In GTA 5, heists are challenging missions that are an excellent way to earn a lot of in-game money. Be ready for a challenge; yet they are your ticket to the big time. It’s not easy to finish a GTA 5 heist, but you’ll get a lot of money that you may spend on new cars, real estate, and other things.
All the information you require on how to start a casino heist in GTA 5 will be covered in this article.
The online multiplayer action-adventure game GTA Online is where the Diamond Casino Heist, the only casino heist in GTA 5, was created by Rockstar North and released by Rockstar Games. It was made available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox 4, Xbox One, Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S between 2013 and 2022. The game is, as said, the GTA 5 online component. GTA Online, which takes place in the fictitious state of San Andreas (which is modeled after Southern California), lets up to 30 players explore its open world and play cooperative or competitive game types. The Diamond Casino Heist isn’t the only GTA Online casino activity, as there’s a casino-themed activity – Inside Track. This accessible marketplace offers an interactive betting experience for thoroughbred horse races. As one of the earliest gambling venues the player can enter before opening the Las Venturas section of San Andreas, Inside Track is actually a component of the game’s gambling mechanism. Naturally, unlike the profits from betting on actual horse racing sportsbooks, the money won on horse races here and the races themselves are fake, just like the in-game money won from the Diamond Casino Heist.
GTA Online’s first heist missions, the gameplay modes, were included in the Heists update, which was made available on March 10, 2015. Later, as part of updates for the Doomsday Heist, the Diamond Casino Heist, and the Cayo Perico Heist, they were made more extensive, although only in the improved versions of the game.
The main focus of our attention is the Diamond Casino Heist, a significant and most paid-out heist that was added to GTA Online as part of the Diamond Casino & Resort update. The answer to the question, “How to start a casino heist in GTA 5?” will be given in the remainder of the article. Players can sneak into the Diamond Casino & Resort and take important loot from the safe inside, thanks to this theft. Depending on the player’s decisions and preparations, the heist offers a range of approach options, setup missions, and a finale that can unfold in several ways.
Lester (the primary deuteragonist and major character in GTA 5 is Lester Crest, sometimes referred to as Long John Teabag/LJT) will call players with a high-end apartment who are ranked 12 or higher. The player becomes the heist leader after accepting Lester’s call and starting the heist. From there, they can invite other players from the lobby, their friends list, or participants from the previous heist. All players who have finished the GTA Online tutorial up to and including Gerald’s first LTS job are eligible to play heists, regardless of their rank level (Gerald is one of the primary characters in GTA Online and an unseen character in GTA 5).
It’s the heist leader’s duty to cover the setup expenses for any equipment and extra NPC (non-playable character) workers required for the operation. However, there’s a benefit in that the heist leader assigns duties to other players and receives the largest portion (about 40%) after the heist is finished.
After finishing every setup mission, players will receive money. But instead of getting paid for finishing a prep mission, heist leaders get 10% more RP (reputation) than other players. Once the entire heist is finished, leaders can also give themselves a larger portion of the take.
Players return to Freemode after completing a setup task successfully. The heist leader is then responsible for answering their phone, going back to the heist planning room, and beginning a new heist. This doesn’t come immediately, though.
After finishing each whole thread as a heist leader, all heists can be replayed. Calling Lester and asking for a heist is how players do this. As previously stated, there’s a brief lag before you can perform the same heist as leader again. The gamers can immediately join heists as crew members as long as there’s a leader with an active lobby. Only after you’ve finished all five heist finales as a leader or crew member will the heist replay board be available at your upscale apartment. To get it, you also have to visit Lester after reaching rank 12.
Keep in mind that each heist has a cooling period between finishing it and the following one opening up. As you finish each heist, more Adversary Modes will gradually become available.
Your character must be Rank 12 and possess a luxurious apartment in order to host a heist in GTA Online. That’s one of the most basic steps regarding how to start a casino heist in GTA 5. As long as another player extends an invitation, you can still participate in a heist even if you’re below the required rank or don’t own a fancy apartment.
Go to the “Quick Job” menu on the phone to join a heist as a crew member without an invitation. Then, to get started, choose “Play Heist”. Lester will call you to arrange your first heist if you fit the requirements. There will be a brief wait after finishing your first Setup Mission before Lester summons you for the following heist segment. Additionally, there’s a small lag between when Lester calls for the second heist and when you complete the first.
Use your in-game phone to call Lester and choose the “Request a Heist” option to replay a heist. Any of the previously finished heists will be available for you to play. There’s a cool-down period after each heist is finished, though, so you might not be able to replay a heist right away.
Click “Options” and select your friends list to invite a buddy to your current session. After that, find the friend you wish to invite and select “Send Game Invite” by clicking on their name. That’s how simple it is to invite your friend to your current session.
You’ll need to start the Story Mode in order to begin a private heist with your buddies. This time, select “Options” once more and go to “Online > Play GTA Online”. By choosing this, you can start a Closed Friend Session, which enables you to play GTA Online with just your pals.
Now, with all that said, let’s make you ready for the “most lucrative” of all the GTA Online heists, the Diamond Casino Heist.
There’s a group of heists in GTA 5 called the Diamond Casino Heists. When it comes to rewards, these are by far the greatest heists. However, the amount in the target vault determines how much you’ll actually receive. There are four distinct Diamond Casino Heists to choose from, but we’ll delve into them a bit later.
How to unlock the Diamond Casino Heist?
A green “H” icon will appear next to the Diamond Casino, across from the Lost MC Clubhouse, when players first start the game. This icon indicates the spot where Lester will call the player out of the blue to meet at Mirror Park.
Players encounter Georgina Cheng, a member of the Cheng Family Holdings, a criminal organization from Hong Kong, at Mirror Park. Lester discovers during this conversation that Georgina has compromised his phone. Georgina then persuades Lester and the player’s character to participate in the risky Diamond Casino Heist.
Players need to be the presidents of a Motorcycle Club or VIP organization in order to enter the Diamond Casino Heist. Additionally, they’ll have to buy an Arcade center, which will be used as the main office for organizing and carrying out the heists. Lester, the hacker who’s assisting in planning the heist, gives players a one-time setup task to finish once they buy the Arcade.
Players can access the heist planning board during this first setup task, which enables them to start getting ready for the major job. Lester clarifies during the setup assignment that the Arcade purchase is intended to act as a valid front for the heist. To make the Arcade setup look more realistic, he recruits employees, such as Jimmy, the son of his longtime buddy Michael. Jimmy is referred to by Lester as a “family friend”, suggesting that he keeps up a tight bond with Michael and his family.
Players can access the heist planning board within their Arcade after finishing the first Arcade setup task. They have the option to begin the Diamond Casino Heist from this point on.
Players have to check out the Diamond Casino to obtain information and supplies for the impending operation during the first stage of the heist, known as the setup phase. This entails examining the security features of the casino, such as the surveillance cameras, door keypads, and security guards, as well as looking through the contents of the vault and taking photos of the security elements to submit to Lester.
The contents of the vault, which may disclose other areas of interest, must then be discovered by players breaking into the casino’s security cameras. Players have three options for the heist after obtaining the required information: Aggressive, The Big Con, or Silent & Sneaky. Each strategy calls for particular tools and setups, which can be bought and used in the Arcade’s facilities.
In order to practice aspects of the heist and improve their chances of success, players can also choose to buy extra equipment during setup, such as a casino model, door security, and schematics for the vault doors.
In order to acquire the tools and resources required for the selected heist strategy, the preparations phase includes finishing a variety of Freemode jobs. This entails choosing appropriate escape vehicles and backup crew personnel in addition to purchasing basic equipment.
Players must select the support crew that best fits their plan and tastes because each member has a different set of skills and receives a different percentage cut at the end of the heist.
The final stage of the game is the Diamond Casino Heist Finale, where players demonstrate their readiness by breaking into the casino and robbing the safe. The team’s strategy, the information they acquired, and the equipment they got all have a big influence on how well this last mission goes.
Two to four players are needed to carry out the Diamond Casino Heist, and specifics like the buyer’s location must be finalized. Depending on the strategy—whether The Big Con, Silent & Sneaky, or Aggressive—the particular events will differ significantly. The crew must work together seamlessly and precisely in order for the execution to be successful.
Crucially, the Finale is made to be replayable so that teams can improve their tactics and learn from their errors. But the method from the last completion won’t work, and the remaining choices will get harder and harder, indicated by a “Skull Post-It” note.
In the end, the Finale puts the players’ abilities to plan, adjust, and work together to the test as they successfully negotiate the casino’s defenses and retrieve the priceless loot. Here, success depends on thorough planning and a readiness to grow from mistakes.
Players must wait 48 minutes after finishing the Diamond Casino Heist before they can play it again.
The Finale of the Diamond Casino Heist features a unique series of Elite Challenges that, like all other heists, grant the player an extra US$50,000 if they are finished or US$100,000 if they are finished in Hard Mode. Any strategy that uses a quick restart will result in the loss of the Elite bonuses.
These are the Elite Challenges:
Casino Heist – Silent & Sneaky
Casino Heist – The Big Con
Casino Heist – Aggressive
Depending on what you take from the vaults, the Diamond Casino Heist has one of the largest prizes in the game. It provides you with four target vaults that hold Gold, Diamonds, Cash, and Artwork. Each requires two to four players, and the setup of each one costs US$25,000. Note: the Diamonds are only available for a limited time, and it can be challenging to predict when they’ll actually show up in the vault. Anyway, the Diamonds offer the biggest payment, while Cash offers the lowest.
When Diamonds are looted on Hard Mode, the maximum possible payment for the heist is approximately US$3.6 million; however, the real take-home money is probably going to be less because of various expenses and crew member cuts.
The following is a detailed breakdown of the possible payout:
The Diamond Casino Heist’s possible reward can vary significantly based on a number of important variables. The ultimate revenues are mostly determined by the strategy used, the effectiveness of the setup tasks, and the value of the goods found inside the vault. Every strategy has pros and cons of its own and calls for various tools, crews, and points of entry.
PROS | CONS |
It’s one of the most entertaining and adaptable heists. | It’s impossible to complete it alone, and you’re frequently partnered with a random player. |
There are numerous ways at your disposal to do it. | Lester isn’t the only non-player who takes cuts, and you’ll have to give up a bigger share if you want better equipment. |
Big payouts. | There are too many setups, some of which are ultimately useless. |
There are several heists in GTA Online, and each one is more interesting and action-packed than the next one. None, though, can compare to the beloved Diamond Casino Heist. There are several reasons why this one is well-liked, but its extreme difficulty is what makes it unique.
There are some incredibly lucrative awards in the casino’s targeted vault. But in the midst of all the chaos, it’s incredibly difficult to find the Diamonds, which yield the highest payout. The player keeps returning because of this. After days of arduous planning, one can’t simply go with scant returns.
So, you’ve just advanced your GTA Online skills. Before someone else drains the vault, go on and complete the Diamond Casino Heist!