Robber steals chips from casino

In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, a man on a motorcycle pulled up to the Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas, ambled over to a craps table, and just a few minutes later, left with $1.5 million worth of chips.

Luck had nothing to do with his windfall. But it was certainly a gamble, as Las Vegas police are now in pursuit of him for armed robbery.

Around 3:50 a.m., the man who police described as stocky, wearing a motorcycle helmet and carrying a handgun sped away from the casino on his motorcycle, toting chips ranging in denomination from $100 to $25,000.

The robbery took only minutes to pull off.

Police said investigators believe the man is also connected to a previous robbery on Dec. 9 at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino, also in Las Vegas. Approximately $20,000 in cash was stolen from the cage at a poker tournament in that incident.

The heist at the Bellagio was the 10th casino robbery this year, according to police. Nichols said Tuesday’s robbery wasn’t the largest in his memory, but it ranked as one of the biggest.

Ultimately, though, it’s unlikely the suspect will enjoy his loot.

“Casino chips are not like cash,” said Yvette Monet, spokeswoman for the Bellagio’s parent company, MGM Resorts. “At some point they must be redeemed for cash at the Bellagio.”