If you like casino capers, here’s one from Switzerland, via the New Zealand Herald News:
A masked gang armed with machine guns and pistols staged a spectacular robbery at a Swiss casino dubbed “Las Vegas in Europe” last night and escaped with hundreds of thousands of euros after terrifying gamblers by firing shots into the chandeliers.
The raiders struck at 4am while some 600 gamblers and staff were busy around the 15 gaming tables and 357 slot machines inside Basel's Grand Casino hotel, a mile from the city's airport.
Ten masked men burst into the red-lit futuristic casino building after smashing down the entrance door with a sledgehammer. They immediately started firing rounds at the chandeliers in the building's main foyer. Several guests and staff were hurled to the floor.
“It was like something out of an action film, and very frightening,” said a casino spokesman. “We are all very shocked.”
via Casino gang targets high rollers – World – NZ Herald News.
A few observations:
What kind of casino has a front door so imposing you need a sledgehammer to get in, even at 4AM?
This casino is about 15% smaller than the proposed Atlantic City mini-casinos.
This is what most casino robberies are like–brutal and thuggish. No Mission: Impossible stuff here.
I can’t see a Las Vegas casino spokesperson admitting that the experience was frightening. The line would probably be, “No one was hurt, and our employees were able to ensure that the guests made it through the unexpected cash withdrawal with a minimum of inconvenience.”