Sophisticated to Slapstick Casino Crimes

Sophisticated to Slapstick Casino Crimes

When we think about crimes committed in casinos we think of Oceans’ Eleven style heists and scams that see sophisticated security systems fooled, prosthetic face masks used as disguises and laundry vans or exotic cars used as getaway vehicles. $100 dollar bills hidden in walls, chips smuggled out in fake limbs and special contact lenses that allow the wearer to instantly decode passcodes to access restricted areas are also the kind of thing that springs to mind.

It comes as a bit of a surprise then, that some of the crimes committed in casinos are so simple in their execution they are almost unbelievable, and some have a slapstick nature to them that would find them more at home in a Leslie Nielsen movie than one with George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

The Simple Yet Effective Crimes That Occur

It seems that pickpocketing is rife in casinos in Vegas, and a technique that’s hugely popular is for people to bump into each other, especially when carrying a drink. A spilled drink can cause a huge distraction, especially if it happens to have spilled all over a ladies party dress, and thieves use this opportunity to grab a wallet or chips and walk away. One would think that with all the security and cameras around pickpockets and petty thieves would get picked up easily, but it seems that’s not the case.

Chip theft is also rife, and many smart thieves use sleight of hand tricks to swap out chips or reduce their numbers when playing at crowded tables. Fake chips have also often been found, and these are usually of lower value so as not to arouse suspicion.

In Las Vegas a thief has also been known to enter the casino cage by crawling through a window, and this has even happened in full view of a security guard who had his back turned, and was none the wiser! This obviously doesn’t happen very often, but it is a great example of how someone saw a window of opportunity and went for it!

Smart Crimes in Casinos

With the influx of smart watches and wearables now readily available on the market, it’s no wonder that these hi tech tools are being used for everything from NZ sports betting to cheating the house! Even the average smartphone can be used as a tool and one clever thief was caught after he filmed employees punching in access codes and the learnt them off by heart himself.

Another crime that has been committed at least once, but probably more often than you’d think was where a player marked cards with ink that was invisible to everyone else – except that he had contact lenses that could see the ink. Thus, he knew when the cards he was after were coming up, and all he had to do was swap them out with his own. He was caught, and when police raided his home they found the contact lenses, along with stacks of $100 dollar bills.