Mississippi’s Beau Rivage Casino Robbery Suspect Stopped by Patrons
Biloxi MS December 10, 2022
An armed man was arrested Thursday after he allegedly robbed money from a cashier at the Biloxi, Miss. Beau Rivage Casino.
The suspect, Aime Joseph Gelinas, 44, of Charlotte, N.C., allegedly displayed a weapon as he demanded money at the cashier’s cage, the Sun Herald, a local newspaper, reported.
He fled from the cage, and initially was apprehended by casino visitors.
Later, he was handed over to Beau Rivage Resort and Casino security guards.
He was later was turned over to local police and was charged with armed robbery, WLOX, a local TV station, reported.
Gelinas was booked at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center and remained in the jail late this week. His bail was set at $500K by Harrison County Justice Court Judge Albert Fountain.
The case will be turned over to local courts for a possible trial. If convicted, Gelinas could be sentenced to up to life in prison.
Police didn’t reveal how much Gelinas stole from the casino. The money was recovered, and eventually will be turned over to the casino.
Last month, at the same casino, an Alabama woman won more than $1 million on a slot machine. The exact jackpot was $1,179,313.22. The win was on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine, and the lucky woman chose not to release her name.
The recent win at the Beau Rivage Casino followed a November 16 payout at the gaming property. Back then, a New York woman won $207,875 on a blackjack table game.
The casino is located on the Gulf Coast. That region is where the bulk of the Mississippi gaming industry’s revenue is realized. Of the nearly $2.67 billion won last year by the 26 casinos in the state, the 11 coastal casinos accounted for $1.6 billion of the money.
Also, it was on November 15 when none other than Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale was at the Beau Rivage.
The Texas furniture magnate bet $500K at the casino for the University of Houston to win the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament. Earlier, McIngvale won $75.7 million from his wagers on the recent World Series.
McIngvale placed several bets totaling $10 million during the season on his hometown team, the Houston Astros, winning the World Series. The sports bets act as insurance, as he offers refunds to buyers should a certain team win a title.
This year, some customers at his Gallery stores received double-their-money-back offers on the Astros winning it all for purchases they made earlier in the year.
His single biggest bet came in May, when McIngvale placed $3 million at Caesars when the Astros had 10-1 odds to win the World Series. He netted $30 million from that wager, which the Las Vegas-based operator said represents the single largest payout in legal sports betting history.
