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For most people, the gambling industry is something mysterious. Their opinions about casinos are full of myths, legends, and misconceptions. Even regular customers of gambling clubs share false beliefs about many issues.
Gambling Crime Mysteries
But there were cases in the casino's history that made even the experts shrug their shoulders in bewilderment. They are associated with huge winnings under strange circumstances, the activities of cheaters, mystical disappearances, and other events. As a rule, there are criminal elements behind them, though it is not always possible to prove it.
The deepest secrets in which the criminal world penetrates the gambling sphere will be discussed in the article.
The Horizon Casino Heist
On November 9, 2003, at four o'clock in the morning, a crime was committed in Vicksburg, Mississippi, which hindered the local police. A Horizon casino employee went out for a smoke break and collided with an armed man.
A man in a mask and cowboy jacket forced the receptionist to return inside and open the cash register, where there were other workers. He warned that there were two bombs in the building and demanded to give him all the cash. Terrified of a gun pointed at them and a possible explosion, the employees gave the robber sixty thousand dollars. Then the perpetrator fled.
All employees and visitors of the casino were evacuated. In the service room, the bomb squad found a shoebox tightly wrapped in duct tape. It turned out to be a dummy bomb.
It also emerged that an hour before the robbery, the police received an anonymous call. The man, who could not be identified, said he had mined the Rainbow casino. At the same time, an unknown person set fire to a local elementary school.
Investigators believe that these incidents are related. This is probably how the crime mastermind wreaked havoc in the city to distract the police from Horizon Casino.
The case remains unsolved. The cops couldn't trace the robber or find the money.
The Murder Of Gail Anne Thompson
On May 3, 1996, 56-year-old Gail Anne Thompson from Middleton, Idaho, went with her husband Bobby to Cactus Pete's casino in Jackpot, Nevada. Another couple accompanied them.
The next night, Bobby and the family went to the hotel while Gail stayed at the casino. In the morning, the man realized that his wife in the room did not appear all night. He woke his friends, and the trio searched for a woman in all the local clubs. But she was nowhere to be found.
The worried husband wrote a statement to the police. Cops found Gail's body two days later. It lay in a vacant lot. The woman's head was smashed with a blunt object, and her throat was cut with a sharp knife. The perp didn't take the money or jewelry. There were no signs of sexual assault.
During the investigation, the police suspected Bobby of killing his wife. It was his fifth marriage. It turned out that the couple often quarreled because Gail wanted to move to Kansas. Besides, her husband's testimony seemed strange to the cops.
The investigation lasted several years and finally stalled in 2000 when Bobby died.
The Disappearance of George J. Vandermark
George Jay Vandermark worked as a slots hall inspector at the Stardust casino in Las Vegas.
On May 18, 1976, representatives of the Nevada Gaming Control Department unexpectedly descended on the establishment. The inspection revealed that the slot hall has a complex fraud system organized by the local mafia. Criminals managed to gain, with its help, seven million dollars.
George snuck out of the casino during the inspection. A little later, the reason for his stampede became clear. Investigators learned that Vandermark gave the crime bosses only four million and kept three for himself. Of course, he had to hide from both cops and bandits.
The police contacted George through his son, Jeff Vandermark, and promised crook protection from the mafia. He agreed to cooperate, and his son was found dead the next day. The killer crushed Jeff's skull. The murder was unsolved.
George chose not to return to Las Vegas and disappeared without a trace. Some journalists claimed he was killed and buried in the desert, but no official confirmation of this version was confirmed.
The Murder of Jodie Bordeaux
Jodie Bordeaux lived with her husband on a farm on the Kickapoo reservation in Kansas. The couple worked at the Indian casino Golden Eagle.
On November 21, 1997, unknown persons opened fire from a gun at the windows of their home. One of the bullets hit Jody, seven months pregnant, in the head. She died instantly. The child could not be saved.
The police considered several versions, but the husband is sure his wife was killed because of the conflict at work. Jody was appointed an inspector of the arcade hall, which displeased her colleagues. They resented that such a lucrative position was given to a woman who did not belong to their people. Moreover, she was not an Indian at all.
The husband said that because of this, she soured relations with many employees and even received anonymous phone calls with threats. The case was not solved. As they say, the reason for this was the reluctance of Kickapoo Indians to cooperate with the investigation and give the cops brothers.
Bill Brennan Robbery
How many people think it takes Rob to a giant casino in Las Vegas for half a million dollars? You can do without a group of accomplices, weapons, and expensive equipment. It is enough to get a job in an institution, access cash, and then secretly carry out a considerable amount.
So did Bill Brennan. He worked as a cashier in a bookmaker's office at Stardust Casino. According to the staff's recollections, he was a calm, neat guy who did not cause the slightest suspicion. Bill had no friends or girlfriend, and his roommate was a cat.
During the September 22, 1992 lunch break, this demure left the workplace, and it never returned. He left the casino without even being seen by the security cameras, with Brennan gone, $507 361 in cash and chips.
When the police began their investigation, they found no clues in his file or his rented apartment. The guy had no relatives. Colleagues started to think about some dubious relations with Bill, but the direction of the investigation also gave nothing.
He may be long dead. It's possible an accomplice killed him. A lot of people think he didn't Rob the casino at all. Bill is currently on the list of the most wanted Americans, but in his case, no one is engaged.
Read more about the scam by Bill Brennan in a detailed article on Casinoz.
The Disappearance Of Jean Moore
On April 6, 1992, 59-year-old Jean Moore and her fiance, Al Henderson, went to Laughlin, Nevada, to play in local casinos. On April 3, they would check out of the hotel, but Jean wanted to play video slots in the morning. Al claimed she stayed at the casino, promising to return to her room later. Without waiting for Jean, he searched for the bride, but she was nowhere to be found.
Al went to the local police for help. The cops searched the city, but they didn't find Jean. They watched the casino videos. Henderson was on the tapes, but his companion was not. It was suspected that she had not been in the establishment at all.
Strange new circumstances later emerged. The night he disappeared, Al called his accountant in Laughlin. He claimed to have heard Moore's voice on the phone. Another witness said he saw the couple at a nearby gas station.
But all that evidence wasn't enough to charge al Henderson. He died in 2001. Jean Moore was never found, and the case was closed.
The Murder Of Terri McClure
On January 14, 1983, Terri McClure came from Reno to Lake Tahoe to attend his son Tim's wedding. After the ceremony, they all went to the casino, where they gambled. Terri left the party before the others and, after saying goodbye, drove home.
Tim decided to visit his mother the next day, but her house was empty. A little later, he reported the woman's disappearance to the police. Terry was found in a car in a casino Parking lot in Carson City. She was shot twice in the head.
The police learned that her life was insured for ten thousand dollars. Tim was to receive this sum. That seemed a good enough motive for the cops to declare the guy the prime suspect in his mother's murder.
Then, new evidence surfaced. Tim and his wife were confused in their testimony. Their alibis could not be confirmed. They failed the lie detector tests. The transaction data from their bank cards contradicted their claims of whereabouts. In short, everything pointed to the spouses' guilt, but the case did not reach the court.
Tim turned to the TV show "Unsolved Mysteries" almost ten years later, asking them to solve the murder. As a result, investigators charged him with murder. But the Nevada district attorney again decided there wasn't enough evidence and finally closed the case.
Under state law, Tim can no longer be brought to trial, even if irrefutable evidence of his guilt emerges.
The Disappearance of George Tsolakis
On February 23, 1992, George Tsolakis called his wife from a sports club in Marlborough, Connecticut, and said he would be home soon. But he did not return to his wife and three children. The family has not heard from him since.
The police assumed that George had disappeared on his initiative. His debts exceeded two hundred thousand dollars. He faced prison on several charges, including tax evasion. In addition, information surfaced that he owed an underground gambling operator.
On March 20, his car was found in the Parking lot of Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard. Judging by the fact that it was covered with snow, it had been there for a long time.
The staff said George had been to the casino. One witness even recalled that Tsolakis won a large sum a week before the disappearance. Others claimed that he appeared in the company of unknown men.
Foxwoods Casino was under constant surveillance, but records were kept for only a few days. They couldn't find George on the tapes. The police never found Tsolakis. According to relatives, he did not contact them.
How Not to Become a Crime Victim at the Casino?
Finally, here are a few tips for readers of Casinoz on how not to get into a similar situation and not to become a victim of criminals.
- Play only in legal and reliable casinos.
- Do not encourage the dealer to break the rules, even in small things.
- Don't try to cheat.
- Do not borrow money from other gamblers (it is better never to borrow money at the casino).
- Be constantly in sight. Watch out for chips, money, and personal belongings. Ask security to escort you to your car or hotel room (especially if you have a large sum). Do not drink alcohol while playing, or at least be restrained.
Be reasonable!
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Conclusion
It can be challenging to investigate cases in which casinos are directly or indirectly involved due to the reluctance of gambling operators to share information about the nuances of gambling establishments with the police. Often they have something to hide, so they are in no hurry to show the cops CCTV footage, do not want to provide them with data on clients' financial transactions, and generally avoid contact with authorities.
Often, the owners or employees of gambling clubs are involved in crimes and, therefore, try to hide all the evidence. In doing so, they use loopholes in the law to keep cops from sticking their noses "where they shouldn't." This is especially true of Indian casinos on Native American reservations.
As a result, many such cases remain unsolved, even if investigators have leads and clues.
