crime

Crime and Perception | Vegas Seven

In today’s Green Felt Journal, I take on a subject that some in the industry don’t like discussing–whether high-profile crimes mean the Strip is less safe than it should be: When tragedy strikes, police and tourism officials are usually quick to stress that these are random events in an otherwise safe city. They point to […]

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Vegas Seven

Talking Strip Safety on Two Way Hard Three, and more commentary

Yesterday morning, after I read about the second homicide on the Strip in less than two weeks, I decided to write a short piece for Two Way Hard Three about why it was important for the County and Metro to get in front of the issue: But most people have the perception–or at least the

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life in vegas, Two Way Hard Three

Extreme Makeover: Sports Betting Edition

Cops in Royal Oak, Michigan, have gotten their digs renovated–thanks to bookies. From the Chicago Tribune: The second floor of the citys police station has a new look thanks to money seized a decade ago from a sports gambling operation. The department put up almost $34,000 for the $52,000 renovation completed Wednesday, most of it

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gambling & culture

Lost & found & arrested

When I worked casino security, I used to enjoy seeing all sorts of strange items turn up in the lost and found. But I never got anyone arrested, like these folks did. From foxnews: A man has been charged in Kitsap County for possession of a controlled substance after he made the mistake of attempting

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haphazard world, news about gambling

New slot scam, and a whacky estimate of casino theft

There’s always an arms race of sorts going on between slot cheats and casino security. The cheats figure out a way to rip off the machine, the security folks learn how to detect and prevent it, so the cheats come up with a new scam. Ad infinitum. Now, surprise surprise, comes news that ticket-in/ticket-out machines–which

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news about gambling

Win the lottery, go to jail

Usually, winning a million dollars is an unambiguously good thing. But for ex-con, a winning scratcher might be a ticket back to jail. From the Boston Globe: His odds of winning $1 million on a scratch ticket were 1 in 1,247,400. His odds of being busted if he won? A pretty safe bet. Timothy Elliott

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gambling & culture, haphazard world

Incentivized criminals

Most casinos strongly encourage players to use their loyalty cards when gambling. From the casino’s perspective, it allows them to track play and award comps more judiciously. Players just like getting free stuff. But sometimes they go too far. From the LVRJ: It turns out there is some money that casinos don’t want. A Los

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news about gambling

NBA ref gambling scandal

This might put the kabosh on plans to bring an NBA franchise to Las Vegas…or not. An NBA ref has reportedly used his position to influence the outcome of games he had action on. From UPI: An NBA referee is reportedly under investigation by U.S. authorities for allegedly fixing games over the past two seasons,

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gambling & culture

Casinos liable for criminal customers?

According to an Australian judge, casinos should be sure where the customers’ money comes from. From NineMSN: Crown Casino should either ensure money from big spenders is legitimate or be forced to compensate victims of crime for ill-gotten gains gambled by criminals, a Victorian judge says. County Court Judge Frank Dyett made the remarks as

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news about gambling

Luxor explosion not terrorism, cops say

I’m sure when most people heard that a bomb went off in the Luxor’s parking garage at 4 this morning, they at least considered the possibility that it might have been a terrorist scheme gone awry. But apparently it was “just” a “homicide with an unusual weapon.” From Breitbart: A device left in a casino

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life in vegas

Ocean’s 14?

I guess I’ve got to change my take that it’s impossible to successfully rob a major casino and get away. From IHT: Four masked robbers stole at least €600,000 (US$800,000) from a Brussels casino early Sunday, Belgian television reported. The men, armed with a machine gun, forced staff at the Grand Casino Brussels to open

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haphazard world, news about gambling