Top Casino Gaming Stories of 2011

As is the case every year, 2011 featured a lot of very fascinating and strange casino stories. From a blackjack player beating casinos for millions of dollars to Prince Harry partying hard in Las Vegas, here are the top casino gaming stories of 2011.

Many blackjack players know that the casino holds a 0.5% house edge over players who use correct basic strategy. But Don Johnson must know something that the average player doesn’t since he won over $17 million playing blackjack in 2011. Johnson’s biggest win came at the Tropicana Atlantic City, where he earned $5.8 million during a marathon session, and single-handedly caused a 20% loss in revenue from the Tropicana’s previous month. Not yet satisfied, the blackjack stud returned to the Tropicana to win yet another $2 million off of the casino.

Like something out of an action movie, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet walked into Las Vegas’ Bellagio Casino, held a table at gunpoint and demanded chips; he then walked back out of the door and rode off on his bike. This seemed to be the perfect crime until the man later tried selling the casino chips online, and started playing poker at the Bellagio after the heist. Eventually, authorities figured out that the Bellagio Bandit was Anthony M. Carleo – a Las Vegas municipal judge’s son.

While the tiny town of Foxborough, Massachusetts may not seem like a lucrative place to build a resort-style casino, Wynn Resorts thinks very differently on the matter. After all, this casino plan calls for the venue to be built right across the street from Gillette Stadium where the NFL’s New England Patriots play. Towards the end of 2011, Wynn Resorts fought very hard to convince the Foxborough local government that a $1 billion casino could be very beneficial to the town. However, the jury is still out on if the casino will be approved or not.

Opened in 1952, the Sahara Hotel & Casino had been an institution in Las Vegas for years. However, this iconic Sin City casino closed its doors in early 2011 due to a lack of profits. Fortunately, the Sahara will be kept alive – at least in some regard – since its owners announced that they’re reopening the property under a different name and theme. The idea is to come out with a remodeled casino that attracts a younger and more vibrant crowd.

The UK has long been viewed as one of the most lucrative casino gaming markets in the world. So it was no surprise when the nation made big news by announcing a decision to regulate their internet casino gaming market. In 2012, online casinos that wish to operate within the UK need to be approved and licensed, which will definitely create a safer environment for British betters.

Miami is best known for its amazing beaches, warm weather, beautiful people and vibrant nightlife. So it was definitely a surprise to much of the world when it was announced that Miami had been approached by several major casino companies wanting to stake their claim in the city. The Genting Group, Caesars Entertainment, and Las Vegas Sands Corp. are just some of the companies that see a gold mine in building a casino in Miami.

When Behar Merlaku won a €43 million slots jackpot at Austria’s Casino Bregenz, it was no doubt one of the best days of his life. Unfortunately, it was also one of his worst days  too because the casino informed Merlaku that a software error occurred in the slots game and he didn’t really win. Currently, the 27-year-old is in the process of trying to sue Casino Bregenz for psychological stress.

8. Norwegian wins record €11.7 million online slots jackpot

Moving from Merlaku’s sad story, a 20-year-old Norwegian student became the biggest online slots winner in history after winning an €11.7 million prize. The unidentified winner said that he rarely plays slots, but found some free spins in his account due to previous sports bets. The student then used the spins, and won the largest jackpot in online slots history.

As a member of the British Royal Family, Prince Harry is used to lots of media attention and cameras constantly in his face. Fortunately, he was able to get away from the camera and paparazzi attention for a little while during a trip to Sin City. While in Vegas, Prince Harry played blackjack with his mates, saw Cirque Du Soleil, and went clubbing at the Wynn’s XS Nightclub.

Dice sliding is one of the least used casino cheating methods because of the high degree of skill involved. However, Argentinean poker pros Leonardo Fernandez and Veronica Dabul practiced enough to acquire this skill, and they used their talents to win over $700,000 in profits from the Las Vegas Wynn. But they didn’t get away with the money because the Wynn reviewed their security tapes, and discovered that the couple was dice sliding.