There are plenty of people trying to cheat the casinos- it’s a constant cat and mouse game as the fraudsters try and get one over the casinos, and the casinos try and stay one step ahead with surveillance and monitoring.
So how exactly do the casinos fight the battle against the fraudsters?
Surveillance is a very secret activity. This is the kind of thing that goes on, that the casinos would rather you didn’t know about. But go on it does. On a big scale.
The Surveillance Department at a land-based casino stays strictly incognito, and behind the scenes. If there is money involved, there will be a camera there. The casino will be watching you and what you are doing. It’s Big Brother’s domain on the gaming floor!
The “eye in the sky” is well-known, thanks to Hollywood best casino movies (Ocean’s 11, Casino etc). And all the staff are well trained to spot fraudsters, starting with the dealers.
Dealers are taught to use their peripheral vision. To reduce the amount of cheating, dealers are trained to constantly expect it, and to be on the defensive all the time. Card Counters in Blackjack are the most frequent cheaters.While it isn’t illegal, the casinos don’t like it and chances are, if you’re caught, you’re going to be asked to leave.
Dealers are trained to watch for weak spots, like the ends of the table which can be blind spots if the dealer isn’t standing in the right place. This can allow a player to steal chip, past post in roulette or add to their bets.
These days, technology is the casino’s best friend. HD cameras make it easier for the surveillance team to spot things. Add facial recognition technology where they can map the face of everyone who enters, and then share it on a network to identify known crooks, and you can begin to understand how powerful these new tools have become.
But this doesn’t guarantee success against the cheaters. The scams evolve- there’s always a new one. So the casino have to continue to learn on a daily basis to try and keep one step ahead of the crooks.
