Attempted Robbery Foiled at the Bellagio

Jackie Valley of the Las Vegas Sun recently wrote an article outlining an attempted robbery at the Bellagio Casino last Saturday night. Two men entered the casino on Saturday evening and proceeded to the table games area. Both men were disguised with wigs and sunglasses, and attempted to use pepper spray to disable a dealer and other gamblers, and make off with over $100,000 in casino chips. Needless to say, the robbery attempt was foiled by Bellagio employees, security guards stepped in, and one alleged robber was arrested, the other is still at large. According to Metro Police, there is an ongoing investigation into the events of the evening and any other suspects involved. To read more about the events of the evening, check out the article, “Police: Bellagio Employees Foil Robbery on Casino Floor.”

As you may remember, the Bellagio was also the site of another infamous attempted robbery back in 2010 which was outlined in our blog post, “Are You Concerned About Recent Rash of Casino Robberies?” These events should serve as a reminder to casino employees and hospitality workers to always remain vigilant on the job and report any suspicious behavior to a manager or supervisor. As a security guard or casino floor employee, one has to be aware of their surroundings at all times. The job at hand is to maintain the safety and security of the staff and patrons of an establishment, and to diffuse any potentially hazardous or disruptive situation before it can happen. However, one should also be aware that it’s not just cheaters and thieves that need to be managed in a casino setting; security professional needs to be on the lookout for disruptive patrons, rowdy drunks, and even dishonest employees. Casino and hospitality professionals should refer to both their TAM® training and any additional company policies as they relate to guest safety and security.

What types of scams or suspicious behavior have you witnessed while working as a security guard? What, if anything, do you think casinos could be doing more to stop this from happening again in the future?

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© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

 

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