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Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Gambler Lost $20K, Made Revenge Bomb Threat
Posted on: January 7, 2026, 08:29h.
Last updated on: January 7, 2026, 09:52h.
- Gambler allegedly phoned bomb threat after losing $20K at casino
- Suspect arrested overnight, casino operations unaffected by threat
- Sheriff cites infamous 1980 Harvey’s casino bombing
A gambler who lost $20K at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and allegedly later dialed in a bomb threat to the casino was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said they responded to the casino at around 9:50 pm on Monday after staff reported the threat.
Yeah, I just lost over $20-thousand at your stupid casino, and I am going to destroy it now. I am going to bomb it,” the caller stated, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
“This is a bomb threat,” the caller added for good measure.
Maybee Not
Deputies traced the call to Seth Maybee of South Lake Tahoe. He was picked up by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department at around 1:43 am Tuesday.
The threat didn’t disrupt casino operations, and the sheriff’s office declined to say whether it was considered credible.
Maybee has been booked into the El Dorado County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Douglas County, where he faces charges related to bomb threats and terrorist threats. If convicted, he could face one to six years in prison on each felony count.
“I want to thank Harrah’s Casino for their quick reporting of this incident and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department for their assistance in the arrest of Maybee,” said Sheriff Dan Coverley. “Due to the history of the Harvey’s bombing in the early 1980s, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Stateline casinos take these threats very seriously. Fortunately, we were able to make an arrest before anything happened.”
Harvey’s Bombing
Coverley was referencing one of Nevada’s most notorious crimes, when on Aug. 27, 1980, two men disguised as photocopier installers delivered a booby-trapped bomb to Harvey’s Resort Hotel, the casino now known as Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe, located across the street from Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.
The plotters claimed the bomb was impossible to defuse, even by its maker. Only a precise sequence of switches – offered for a $3 million ransom – would allow it to be detonated safely from a remote location. The extortion scheme failed, but the bomb exploded, destroying most of the casino.
The mastermind of the scheme was John Birges Sr., a Hungarian immigrant based in Clovis, Calif. Birges claimed he lost $750K at Harvey’s – more than $2 million in today’s money – and wanted revenge.
The FBI attempted to deliver the ransom, but later claimed they went to the wrong place because of vague directions. The bomb, which was packed with 1,000 pounds of TNT, went off during an attempt to diffuse it remotely. No one was injured in the blast, and the casino was rebuilt.
Birges was sentenced to life and died in prison in 1996 at the age of 74.
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