Knife Wielding Thief Robs Fountain Park Genting Casino of Cash and Chips

A knife-wielding robber targeted a Scottish casino last month, threatening three staff members before making off with a five-figure sum in cash and casino chips...

The armed robber hit Edinburgh’s Genting Casino on Dundee Street on Monday, August 9th at 1am, first seen loitering in the underground car park at Fountainpark before confronting a member of casino staff who was outside on a break.

The attacker is described in press reports as a male of “Middle Eastern ethnicity, aged in his mid-to-late twenties, of a thin build and spoke with a mixed Scottish, Asian accent.”

He forced the staff member to hand over their phone and then take him inside the casino, where he threatened two more members of staff at the cash desk.

The robber then made off with a 5-figure sum of cash and casino chips, the latter stamped with “Fountainpark”. He was last seen leaving through an emergency exit into the underground car park.

Detective Inspector Kevin Tait of Corstorphine CID said:

“Nobody was injured in this incident but it was a frightening experience for the staff members involved. Extensive enquiries are ongoing to identify the man responsible, including reviewing CCTV from the area ... I would ask anyone who becomes aware of a large quantity of casino chips stamped with “Fountainpark” in the city to report this to police immediately.”

Police later arrested a 21-year old man in connection with the robbery.

Casinos, poker games, and poker players themselves will always be a target for would-be thieves and robbers, this year alone PokerTube reporting on multiple incidents.

Back in February, poker pro Chad Power saw his home broken into and a safe containing $1million in cash and chips stolen.
The police report stated:

“Chad advised that inside the safe had been approximately $750,000 in cash in $100 bill denominations, mostly organized into $50,000 bricks. The safe had also contained approximately $250,000 in high value poker chips.”

Surveillance footage caught the thieves in action and police later arrested a Crips gang member for the theft.

In April, a home game in Alaska was attacked by a gang of armed men who made off with $3000. Again the assault was captured on CCTV and police later arrested one of the trio believed to be responsible.

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas was the scene of an armed stick-up in June this year, 51-year-old Ronald Allison threatening the cashier with a note that read “Give me 10k purple or boom!”

The cashier handed over $5k in $500 chips and pressed the panic button, the robber once again caught on CCTV as he made his escape.

Allison was arrested shortly afterwards at a nearby hotel and found to be wearing two sets of shorts, a police report revealing:

“The outer shorts had two $500 Cosmopolitan casino chips in his right pocket and another eight $500 Cosmopolitan chips in the right pocket of his inner shorts.”

Police also reportedly found “a notebook and loose notebook paper that showed letters to various casinos of his dislike toward them.”