Usually not on the spot. A casino incident report is written by resort security for the property’s own risk management team, and most Las Vegas resorts won’t hand a copy to the guest who got hurt. A police report is a different document. If Las Vegas Metro took a report, you can request that one yourself.
Knowing which report exists, and who holds it, tells you what to do next. Below is how each one works, what happens after you file, and how a Las Vegas casino injury lawyer gets the report the resort keeps to itself.
Casino Incident Report vs. Police Report: Two Sets of Rules
People use “incident report” for two very different things. One belongs to the casino. The other belongs to the police. The rules for getting each one are not the same.
| Casino incident report | LVMPD police report | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes it | A resort security officer | A Las Vegas Metro officer (or Henderson or North Las Vegas police, depending on where the property is) |
| When it exists | Almost any time you report an injury to security | Mostly crimes, fights and serious incidents, or when police are called |
| Who it’s written for | The resort’s risk management and claims team | The official record and any criminal case |
| Can you get a copy? | Rarely, just by asking | Usually, by request |
| How to get it | Through your attorney, and through the case if a lawsuit is filed | A records request using your event number |
The Casino’s Internal Incident Report
Who Writes It and Where It Goes
After you report an injury, a security officer takes your account, photographs the area, and lists any witnesses. The report gets a number, and then it moves up the chain to risk management.
Many large Strip resorts insure themselves and run claims in-house. That means the people reading the report are often the same people who decide whether, and how much, to pay you. The report is the first page of their file on your claim.
Can You Get a Copy of a Casino Incident Report?
You can ask, and you should ask in writing. Most resorts will say no, or tell you the request has been sent to risk management. Nevada law doesn’t give you a general right to demand a private business’s internal report before a lawsuit is filed.
So collect what they will give you before you leave the property:
- The report or incident number
- The security officer’s name
- The date, time and exact location written in the report
If they hand you anything to sign, read what to know before you sign an incident report first.
What It Usually Says, and Why the Wording Matters
Casino security reports tend to record your words as “guest stated,” followed by a short quote. They often note whether you had been drinking, what shoes you wore, whether you were on your phone, and whether the officer “found no hazard” when they inspected the area. The witnesses listed are often employees.
None of that is neutral. Under Nevada’s comparative fault rules, any note suggesting you share the blame can be used to cut what you recover. That’s why your own record of what happened matters just as much as theirs.
The LVMPD Police Report
When Metro Writes a Report Inside a Casino
Las Vegas Metro handles crimes on most Strip and Las Vegas resort properties. If you were assaulted, robbed or hurt in a fight, security will often call police, and an officer may take a report. You can also ask security to call Metro, or call 911 yourself in an emergency.
A slip on a spill or a fall on a broken step is different. Those incidents are often handled by casino security alone, so no police report exists. If you were hurt in an attack, police records can become key evidence, which is one reason suing a property after an assault in Las Vegas often turns on what was reported and when.
Where the resort sits matters too. A casino in Henderson or North Las Vegas falls under that city’s police department, not Metro.
How to Request a Copy of an LVMPD Report
Every LVMPD report is tied to an event number. Ask the officer for it at the scene and keep it with your casino report number.
Copies are requested through LVMPD’s Records and Fingerprint Bureau. If the investigation is still open, you may get a limited version or have to wait. Your attorney can request the report for you, which is usually the simplest path if you’re already working with a lawyer.
Already Back Home?
Many people hurt on the Strip fly home before they think about a police report. LVMPD allows visitors to file certain reports online after they leave, for crimes with no suspect information. If that doesn’t fit, your local police department can take a courtesy report and send it to LVMPD, which assigns an event number.
No Police Report at All?
That’s common after a casino fall, and it doesn’t end your case. You can still file a personal injury claim without a police report. The evidence simply comes from other places: video, photos, witnesses, medical records and the casino’s own file.
What Happens After You File an Incident Report at a Casino
Filing the report starts several clocks at once, and most of them run in the resort’s favor.
- The same day: The report goes to risk management. The claims team starts building its file from your statement, the officer’s notes and the employees on duty.
- The first week: Under Nevada Gaming Control Board standards, recordings from required gaming-area cameras must be kept at least 7 days (rising to 15 days starting April 3, 2027). Recordings of security detaining or questioning a guest must be kept at least 30 days. Hallways, garages and pools aren’t covered by those gaming rules at all. Here’s how to protect casino surveillance footage before it’s gone.
- Within days: Someone from the resort’s claims or risk department may call. The tone is usually friendly. The call may include a request for a recorded statement, or an offer of a comp or a small payment before you know how badly you’re hurt.
Meanwhile, the report you can’t see is shaping how the resort values your claim.
How a Lawyer Gets the Report the Casino Won’t Give You
The resort’s refusal to give you a copy isn’t the end of the road. It’s the starting point for a different process.
First, a lawyer sends a written demand that the resort preserve the incident report, video, cleaning and inspection logs, and records of prior similar incidents. Evidence the resort lets slip away after that notice can be used against it.
Second, during the claim, resorts sometimes share parts of their file, such as photos or a summary, when it supports their position. That’s not guaranteed, and it’s rarely the full report.
Third, if a lawsuit is filed in Nevada state court, the rules require each side to share records, reports and witness statements about the incident early in the case, unless they’re privileged or otherwise protected. In federal court, the report can still be requested through discovery. Resorts sometimes argue their report was prepared in anticipation of a lawsuit and should stay private. Courts look at why a document was created, so a report security writes after every incident isn’t automatically shielded.
Before he represented injured people, Glen Howard worked as an insurance defense attorney. He knows what a risk management file usually holds, which details get written to protect the property, and which records quietly expire if nobody asks for them. That background shapes how Nevada premises liability claims against big resorts get built from day one.
Timing matters here too. Nevada generally gives you two years to file an injury lawsuit, but the evidence that proves your case can disappear in days.
Protect Your Side of the Record Today
The casino wrote its version. Make sure yours exists too.
- Write your own account today. Date it. Include what you were doing, what you saw on the floor, who helped you, and what you told security.
- Keep your numbers together. Your casino report number, the officer’s name and any Metro event number.
- Photograph everything. Your injuries, the spot where it happened and the cameras above it.
- Get medical care and keep the records. Your medical chart is a record the resort didn’t write.
- Hold off on signatures and statements. Talk to a lawyer before you sign a release or give a recorded statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do casinos have to give you a copy of the incident report?
Generally, no. A casino incident report is a private business record, and Nevada law doesn’t give an injured guest a general right to demand it before a lawsuit is filed. Ask anyway, in writing, and keep the report number and the officer’s name. Once you hire an attorney, the request comes from your lawyer along with a demand to preserve the report and the video. If a lawsuit is filed in Nevada state court, the resort generally has to disclose reports about the incident early in the case unless it can show they’re protected. Every case is different, so talk to a lawyer about yours.
Does casino security call the police after an injury?
Sometimes. Security often calls Las Vegas Metro for assaults, robberies, fights and other crimes. For a slip, trip or fall, security usually handles the incident itself, and no police report is made. You can ask security to call Metro, or call 911 in an emergency. If police respond, get the event number before you leave. You’ll need it to request the report later, whether you live in Las Vegas or are flying home to another state.
Can I still file a claim if no incident report was made?
Yes. Nevada law doesn’t require a casino incident report or a police report before you bring an injury claim. The evidence comes from other sources: surveillance video, your photos, witness names, medical records, hotel and payment records showing where you were, and your own same-day account. A missing report can even raise its own question: why didn’t the resort document an injury on its property? An attorney can still demand the casino preserve its video and records, as long as it happens quickly.
What if the casino incident report gets the facts wrong?
It happens often. Reports are written fast, and they’re written for the resort. Write down the correct version right away, date it, and send a short written correction to the resort’s security or risk management department. Keep a copy. Don’t argue the details by phone with a claims representative, because that call may become part of the file. Your same-day account, photos and medical records are the best answer to a report that gets it wrong, and your attorney can challenge it directly as the claim moves forward.
The Resort Wrote Its Version. Let’s Get Yours on the Record.
Right now the casino has the report, the footage and a claims team. You have a report number, an injury and a lot of questions. That gap is fixable, but only while the evidence still exists.
Howard Injury Law represents people hurt at casinos and resorts across Las Vegas, including guests who have already flown home. Glen Howard knows how the defense side builds these files because he used to be on that side. The consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we win. If you’re not sure you have a case, that’s exactly what the first call is for.
Tell us what happened at the resort, and we’ll tell you what the casino likely has, how to get it, and whether your casino injury claim in Las Vegas is worth pursuing.
