Casino threat determined to be ‘swatting’ hoax

By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on January 4, 2025.

A threat made to the Pure Casino in Lethbridge has been determined to be a “swatting” hoax.
On Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. the casino reported they had received a phone call from an unknown caller stating that the building was going to explode. While patrols were responding, the casino’s security also reported a suspicious package was left inside the building.
The building was evacuated and police conducted a thorough search and found no explosives or suspicious devices.
The term “swatting” describes a false report made to emergency services in order to trigger a response from law enforcement.
Vince Pao, executive director of marketing for Pure Canadian Gaming says their teams are consistently trained on how to handle such instances, stating evacuations happen more often than one would assume.
“Evacuations from the casino are more common than you would think when considering the frequency of power outages or false fire alarms – with large sums of money often in play when these evacuations are required,” says Pao. “We have Standard Operating Procedures that ensure an efficient, safe and effective evacuation process for our teams and guests, ensuring money in play is protected and accurate for the players upon their return to the casino.”
Further investigation from LPS revealed the call was a swatting hoax and there was no threat to the public.
Visitors were able to re-enter the casino shortly after the investigation was complete.

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