This is closed circuit footage from a daring robbery on a Ladbrokes betting parlor in Kenton, Newcastle, England.  The three men involved, Thomas Reay, Alan Tams, and Shaun Ovington, are believed to have committed a string of similar robberies throughout Northwest England, but none quite as daring as this.  It’s not that the robbers themselves were particularly brave, it’s that one guy in the background.  He’s not a part of the gang; he’s just so into his game of slots that he ignores the robbery behind him!

If those particular machines are anything like the ones we have in America, then it’s not surprising he didn’t know what was going on.  While I’m not a big gambler, I have been to the local casino riverboat and I’ve spent time watching those people play machines there.  They just stare at them, pumping quarter after quarter into the machine, pulling the handle or smacking the button, and staring blankly as brightly-colored images flash in front of their eyes, alarms sound in the background, and (hopefully) jackpots are hit.

Even if he’s the only guy there playing, those machines are designed to make sure you don’t realize how much money you’ve spent and how much time you’ve wasted.  They’re incredibly successful, if one guy can ignore armed robbery happening only a few feet from the back of his head!

Tags: man ignores robbery to play slots, slot machines, gambling, Ladbrokes, Kenton, Newcastle, England, Thomas Reay, Alan Tams, Shaun Ovington, unusual surveillance footage

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