Man gone missing

Richard Tyrell has been reported missing after winning big at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in California.

The 47-year-old real estate agent from Riverside County had rung his girlfriend of nine years, Marcy Sattelmaier, to tell her of his luck and said he would be home soon. When he didn’t show up, she phoned the police to inform them, reports CBS Los Angeles. It’s not known how much he won.

Sattelmaier says the fact he hasn’t picked up his phone in the last 24 hours is unlike him. More worryingly for her is the fact that his bank account has been cleared out.

According to a bartender, while at the casino the 47-year-old was bought a number of drinks by another man who was acting suspiciously. It’s not known who this man is or whether he has any connection to the disappearance of Tyrell.

Sattelmaier is asking anyone with any information to come forward and report it to the authorities.

Please call the Temecula Police Department if you know where he is. And if he happens to see this: Honey, please come home.”

Recent cases of casino crime

There have been several casino-related crimes reported in 2019. In May, a 23-year-old Japanese man was jailed after stealing AU$140,000 (￡78,000; $98,000) from his boss. He then gambled it all away in four hours at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia.

Last month, a 95-year-old man from Australia was knocked down by three gamblers who stole AU$6,250 (￡3,500; $4,360) of his life savings. They then went back to The Star casino to gamble and lost all of the money.

Elsewhere, a mother-of-two’s 20-year marriage fell apart after she discovered her husband had lost NZ$200,000 (￡106,000; $133,000) over a 10-year period. He had managed to take out loans with ten finance companies to fund his lifestyle. Eventually, the family was forced to sell their home to cover part of his gambling debt.