Barron M Broomfield
7/22/22
Lions, Tigers, and Bears
The Circus-Circus Hotel and Casino was built by Jay Sarno and his partner in 1968. It was built to cater to
families and was located at the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip. When I started my gaming career, it
was going thru a change in ownership. Sarno’s regime supposedly had ties to the Mob. The Teamsters
Union had floated a million-dollar loan to the casino to cover construction debts and beef up the
operational cash flow. the loan was not reported to the Nevada Gaming Commission and that agency’s
investigation uncovered a sweetheart deal given to Chicago mobster Anthony Spilotro, to operate a gift
shop in the casino. After the Gaming Commission’s investigation, Sarno was forced to put his equity in a
trust and the casino was leased to two Williams, Bennett and Pennington. The new owners spruced up
the place and added rooms but kept up its appeal to families and budget seekers. After years of ridicule
by its neighbors up the street, the new management team made the Circus-Circus one of the most
prosperous operations in Las Vegas.
The shift manager had given me a red blazer which I slipped on over the starched white shirt I had
pressed by hand. I was wearing dress black pants and my black loafers were polished to military
standards. I followed the manger to the slot office and received instructions on using the time clock and
when I turned around after filling out a timecard, I found that I was alone in the office. The thin office
walls did little to muffle the sounds coming from the casino floor and the full circus on the second floor.
I was beginning to sweat in the jacket because of the stale smoke-filled air and the usual worries that
accompany any new job. My shift did not start for another twenty minutes so I grabbed a paper cup and
filled it with water from the dispenser and tried to get comfortable in one of the padded chairs along the
wall. The room held two small desks, a coat and shoe rack, two lockers, and a small bookcase holding
old magazines and tattered paperbacks. Looking through the paperbacks I found an old friend, grabbing
the book with a shaking hand, I verified it was from the same ‘Reno the Destroyer’ series that had
comforted me through my ordeal in Turkey. The door opened and several ladies dressed in the maroon
pant suits the change girls wore talked and laughed as they prepared to start the middle or swing shift,
as it was called. The door opened again, and more girls came in. That is when the first group noticed me
sitting along the wall and came over to introduce themselves. They ranged in age from 21 to late forties
and came in all colors, shapes, and sizes. I stood up and tried to maintain my composure.
Married life had done little to help my social skills and Cheryl and I struggled to keep our relationship
going after tying the knot. I was spending a lot of time with the kids once they returned from Ohio,
especially after losing my job at Sears. Our ring of thieves had shut down after increased attention from
the regional Loss Prevention Office, and I had transferred to the hardware department. A few weeks
after transferring, I was back to my old tricks at the register. I had the same group of friends that would
come in and simulate normal shopping, only to have me void their purchases, as they walked out the
store with fake receipts. We did twelve lawnmowers, and I was trying to get mine for the house. I had
Cheryl come in and she played the part of the bored rich housewife buying a birthday gift for her
husband. She insisted on a top-of-the-line model, fully assembled. I faked the purchase and walked the
lawnmower out to her car and loaded it. When I reached the door to the store the manager tor the
hardware department was waiting.
“Hey Barron, can I see the paperwork for the mower you just took out.”
“Sure Fred”, I replied. “I left it at the register.”
My heart raced as we walked to the register, both of us knowing the paperwork would not be there.
After letting me make a fool of myself for a few minutes the manger spoke up.
“You are going to have that young lady bring that lawn back to the store within the next hour, or we are
going to call the police. The price on the mower will make it a felony case.”
“No sir, that won’t be necessary”, I replied. I practically ran out the door to where we had agreed to
meet. Cheryl took one look at my face and knew the gig was up. I explained that the store only wanted
the mower back, but she insisted I take her home before going back to Sears. Another nail in the coffin
for our marriage.
One of the girls asked if I was married and I just blushed and said yes without any conviction. The
appearance of another slot floorman saved me from further embarrassment. We went on a quick tour
of the casino. As we walked, Jim my guide explained as much as he could while helping customers with
their machines, helping change girls, giving directions, and returning small children to the security
podium so they could pick up their lost parents. Floorman are responsible for supervising the change
girls in their area. This includes checking their banks when they clock in and before they can clock out.
The girls are responsible for any shortages or unreported overages. The penalty for not balancing out
could be termination if the pattern continues. The change girls are funded by multiple change booths
around the casino. The floorman also verify their banks, a much larger number, and the booth attendant
is responsible if the booth totals are off. The change booths are funded by the main casino cage, a
secured and guarded area that serves as the bank for table games and the slot department. Money and
coins are transported throughout the casino and the whole operation is carefully watched. “Or is it?”, I
ask myself. There had to be a weak link in this chain, and I was determined to find it.
Over the next two months I worked hard to become the best floorman in the slot department. It wasn’t
difficult at all. My competitors were either young and inexperienced, or older and set in their old habits,
to make any effort past the minimum to keep their job. I volunteered for open shifts and while working,
I was constantly in motion. My supervisor and the Slot Manager were impressed with my work ethic and
problem-solving skills and at the end of the first month, I was awarded with a full set of keys. I had
access to every machine in the casino including the mega jackpots. I made mental notes of which
supervisors or slot employees I needed to watch out for or those I could trust. I soon had a short list of
those I could recruit and began the next step. Through casual conversations on the slot floor and during
lunch or breaks, I determined 50 percent of the slot department was ready to follow me. My first week
on the job had proven that it was simple to grab a handful of change and put it in your pocket along with
your keys. It paid for coffee and cigarettes daily, and sometimes gas. Things were a little tight because I
gave Cheryl the ultimatum, to choose me or gambling, and of course I lost that belt. She wanted her
freedom but stopped short of divorce, in case she needed a few dollars or a babysitter. I moved into an efficiency apartment a block off the strip and started looking for a car. I was going to need a down payment. It was really time to go to work. I had found the weak link.