Crown Casino Gaming Chip Missing

In a scene reminiscent of the popular ‘Oceans’ Eleven’ casino heist movie, a brave thief managed to swipe a $100,000 game chip from the Crown Casino.  The chip was stolen from a high security area and even after reviewing hours of security tape footage, the police and management in the casino cannot figure out which patron pocketed the high money chip.  More than fifty casino employees were interviewed to no avail and the police believe the thief was either a staffer or a single culprit.

The $100,000 chip was stolen from a cupboard in one of the counting areas of the casino, according to the police and a report they made to the Sunday Herald Sun.  The casino’s counting area is one of the most secure sections of the casino, with only eighty employees having access to the main counting room.  In an effort to find the missing chip, dozens of employees and other casino patrons were interviewed.  What is interesting to note here is that the theft, while only being released to the general public now, actually happened in 2006.  The details became public in the Freedom of Information documents that were obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun from the Victoria Police.  Two years later, they are still trying to find the missing chip.

In interviews with Crown Casino’s spokesman Gary O’Neill, he confirmed on Sunday that the chip that was stolen was indeed worth $100,000.  It means that the ‘house’ is actually down $100,000 and not just a gaming chip.  He stated to the media, "It is an ongoing investigation by police, we will leave it up to them.  We are co-operating with the police."

Since the theft two years ago, Crown Casino has upgraded their security cameras and system.  Supposedly the old system was not capturing any footage that would’ve provided useful information and the few cameras that passed over that particular area of the casino floor where the theft purportedly happened did not show anything that proved conclusive or helpful, indicating that the thief was someone working on the inside.  

Unless the thief comes forward with an admission, the police have absolutely no information, clues, or evidence to work with.  The theft appears to be an isolated incident and supposedly the management at Crown Casino waited several months before contacting the Victoria Police while they conducted their own investigation.  According to reports from the police, there were signs of a forced or broken door and that physical force had been used to get into the cabinet where the high dollar chips were stored.

Even though the case is two years old and has only now come to public knowledge, the casino owner’s and the police are still asking that anyone with information regarding the theft contact the Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.