It is not uncommon for casinos or casino visitors to become victims of robberies. Considering that retail gambling venues often operate with large sums of cash, this makes them attractive to criminals, some of whom are willing to pull off scams while others engage in violent crimes such as robberies with the help of firearms. Besides casino visitors, sometimes casino employees may fall victim to such unlawful activities.

This is the case of a casino employee from Bellevue, Washington, who was attacked by armed individuals earlier this week. The Bellevue Police Department released details regarding the incident on Tuesday. Law enforcement confirmed that in the early morning hours of February 6, 2024, they received a call about an armed robbery.

Armed Culprits Storm the Victim’s Residence

The incident occurred at the Sunset Village apartment complex, at the 12800 block of SE 40th Place in Bellevue. The victim, whose name was not disclosed, reportedly worked at a casino in Skyway. Upon returning home to Bellevue, the casino employee was attacked at their home by five armed individuals.

Police responded to a call at approximately 4:43 AM on Tuesday about an armed robbery. Upon investigating the case, they uncovered that the five armed suspects forced their way into the casino employee’s home. After breaking into the apartment, some of the thugs held the victim at gunpoint, while others stole different personal belongings.

“Officers responded and learned that the victim, an employee at a casino in Skyway, had returned home to Bellevue and was confronted by five armed suspects,“

reads a statement released by the Bellevue Police Department

So far, law enforcement suspects that the casino employee was followed home after they left their workplace. The Bellevue Police Department revealed that there is a reoccurring pattern of similar robberies in the past within the same region.

The recent report doesn’t disclose whether or not the victim was harmed during the armed robbery. An investigation into the case is currently ongoing.

Elsewhere, two suspects were arrested for their alleged involvement in an armed robbery at an illegal gambling venue in Queens, New York. The arrests were completed by the FBI, following an investigation into an incident dating back to July that left one person injured by gunshots.

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A criminal case against one gang member who participated in an attempted robbery that turned into murder gained traction earlier this week. The incident dates back to October 2019 when Ryan Gatzke, 27, was fatally shot and killed in his home by three members of a gang known as the “Terror Squad.”

On Monday this week, a filing with the case in North Battleford Provincial Court in Saskatchewan, Canada, from April 2021 was released to the public, revealing that the gang members were allegedly tipped by a casino worker that Gatzke had money in his home, as announced by Sask Today.

Additionally, on Monday this week, the youngest gang member, who was 17 at the time of the crime, agreed to be sentenced as an adult. Another three Terror Squad members were apprehended and sentenced for Gatzke’s murder already. The list includes Charles McLean, the gang’s getaway driver who pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced in March 2022 to four years in prison.

On the other hand, Isaac Melco, another gang member pleaded guilty to manslaughter as well and received 12 years in prison back in February 2023. Similarly, Jacob Ballantyne, the third gang member who was involved in the bloody crime also pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to eight years in prison back in June.

According to the April 2021 filing, which was recently made public, the gang members were told that Gatzke had money and drugs by a person who worked at a casino the victim visited earlier on the night of the incident. Prior to attempting to rob the victim, the Terror Squad members were given approval from senior members of the gang.

A Robbery Turns into Bloody Murder

The aforementioned incident dates back to October 18, 2019. At the time, Gatzke, together with his wife, visited a casino in North Battleford. Senior Crown Prosecutor Jennifer Schmidt revealed Monday that the couple won some money at the casino. “Not a large sum but some money,” she explained, outlining the two had a “fairly good night.” The victim and his wife had dinner as well as drinks before heading home.

Later on the same night, Gatzke’s home was invaded by Melco, Ballantyne and the third gang member whose name was not disclosed since he was 17 years old at the time. Gatzke and his wife were in bed when they were surprised by the three gang members who consumed a lot of alcohol, drugs and were wearing face masks.

The youngest culprit held a shotgun, Ballantyne was equipped with a 9mm handgun while Melco carried an SKS rifle. After an altercation with the victim, a total of three shots were fired. Gatzke was shot twice, while one bullet hit the bedroom ceiling. One of the shots severed the victim’s artery which was a lethal injury.

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Prosecutors at the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office have dropped the embezzlement charge brought against Danika Young, a cash cage supervisor at Four Winds Hartford Casino.

The 38-year-old long-time employee allegedly stole $700,000 from the casino vault on July 30 and exited the gambling facility after she received an ominous phone call from a person who told her to take the money to someone in Gary, Indiana. 

Young Could Have Faced 20 Years in Prison 

Provided Van Buren prosecutors would not have decided to drop the embezzlement charge, Young could have been incarcerated for up to 20 years for the serious felony.

While the reasons behind their decision have not been disclosed as of yet, the employee’s criminal defense attorney, Caleb Grimes, said his client felt thrilled and at the same time “extremely vindicated” since she had claimed her innocence from the beginning of the investigation. 

Young, who had been a loyal employee of the casino for more than a decade and a half, was a mother, and also had deep roots in the area through her network of relatives in the local community, claimed her compliance was precipitated by what she thought was a directive from the venue’s higher management.

Possible Foul Play via AI

One potential theory that could explain the incident is the use of artificial intelligence as part of a scheme to manipulate and manufacture the voice of someone part of the casino’s executive team who allegedly made the call from inside the casino, according to records from Michigan TV station WOOD.

These types of complex plots are usually met in high-stakes casino dramas, making them extremely difficult to prevent and spot even by the most loyal and trusted employees.

Four Winds Hartford Casino is located in Hartford, Michigan, approximately 80 miles away from Grand Rapids. The property is one of the four venues considered regional entertainment pillars that are owned and operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. 

The Nude Visitor at Oklahoma’s First Council Casino

Earlier in the week, Norman Rhodes, the man who entered Oklahoma’s First Council Casino wearing no pants and undergarments and jumped on top of a security desk at the casino hotel pleaded guilty to the charge of outraging public decency, according to data from Oklahoma TV station KOKH.

At the time when the police arrived, he was wearing a towel on his head and a ripped shirt and had on a towel, explaining his lack of proper clothing as a consequence of being hot.

Rhodes will undergo a mental health checkup, pay court costs, and do 60 hours of community service. Provided he will complete the probation, he will not spend any time in jail. 

The Extortion Attempt at Harvey’s Resort Hotel and Casino

Another shocking incident took place in 1980 at the border between Nevada and California, at Harvey’s Resort Hotel and Casino. This massive complex was targeted by former WWII veteran John Birges who lost $750,000 there and decided to seek revenge. 

Birges managed to leave a bomb in the building and send a letter to casino management asking for $3 million in exchange for the bomb not to be blown up.

The FBI’s anti-bomb squad that arrived at the premises soon discovered it was almost impossible to safely defuse the bomb as the criminal had explained they would not receive instruction on how to flip some of the switches until the money reached him.

The casino refused to pay the $3 million and the FBI proceeded to try to defuse the bomb, which in turn caused a massive explosion that caused enormous damage on all floors. Birges was arrested and sent to prison for life. 

The Student Who Tried to Steal $30,000 From a Casino

In October, a 22-year-old student from Greenwich, London who tried to steal $30,000 from Grosvenor Casino admitted to fraud by false representation. 

Samuel Bob-Emmanuel was asked to undergo 25 days of rehabilitation and was sentenced to a 12-month community order by the Birmingham Crown Court, while also facing 150 hours of unpaid work. 

The crime took place on March 1, when Bob-Emmanuel used a PIN code belonging to a supervisor at Grosvenor Casino to attempt to transfer the casino’s money to his account. 

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Jordan Lewis Cook, a former Gun Lake Casino employee responsible for maintaining and unclogging the casino’s cash-out machines, has confessed to stealing over $84,500 in cash over a span of 14 months. 

The Casino Worker to Return $84,564 Stolen from Indian Tribal Organization

The federal charge against Cook is for theft from an Indian Tribal Organization, which carries a potential punishment of up to five years in prison and a hefty fine of $250,000. Cook is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

The series of thefts occurred between September 2021 and November 2022 at the popular Allegan County casino operated by the Gun Lake Tribe. Cook’s responsibilities included helping clear jams in the cash-out machines located in and around the casino floor. To perform this task, he used a key card to open the machines, removed the cassettes holding currency in various denominations, and addressed any misfed or crinkled bills. Shockingly, he would also pilfer cash from the machines during this process, as revealed in the ‘factual basis of guilt’ contained in the plea agreement.

Cook admitted to stealing various denominations of cash on at least 32 separate occasions, resulting in a staggering total of $84,564, which he then converted for personal use.

The federal theft charge against Cook was initially indicted in March. Following his arraignment in May and his release on $10,000 bail, Cook and his legal team opted for a plea agreement, ultimately admitting his guilt in late August. The plea deal stipulates that Cook must make full restitution of the stolen money to Gun Lake Casino. 

Another Michigan Casino Worker Faces Million-Dollar Bail in $700,000 Embezzlement Case

Another similar case in the state saw Danika Young, a 38-year-old cash cage supervisor at the Four Winds Hartford Casino in Michigan, accused of embezzling $700,000. She was arrested and her bail was set at $1 million.

Young claimed she received a call instructing her to take the money to Indiana, but the funds remain unrecovered. She faced charges related to embezzlement and could potentially serve up to 20 years in prison if sentenced. Judge Arthur Clarke expressed concern about the missing money and set a high bail to prevent Young from disappearing.

At the same time in neighboring Minnesota, Blake Carl Fitzgerald faced potential prison time for operating an illegal gambling scheme on TikTok and Discord. Over three months, he allegedly received $65,103 from customers through CashApp and Venmo, then live-streamed himself playing slot games at casinos, with subscribers choosing the machines.

Fitzgerald kept more than half of the winnings and charged subscribers $5.99, communicating with them on Discord. He now faces three counts of running an illegal gambling operation, which could result in up to three years in prison and significant fines.

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The US gambling sector is closely monitored and guarded. Each state that offers legal sports wagering or iGaming has its established regulator that ensures operators follow the guidelines, while authorities in states that do not offer such services can hunt down and prosecute illegal gambling activities.

Given the strict rules, many gambling companies fear how can a regulator react if a breach of the rules is uncovered. Whether that would be a financial penalty or worse, license revocation. Although sometimes fears are unfounded, this may not be the case for Penn Entertainment which recently fired a Barstool employee after uttering a racial slur while rapping. Earlier this week, Ben Mintz, a famous Barstool Sports personality was fired by Penn, the parent company that recently finalized the acquisition of the network, after he rapped a racial slur during his “Wake Up Mintzy” show.

Local media outlets revealed that Mintz accidentally uttered the “N-word” while rapping a song. Reportedly, the immediate action from Penn came over fears of “retaliation” from gambling regulators. However, Barstool Sports’ founder, Dave Portnoy, wasn’t particularly happy with Penn’s decision. He posted a video on social media criticizing the decision of the company.

Portnoy retold the story and explained that Mintz was seen “turn white as a ghost” instantly when he rapped the racial slur. “When he (Mintz) read it, he knew he f***ked up, he’s been super apologetic and in shambles basically. If anybody watched the clip, they’d understand that there was no way he (Mintz) meant to do that,” explained Barstool Sports’ founder.

“By the way for everybody saying Barstool is dead to them I knew this would happen. I said it’s so against everything we stand for that it could be a death blow.  Penn understood this. They still did it. That’s how frightened they were of regulators who operate with no impunity,“

reads a statement released by Dave Portnoy

Additionally, Portnoy explained that it is clear that Mintz didn’t say the slur out of hatred but was aware that he messed up. Still, Barstool’s founder said that he didn’t expect to see Mintz lose his job over this accident. Speaking about Penn, Portnoy said he was stunned by their reaction. He claimed that the company operates in a world that is strictly regulated and referred to Penn’s gambling licenses.

The topic quickly gained popularity on social media. As always, most opinions differed but many people showed support for Mintz, saying they understood that he made a mistake and was apologetic about it. Others criticized Portnoy for agreeing to sell Barstool to Penn saying that he will now have to abide by their rules.

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Singapore media outlet The Straits Times reported that a former senior executive of a government agency has been sentenced to over two years in prison for misappropriating more than 750 printer cartridges worth over SGD93,000 ($70,118) and selling them online. 

Ex-CRA Officer Sold Misappropriated Printer Cartridges on Carousell

Zulkiflie Yacob, 45, had deliberately over-ordered cartridges between April 2016 and October 2018 and sold them on the online marketplace Carousell, pocketing the sales proceeds.

The CRA discovered the discrepancies between the number of cartridges purchased and used and the number of items left in stock. This led to a police report and Zulkiflie’s arrest in March 2020. In the course of investigations, Zulkiflie disclosed that he had declared financial embarrassment in 2015 and had utilized the funds obtained from selling the misappropriated cartridges to cover his expenses and pay off outstanding bills.

On January 15, 2023, Zulkiflie partially restituted SGD25,000 ($18,852) to the Gambling Regulatory Authority, formerly the CRA, and his defense lawyer said that he had handed over all benefits received from the offenses. Zulkiflie’s bail was set at SGD15,000 ($11,311) on April 3, and he is expected to surrender himself at the State Courts on April 28 to begin his jail term.

Questions Raised about Government Agency Resource Management Following Employee’s Misconduct

The prosecution noted that the CRA was a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs and that Zulkiflie’s job scope included procuring office supplies and purchasing printer cartridges. Each count of criminal breach of trust carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine. Zulkiflie’s lawyer pleaded for a sentence of not more than 16 months in jail, stating that his client had made the restitution based on the amount of money he had earned from selling the cartridges.

The case has raised questions about how well government agencies in Singapore are managing their resources and whether enough checks and balances are in place to prevent similar incidents from happening. Zulkiflie’s breach of trust has highlighted the need for greater transparency in government procurement processes and stricter oversight to prevent employees from exploiting their positions for personal gain.

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