Vegas Craps Chip Thief Dives Over 'Don't Pass' Line, Pulls Heist At El Cortez

There are ballsy bets in Las Vegas and then there's laying out on a craps table like Hunter Renfrow for a touchdown pass to steal thousands in casino chips.

According to Mr. Vegas Insider Scott Roeben, who goes by Vital Vegas, a ballsy thief pulled off a heist at the El Cortez, an old-school Vegas downtown gambling hall. While the heist hasn't been reported by the casino, Roeben's sources say it happened at 6:49 a.m. on September 6. The thief reportedly escaped with $19,100.

Now comes the hard part for the thief: the chip laundering.

If you remember the 2016 story written by Rolling Stone on Bellagio chip thief Tony Carleo who snatched $1.5 million in craps chips, the problems for Carleo came when he tried to cash in the cranberry $25,000 chips he'd stolen.

“Look, I know I should have thrown those $25,000 chips away,” Carleo told Rolling Stone. “But who can throw away a million dollars?”

Before being caught, Carleo gambled away $105,000 over 18 sessions including a particulary rough New Year's Eve session where he lost $72,000.

Carleo, who robbed the Bellagio while wearing a full motorcycle helmet and then took off on a motorcycle he planted outside the casino, pulled the same type of heist at the Suncoast, but in that case he stole the chips from a cashier's cage.

In the end, Carleo couldn't just shut his mouth and he eventually sold chips to an undercover officer who asked the thief to join his crew who would rob Las Vegas casinos.

Carleo told the cop he'd already robbed the Bellagio.

In the recent El Cortez case, Roeben believes many of the chips stolen are $2,000 chips along with some $500s and $1000s. While those chips wouldn't raise red flags at a place like Bellagio, at the El Cortez anyone walking around with $2000 black chips would 100% raise eyebrows and the eye in the sky would be on high alert.

Now it's just a sit back and wait approach for the El Cortez security team as those chips make their attempt to recirculate back into the casino.

Everyone relax. They reportedly don't beat up greedy bastards like in the old days. I'm sure the El Cortez will treat the chip thief with respect and not bring out the hammer.