Masked Gunman Robs Bellagio Casino

(NewsCore) - A masked gunman marched into the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas and brazenly held up a craps table for $1.5 million early Tuesday morning, police said.

The incident happened at approximately 3:50 am local time at the famed 24-hour-a-day Vegas strip resort and casino, which was memorably -- albeit fictitiously -- robbed in the 2001 film "Ocean's Eleven."

In that movie, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and others pulled off the heist without any disguises.

This time, however, the real-life robber covered his face with a motorcycle helmet, brandished a handgun and told the craps dealers "not to move" as he made off with $1.5 million in casino chips.

The white male suspect then fled on a motorcycle that was parked at the ritzy casino's valet station.

Between 12 and 15 gamblers in the area where the robbery occurred proceeded losing their money uninterrupted before, during and after the incident.

Nichols said it would be difficult for the robber to cash in the chips.

“The industry has some safe guards in place that make that -- I don’t want to say not impossible, but it makes it extremely difficult,” Nichols said in a press conference.

Police suspect that the same man robbed the off-strip Suncoast Casino poker room Dec. 9 using a similar strategy. Lt. Clint Nichols of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Robbery Section said the suspect was wearing a white motorcycle helmet with “multiple stripes,” a black jacket, black pants and black gloves during both incidents.

The suspect stole “short of $20,000” in cash from the Suncoast Casino poker tournament area.