Casino security teams operate like police departments for an entire town, responding to various call types just like any public police force would. From one-way glass to advanced facial recognition software, these security personnel act like the backbone of security in casinos across the globe.
These experts specialize in everything from detecting table games sleight-of-hand tricks and employee theft and deception, saving casinos millions every year with their services.
Security Officers
Security officers at casinos are responsible for patrolling the floor, inspecting anything that seems suspicious, handling emergency situations and transporting chips into and out of the casino. They escort anyone transporting chips both ways as part of their duties. Typically this position requires at least a high school diploma or GED as well as on-the-job training, background checks and licenses while armed security positions require even further specialized training and licensing requirements.
Security personnel must be prepared to investigate a variety of matters, from employee theft to roulette table cheating. They must decide whether or not prosecution is warranted and may interview many witnesses if they suspect criminal activity has taken place.
Similar to public police forces, casino security departments consist of dispatchers and officers. Dispatchers send out calls for incidents, chip fills (moving chips from the cage to tables) or medical calls; officers then respond as necessary by calling up higher-ups as needed and reviewing video recordings that local law enforcement requires for cases – this process often takes several hours before officers return.
Surveillance Cameras
With many customers and large sums of money on gaming floors and cashier’s cages, as well as significant physical property to protect, casinos devote significant resources and effort to safeguard their guests, employees, assets and operations – as well as projecting an image of trustworthiness among customers.
Security services must ensure that only those allowed inside a casino should be present – including those underage or listed as gambling blocklist members or who have self-excluded. They work to break up fights stoked by alcohol consumption as well as monitor for any unusual activity on or around the gaming floor or tables.
To detect cheating, surveillance officers usually rely on closely monitoring money movement and any attempts at hiding cash or chips from tables or dealers. They should also keep an eye on money cages because many robberies at casinos involve some form of employee theft. When selecting a camera system with artificial intelligence capabilities such as instant alerts and meta data search capabilities to make processes simpler while helping security personnel easily search recorded video footage and identify events more quickly and accurately.
Undercover Agents
At casinos, where there are large populations and vast sums of money on casino floors and cashier’s cages to protect, property assets to safeguard, and a public image to uphold, security and surveillance officers play an integral part of operations and play an indispensable role in public image protection. Private police officers address issues public police do not cover such as cheating at gambling tables and other casino-related crimes that public police do not address directly.
Undercover agents conduct sting operations in order to detect criminal activity. For instance, they might place valuables such as jewelry in hotel rooms and observe whether housekeeping staff turn them in or keep them. Furthermore, undercover agents send minors into bars in order to see whether bartenders sell alcohol to them; and use cameras to observe parking valet activities.
USOU, like other FBI field offices, employs a Coordinator responsible for reviewing proposals to conduct undercover operations. According to OIG’s findings, Coordinators were not always adhering to Undercover Guidelines requirements regarding approval based on sensitive circumstances and benefits outweighing costs (SS IV.B).
Security Guards
Casinos must invest heavily in security given the vast amounts of cash they handle and large properties and assets they manage, since criminals may seek to exploit them to commit cheating at games, stealing from patrons or internal theft and fraud.
Local law enforcement and casino security work together to reduce incidents like robberies, fires, employee theft, safety rule violations and property damage. They also collaborate to prevent cyber attacks against casinos by sharing technological data and factual information.
Casino security professionals must remain calm under pressure and respond swiftly to alerts. Furthermore, they need to pay attention to details in order to recognize even minor differences such as when a camera was moved – this allows them to monitor patrons and detect any suspicious behaviors more effectively as well as create incident reports for management with all pertinent details, including description of incident as well as video recordings that could provide a timeline or visual documentation.