[MicroBob]

sparks - exactly.

I can check in with $40k with the host. Throw it in a lock-box at the Bellagio or just hand it off to a friend in a different room.
Then leave the wrappers for the $100 bills lying around and the door open and then claim that somebody took it all.

"Hey Rio. I got robbed. Pay Up!!"
Easy way to double my money.

I'm not saying this is what the OP did.
Just that it seems like it would be pretty easy for them to get scammed on an almost daily basis this way by people showing their money to the front-desk, going to their room, then coming back a couple hours later to claim that all that money they had just shown the front-desk host-guy somehow got stolen.

In the OP's situation though it certainly sounds like an inside-job and they need to investigate anyone who would have had access to the information or how much money he checked-in and what room he was in.


I can think of some alternative ways it might not have been an inside-job though. Trying to think creatively on some of these:

Thief is looking over his shoulder as he's checking-in.
Sees that the guy has significant cash.
He either eyeballs or overhears the dude's room-number at check-in...OR he follows him to his room.

While maid is cleaning the room he puts some play-doh or clay or something on the door to prevent it from closing all the way and then hops right in after the maid leaves.

This guy would need to be knowledgeable enough about the safes though but it sounds like it isn't that difficult.


OR....the thief goes back to a different part of the front-desk claiming to be that guy.
He gives his name and room-number and says that he locked his wallet in the room too so doesn't have ID or something.
They give him a key and he heads back up there.
Note that if something like this did happen there's no way the Rio would let you know they screwed up and gave the key to your room to somebody else.

I saw some hidden-camera segment on 48 Hours or Dateline or some show where a guy went up to various front-desks in LV and was able to sweet-talk his way into getting them to give him a key to a room that wasn't his.

I think he got flat-out turned away for the key by just one place.
But other times they just looked at him, determined he looked pretty honest, and seemed to have no problem just giving him the key to the room that he claimed was his.

Another time I think they had security escort him up to the room which he says he's fine with.
So he walks into the room that isn't his, grabs the black suitcase in there and says, "Here's my suitcase" and the security says okay and leaves (on that one I think he claimed that his wife had his wallet so he had no ID on him).

These weren't rooms of total strangers though. They were rooms purchased by somebody else affiliated with the program and then his challenge was to try to sweet-talk his way into the room that wasn't his.

He made it look pretty damn easy on that hidden-camera segment.