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California Casino Patron Attacked Despite Security Measures

"Two hours after he left Pechanga, the 56-year-old horse trainer was severely beaten outside Los Alamitos Race Course in Orange County, apparently by robbers who followed him from the casino, Cypress police said. He suffered a fierce blow to the back of his head and remains in a coma at a Long Beach hospital.

"Despite precautions ranging from armed patrols to video surveillance at gaming centers, the attack highlights the risks gamblers face once they leave the high-stakes card tables and clanging slot machines.

"…Local and state gaming officials agree with authorities that a remarkably low number of bandits appear to target gamblers, partly because of precautions and high security at the centers.

"…In January, five people beat and robbed a man after he won $700 at the Spa Hotel and Casino in Palm Springs, according to reports. In February 1997, a worker at Casino Morongo in Cabazon was robbed at gunpoint behind the casino.

"A web of security cameras, along with uniformed and undercover guards, combine to keep visitors under constant scrutiny as they move from one hotel to the next on the Las Vegas Strip, said Myram Borders, bureau chief of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

"Security measures at the casinos dissuade most robbery attempts, said Keith Copher, chief of enforcement for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which regulates the state's gaming industry. He estimates about one such robbery occurs annually.

"But, he added, it can be hard to determine if a follow-home robbery was linked to a victim's success at the gaming tables when the holdup occurs miles from the casinos. No statistics for such robberies are maintained.

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