This week’s casino news starts off in Las Vegas where a casino robber has been nabbed. However, you might be surprised to hear who the serial culprit was.
Las Vegas Police Officer Charged After Violent Casino Robberies
Typically, most people rely on the police for safety. Over the last decade or so, police have done a lot to erode that trust.
In Las Vegas, a police officer was just charged after a string of violent casino robberies. The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced the news after officer Caleb Mitchell Rogers made his appearance in federal court. He was there in connection to three casino robberies that totaled about $164,000. Rogers was arrested towards the end of February and was subsequently hit with one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and three counts of interference with commerce by robbery. In other words, he was the one responsible for the thefts.
Rogers had apparently robbed a casino towards the western end of Las Vegas for $73,810. This allegedly took place on November 12th, 2021. Fast forward to January 6th, 2022 and Rogers charged another casino for $11,500. It was reported that he stormed up to the cashier’s cage and demanded money on both robberies.
Finally, on February 27th, 2022, Rogers robbed another casino. He threatened to shoot anybody who got in his way and grabbed $78,898 before fleeing when the alarm went off. He got to the parking garage but was cut off by the police. At this point, he threatened to shoot them but was quickly disarmed. Rogers could face up to 20 years in prison for each charge. Clearly, this is just one cop gone rogue and is not a representation of the broader force. Nonetheless, this will impact trust in the community.
Palms Casino Set To Reopen On April 27th
Anybody that was anxiously awaiting the return of Palms Casino is in luck. The Las Vegas stationed property just announced that they will be holding a grand reopening on April 27th. Along with the reopening, there will be a big fireworks show at the end of the evening.
Back in 2019, Palms Casino had undergone a very massive $600 million renovation. The change is hoping to create a new and fun experience for all guests that arrive to the casino. For a period of time in the early 2000’s, the Palms was a cool spot to be for a lot of young visitors. However, it faded over time. Now they’re hoping that this rejuvenates the spot.
Palms Casino is also going to be making history at the end of April when it becomes the first property in Las Vegas that is not just owned but also operated fully by a Native American tribe.
Nevada Casinos Post $1.1 Billion Revenue In February
Speaking of Nevada, the state had themselves a fantastic month this past February in terms of revenues. The Nevada Gaming Control Board recently announced that the casino in the state brought in a total of $1.1 billion in February. Compared to February of 2021, that’s a large 44.1 percent increase. On top of that, the total tax revenue that the state claimed was $59 million, 34.5 percent more when talking about year-over-year.
February was also the 12th straight month that the state broke the one billion mark when it comes to revenue. This is now the longest streak ever in the history of the gaming industry. The previous record mark for total revenue during February was set all the way back in 2013 at $1.07 billion, a number that has now been surpassed.
The state just keeps on healing from the COVID-19 pandemic. They were able to bring in $13.4 billion throughout the entire 2021 year. Those numbers were crucial in the country posting $53 billion in total revenue, the highest-grossing year ever.
