An Ocean’s Eleven-style casino heist was reported to have taken place during the early hours on Monday in Atlantic City. But if you were thinking the heist was as sophisticated as the Ocean’s Eleven getaway then think again. Two masked man are said to have gotten away with more than $180,000 in cash from Caesars Atlantic City Casino, according to police reports.
The media became aware of the incident through a law enforcement flier, but only basic details are known at this point with a manhunt for the daring robbers now underway. According to details in the flier one of the masked robbers was said to have brandished a gun but police are not revealing any other details about the incident.
New Jersey State Police say that the robbery took place at about 6 a.m. in the 2100 block of Pacific Avenue and the two masked robbers made away with two plastic cash boxes containing the money, fleeing the casino in a car at around 6:20 a.m. on the Monday morning. Sources close to the investigation have said that a getaway driver could have been waiting for them while they carried out the heist.
Although a description of the robbers or the vehicle involved in the incident was not released, State Police mentioned they had some good leads which could see the offenders being locked up. Caesars Atlantic City casino takes up an entire block and is surrounded by two side streets that could have allowed the robbers to make a quick escape.
According to police reports, it isn’t yet clear how the thieves entered or exited the building. Caesers comprises of a hotel, spa, and restaurants, but it is thought that the robbery took place in the casino section of the establishment.
The New Jersey State Police Casino Gaming Bureau is handling the investigation instead of the Atlantic City police department. This would further indicate the robbery took place on the casino floor and not in the hotel since they have jurisdiction over all persons on the casino floor. They have yet to say much about the incident other than to confirm that a robbery had indeed taken place at the casino.
Even though casinos would have security cameras to monitor every movement close to a games table, it doesn’t stop the fact that casino heists are still a fairly common occurrence. In 2010, a gunman entered the Bellagio wearing a white helmet and took off with more than $1.5-million, fleeing the casino on a motorcycle. The investigation took several months, but the robber was eventually caught and sent to prison.
And then in 2012, the Bellagio was targeted again, when two men walked up to a blackjack table, pepper-sprayed a dealer, and both grabbed $5,000 worth of casino chips. But this time the perpetrators didn’t get far, as several casino employees had managed to tackle one of them, who named his partner in crime once he was caught.
It is another bitter pill for the New Jersey casino industry to swallow. The Atlantic Club in Atlantic City closed its doors a the beginning of the year, with Trump Plaza Casino as well as Caesar’s Showboat Hotel and Casino expected to be resigned to the same fate. These casino closures a result of the declining gambling revenue figures posted since 2006, with the casino establishments faced with more competition from casinos in neighbouring states.
Anyone that has information on the incident is asked to call the New Jersey State Police Casino Gaming Bureau at 609-441-7464.