VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: The ‘Ocean’s 11’ On line casino Theft is Potential
EDITOR’S NOTE: “Vegas Myths Busted” publishes new entries each Monday, with a bonus Flashback Friday version. Right now’s entry in our ongoing collection initially ran on Nov. 18, 2022.
The robberies of on line casino cages at each Resorts World Las Vegas and the Gold Coast On line casino have introduced again a favourite matter of Las Vegas hypothesis. Is it doable to efficiently rob a on line casino vault, as depicted within the 2001 film “Ocean’s 11?”
In 2001’s “Ocean’s 11,” a remake of the 1960 heist film starring the Rat Pack, Matt Damon and George Clooney painting artful criminals who rob a vault storing $150 million for the Bellagio, MGM Grand, and Mirage. (Picture: Warner Bros.)
“I don’t even know the place to even start with that,” mentioned Fred Del Marva, an Arizona-based on line casino safety marketing consultant and professional. Over the previous 36 years, his purchasers have included Caesars Palace, The Mirage, and the Golden Nugget.
To begin with, in keeping with Del Marva, a legal would wish to know precisely the place a vault is. That’s a tall order as a result of each on line casino retains theirs in a unique, top-secret location. “Any individual has to have the blueprints on tips on how to get out and in,” he mentioned. “Or a really inside supply, just like the contractor.”
Additionally, a legal would wish to know the entry numbers or have a card programmed to unlock the entire digital deterrents encountered alongside the way in which. In “Ocean’s 11,” Matt Damon’s character makes use of his pickpocketing expertise to steal the codes for the vault doorways. Del Marva laughed on the probability of this chance ever presenting itself in actual life.
There are, after all, devices designed to override a vault’s safety measures, Del Marva mentioned. “However there are prone to be too many safety techniques that require overriding to make robbing a vault achievable.”
An Ocean of Incorrect
“Ocean’s 11” obtained numerous primary info flawed. For one factor, each on line casino must have $100-$150 million in its vault at any given time, Del Marva estimated, to cowl potential massive losses on the ground. Nevertheless, the $150 million within the film was cut up amongst three casinos, main to a different inaccuracy.
In “Ocean’s 11,” the Bellagio, Mirage, and MGM Grand additionally share a single vault as a result of additionally they share an proprietor. This might by no means occur in actual life, Del Marva mentioned, as a result of casinos change house owners on a regular basis. The truth is, those self same three casinos, which had been all owned by MGM Resorts properties throughout the film shoot, now have three completely different house owners (MGM, the Blackstone Group, and Laborious Rock Worldwide).
“Pay attention, tomorrow, the newspaper might say that I’m flawed, {that a} on line casino vault was robbed, however I don’t suppose so,” Del Marva mentioned, reasoning that, “if it might occur, somebody would have at the least tried it already.”
Welcome to Our Valued Robbers!
Each the Resorts World and Gold Coast robberies occurred, Del Marva mentioned, as a result of at this time’s on line casino personnel are educated not to withstand calls for made by criminals. Making certain {that a} gun isn’t fired inside a on line casino is a a lot larger precedence than stopping a theft, and criminals know that.
The deterrent is not the specter of armed response, Del Marva mentioned, however the information that every thing that occurs inside a on line casino is videoed from dozens of angles and that each pores and skin cell that falls onto each floor might be analyzed for DNA proof.
They know that no person goes to be there to discourage them from the time they park their car to the time they get the cage,” Del Marva mentioned. “Whether or not they get caught afterward is a unique story.”
And so they often do. For the 11 post-“Ocean’s 11” robberies we recognized beneath, suspects had been arrested in 9 of the instances. And none concerned vaults.
11 Publish-‘Ocean’s 11’ Vegas On line casino Heists
Publish-“Ocean’s 11,” listed here are 11 Las Vegas on line casino robberies we learn about. We didn’t embody Resorts World or Gold Coast since they simply occurred. Las Vegas police have already arrested a suspect within the former crime.
2022: El Cortez (unsolved)
On September 6, a person belly-flopped onto a craps desk on the El Cortez on line casino and grabbed greater than $19K of chips from the supplier. The thief, who gave the impression to be unarmed, exited the on line casino and remains to be at massive.
2021: Rio, Purple Rock, Aliante (solved)
On February 27, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Division officer was arrested in reference to $78,898 stolen throughout a theft on the Rio. Caleb Mitchell Rogers was additionally charged with a Nov. 12, 2021, theft on the Purple Purple Resort and a January 6 theft at Aliante. Rogers was linked to the robberies as a consequence of his distinctive gait. Suffice it to say he not works for the police division.
2019 and 2017: Bellagio (solved)
A person who robbed the Bellagio’s poker cage in 2017 and obtained away with it was shot useless when his second try proved far much less profitable. Michael Charles Cohen, 49, initially made off with $35K on March 15, 2019, however was shot useless by police who opened hearth after he refused to give up. The police had been available investigating an unrelated case.
2017: Bellagio (solved)
4 thieves carrying animal masks used a sledgehammer to knock out a jewellery retailer’s glass door and rob handfuls of rings, chains, and different valuables. Sebastian Gonzales was arrested for the crime.
2014: Bellagio (solved)
Michael Belton tried to rob the Bellagio by swiping on line casino chips off tables. Police mentioned Belton and one other man wore wigs and sun shades, sprayed a blackjack supplier with pepper spray, grabbed $115K price of chips, and tried to run. Belton was convicted whereas his confederate obtained away.
2010: Bellagio and Suncoast (solved)
Tony Carleo parked his Suzuki bike close to the Bellagio valet stand on Dec. 14, 2010, walked over to a craps desk, and robbed $1.5 million in chips at gunpoint. The “Biker Bandit” is presently serving 9-27 years in a Nevada state jail for that theft and for robbing $18,945 in money from a Suncoast cashier’s cage on December 9 of that very same yr
2005: Mandalay Bay (unsolved)
On March 11, 2005, two masked males held up a cashier’s cage at Mandalay Bay. In line with witnesses, the boys fired warning pictures into the ceiling and compelled the employees to the bottom. The robbers, who stole what stays to at the present time an undisclosed sum of money, made off in a automotive parked outdoors.
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