Sunday, July 15, 2012

Pissed off gamblers take it out on casino machines


From the NY Times:

Along with over 5,000 blinking, whirring digital gambling machines, the new Resorts World Casino, opponents predicted, would bring a surge of crime to Queens when it opened last year.

Nine months later, police officers from the 106th Precinct have been a familiar sight, arrests frequent and acts of violence disturbingly common. There is, in fact, a crime wave plaguing the cavernous halls of this mega-casino: people punching gambling machines.

In Queens, since the casino opened last October, the police have arrested 41 people accused of damaging its machines. By comparison, in the same period there have been 19 arrests of casino patrons for larceny, mostly picking pockets, and 19 arrests for assault, according to records kept by the Queens district attorney’s office.

Those accused of beating up a gambling machine are charged with criminal mischief in the third degree, which carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stay classy, Queens gamblers!

Anonymous said...

Not unusual - the agreement to allow the casino operator building and run the business should have included extensive security in and around the casino that is effective. Yes Casinos will experience any countless incidents of varying degrees but most if not all that I witnessed up close have stifling security to insure a peaceful and safe operation. What happenned here?

Anonymous said...

Is there no mob guys left in the area? Can't they do something about this???

Anonymous said...

Well, look at the neighborhood its in.

Anonymous said...

In AC and Vegas, when you hit the casino's machines, the casino's employees hit back.