Circus Circus Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas had to be evacuated on Saturday, March 15 after reports of a shooter and ensuing panic. Those reports turned out to be mistaken, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).
LVMPD received reports of a possible shooting around 5:30 p.m. and confirmed them in a statement on X just after 6:00 p.m. While the post did not directly mention Circus Circus, it stated that no victims had been found at the address but that there was a heavy police presence. As a precaution, authorities evacuated the property. LVMPD issued an update around 9:15 p.m., stating that reports of gunfire were “unfounded.”
A fight led to chaos
Though police did not find a real threat, the panic was real. Circus Circus guests ran outside, fearing for their lives. One guest spoke to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and said people started crying, yelling, and running. The guest told the news outlet that she heard conflicting accounts from others, including rumors of gunshots, shooting, and stabbing.
Although the threat to the casino public turned out to be a false alarm, there was some sort of incident that precipitated the drama. According to police, the panic originated from a fight inside the property:
Detectives learned that a fight broke out inside of the venue causing numerous individuals to run out of the property.
This caused panic amongst the crowd and several other fights broke out outside of the property.
Guests told the Review-Journal that authorities allowed them to return to their rooms about two hours after the initial reports of the shooting.
Casinos are no strangers to threats
Luckily, the incident at Circus Circus turned out to be a false alarm. However, it underscores the reality that casinos frequently face security threats. Circus Circus isn’t the only property to have been evacuated in recent months. Fortunately, the other incidents likewise did not result in any harm to guests.
Last month, Rivers Casino Philadelphia evacuated employees and customers while police swept the building. The property did not give a specific reason for the evacuation, but it seems to have been a false alarm, much like Circus Circus. A spokesperson told PlayPennsylvania that the authorities deemed the property safe and it was operating as usual.
Meanwhile, in September 2024, authorities evacuated Hard Rock Tampa twice within 24 hours over a pair of concealed devices. In that case, the threat was genuine, although it’s not clear how much harm the devices would have caused had they gone off. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Disposal Team removed a “crude concealed device with fireworks components,” allowing the casino to reopen a few hours later. However, during the investigation, authorities discovered a second similar device, triggering another evacuation. There had been several other bomb threats at US casinos last year as well.
In a more bizarre incident, a car crashed into Bally’s Casino in Evansville, Indiana, in November 2024. The driver’s SUV plowed through a parking lot barrier and over the edge of the seventh-floor parking garage. The vehicle then plummeted 40 feet into the roof of the casino’s executive convention center. The car eventually came to rest on top of an escalator. Fortunately, no Bally’s Casino guests were using it at the time. Authorities later determined the driver had a criminal and mental health history.
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