10-20 years or so. (However, the "canoe people" got away with it. Recording cameras were almost non-existant in the 1960's.)

Straski Mar-30-2018

Possible QOD

Witnessed by the Wendover robbery last month, what is the best way to take large money winnings? Bank transfer, Paypal, check?
A Bountiful man is accused of stealing $10,000 in winnings from a woman by ripping her purse from her hands in a casino parking lot late Sunday.

Tad Marshall, 33, was booked into Tooele County Jail early Monday for investigation of theft and having drug paraphernalia, the Wendover Police Department said in a prepared statement Monday.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was returning to her car in the parking lot of the Montego Bay Casino & Resort about midnight Sunday after winning $10,000 in the casino, according to the statement.

Wendover police said most of the stolen money was recovered following an investigation, including reviewing surveillance footage.

Jackie Mar-30-2018

What???

The criminal mastermind does not exist???
I guess you never heard of the Rockefeller's!!!

Mar-30-2018

Casinos aren't doing all they can

I haven't thought this through all the way down to the details, but it seems obvious to me that casinos could try out certain new measures. How about constructing something that will trap & isolate any robber at a casino cage window? E.g., have the floor area in front of each window be a single large square, and if the teller pushes a button, walls of wood or hard plastic spring up from the floor or down from the ceiling on the sides and back of the square, plus a barrier to cover the teller window and protect the teller. Or make the pathway to & from teller windows be a transparent corridor that would be sealed at both ends with a push of a button. Or construct a sort of peristyle in which a net would be released and extend from one column to another for each side of a triangle or square, trapping the robber in. Let's brainstorm. We can come up with effective solutions to be implemented.

Mar-30-2018

Protecting your money

About the lady who had $10,000 in her purse stolen out in a parking lot at midnight, that's just pure stupidity.  Money stalkers (guys who look for people getting big winnings and then follow them to their cars) are well known to operate as such, so it's foolish to walk to your car alone with a lot of cash or chips. At a minimum, you should have Security escort you to your car. But it would be better to have the casino give you your money in a non-greenback way, either mailing you a paper check or doing some kind of electronic transmission. This is not rocket science.

O2bnVegas Mar-30-2018

Easy prey

There is the classic case of 20 or more years ago, still played on TV crime shows (I guess they sometimes run out of episodes).  At a Tunica MS casino, late in the night, a woman cashed out at the cage, walked to her car out in the parking lot, drove probably 30 miles or so to the baby sitter's house to pick up her kid.  A guy followed her in his car, killed her in the sitter's driveway, drove away with her winnings.  During the investigation the perp was seen on surveillance watching her at the tables, at the cage, following her out the door and into the parking lot.  She's oblivious.  He was caught.

Jackpot hits, cashing at the cage, cashing a ticket at the ATM, all can draw unwanted attention.  

Cage strategy: they should have one person who does nothing but watch the traffic for any sign of JDLR, have a silent alarm to push.  Security can't be everywhere, surveillance can't possibly see everywhere at once.  JMHO

Roy Furukawa Mar-30-2018

Crazy to Try

I think it's crazy that people try to do this because it is almost a given that they'll be caught. Plus I'd think doing hard time in the Nevada desert is a real deterrent in itself.

Llew Apr-03-2018

Robberies

Re: Candy Wright's story... several years ago, a well-know poker player was followed home.  The criminals followed him to his door, pushed him inside, pistol-whipped him and demanded he hand over his money.  The victim faked a heart attack, which scared the perps away empty-handed. 

Years later, another high-limit player was followed to his hotel floor, where he was jumped.  Although the bad guys had a gun, the player fought them off.  He said that he didn't want word to get around that he was an "easy mark."  As far as I know, he hasn't been attacked since.

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