Sugarhouse Casino Winners Robbed After Cashing Out: Premises Liability?

The word is that the house always wins in the casino business. But what happens when someone is robbed of their casino winnings? Does that mean no one wins? One supposes the thief wins, but many of them are on surveillance video, so their winning streak might not last either.

These questions are raised because of the spate of robberies at the Sugarhouse Casino in Philadelphia. So far there have been four incidents where people have been robbed after cashing out at the casino, according to WCAU-TV.

The thieves seem to have inside knowledge of who cashed out big and who is carrying the money, because the robbers have gone directly for the person with the money and paid no attention to their companion.

Given the number of incidents, can Sugarland be held responsible for not providing ample security?

It is important to note that the actual robberies happened after the victims left the casino and were on their way home or in their own neighborhood, according to WCAU. This likely means that the winners were targeted in the casino and then followed from the casino.

A premises liability claim can be brought when a property owner or possessor knows of a dangerous condition on the property and fails to repair it or warn about it. These cases are generally brought when there is something like soapy water on the floor of a supermarket that is not cleaned up and someone is hurt by slipping in it.

Even so, premises liability cases can also be brought against a property owner that knows crime is committed in the area. This means that if a store is in a high crime area, things like security guards and surveillance cameras should be used to make sure that patrons are safe while at the store and on the property.

Here, it would be difficult to bring a premises liability case because the actual robberies are happening off of the casino's property and in public streets. However, there is a possibility of success because there is likely knowledge gained by the robbers at the casino.

If the robberies are in any way tied to an employee of the casino, then there are issues of liability in its hiring process as well as its security measures. Hopefully Sugarhouse's assistance in the police investigation will help stop the rash of robberies.

Related Resources: