Las Vegas Weekly

August 27, 2008 · 1 PM

‘Robin Hood’ high-roller wants to beat the casino to help the needy

By Robin Leach

My friend, Fox News on-screen reporter Rick Leventhal, is a frequent Vegas visitor and he’s discovered an incredible story right here. It came to light while I was away in Europe but Rick flew into town yesterday to check on "Robin Hood's" progress. Here in his own words is Rick’s story that he posted on his Fox News Web site blog:

He calls himself "Robin Hood 702." He’s a high stakes blackjack player well known in certain Vegas casinos for wagering thousands of dollars a hand, sometimes winning (or losing) hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single day. Now he's offering to use his gambling skills to help a family in financial need, like a modern-day Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. He wants to remain anonymous to keep the focus on the good deed he's ready to do.

"I'm looking for a well deserving family up against hard times,” this "Robin Hood" told me over a recent dinner on the west coast. "People $25,000 to $50,000 in debt who did right by family or neighbors in the past. Now it's their time to be helped and I want to be the one to help them." He's created a Web site, www.Robinhood702.com, where he'll collect submissions now through Sept. 15 before choosing a winner. He says anyone can nominate anyone in need, like a friend, relative, neighbor or themselves by sending a one-to-three-minute video explaining their hardships, contributions or other reasons they should be selected. He’ll choose a winner after confirming the details of their story and financial crisis.

Robin Hood 702 promises the chosen family "an unforgettable experience" in Vegas or a similar gaming venue -- he's still looking for the right casino to host the gaming challenge. He'll fly the needy family into town, put them up in a high-roller suite and cover meals, spa treatments and show tickets. Then at some point he'll go into the casino's VIP high-limit room and win the money necessary to pay off their debt.

"What if you lose?" I ask him. "I won't," he insists. Then he superstitiously asks me not to use the "L" word again, guaranteeing he'll set aside half the money the family needs to be debt-free and hand it over no matter what happens at the blackjack table. "But that won't be necessary. I'm gonna win the money," he tells me, and after seeing him play, it's easy to believe the boast. He says he's been gambling since he was 16, experiencing every emotion imaginable, "up, down, over and out," but says he's figured out after all these years how to win consistently, crediting much of his success to good karma and good luck.

He doesn't recommend others try this and says he knows some perceive gambling as "the dark side," but believes he can use it to do good and says he hopes to start a national movement, with people using their skills or expertise in other fields to help more families in crisis. For now, he's focusing on finding the first family, he told me while sipping Evian with a slice of orange -- he doesn't drink alcohol. "My goal," he says "is to save someone's house, pay their debts and win back their American dream.”

Luxe Life will continue to monitor Robin Hood’s developing story and report the results!

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