Cincinnati Man Sentenced to 52 Years for Indiana Casino Robbery

_{Surveillance Images: Dearborn County Prosecutor's Office}

Daniel Birdseye was sentenced to 52 years in prison for a 2024 robbery at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, in a case that prosecutors say is believed to be the first prosecuted casino robbery in the state.

Birdseye pleaded guilty to robbery while armed with a deadly weapon on the first day of his May 2026 trial.

Officials: Birdseye Held Employee Hostage During Escape

After the four-day trial concluded, a jury also found Birdseye guilty on charges of kidnapping, criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, and three counts of intimidation while armed with a deadly weapon. He was also found not guilty on one additional count of both the criminal confinement and intimidation charges.

According to law enforcement officials, Birdseye entered the casino on Saturday, March 2, 2024 armed with a loaded handgun. He proceeded to demand money from the casino cage, threatening casino employees with his gun before taking cash. According to prosecutors, he also used an employee as a hostage while exiting the casino.

Birdseye was apprehended by law enforcement in the Oxbow Nature Conservancy shortly after fleeing the casino.

“What stands out to me about this case is the response of the people who were placed in an incredibly dangerous situation,” Dearborn and Ohio County Prosecutor Lynn Deddens said in a statement. “The employees of Hollywood Casino showed tremendous courage that night and again when they came into court and testified about what happened to them. At the same time, law enforcement agencies from across the area responded immediately, with many officers coming back on duty to help locate and apprehend Birdseye.”

Investigators said that Birdseye confessed to committing the robbery, telling them that he “was desperate and in debt.” According to law enforcement, Birdseye had been in the casino earlier that day before leaving and coming back at night for the robbery.

Armed Robberies are Recurring Threat for Casinos

While no shots were fired during the incident, prosecutors said that multiple Hollywood Casino employees were held at gunpoint during the robbery.

“This was a very dangerous and potentially deadly situation,” Deddens said following the robbery. “Birdseye brandished and pointed the gun at several Hollywood employees and threatened to shoot at least one of them.”

While heavy security makes robbing a casino a difficult proposition, there have been brazen attempts to so in recent years.

On March 25, 2026, two individuals robbed the Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville, Missouri of nearly $1.3 million. A casino employee was arrested soon after on suspicion of involvement, and the FBI offered a cash reward for information on suspect Hollis C. Vanleer Jr., who would subsequently be arrested in June 2026.

A similar robbery took place at the Rampart Casino in Summerlin, Nevada on Nov. 13, 2025. Nor are these incidents confined to the United States. On that same day, one woman was injured during a daylight robbery at the Lucky 7 House Casino in Longford, Ireland. While Gardaí identified a suspect, no arrests have been made in the case.