Casino Surveillance
Casino Surveillance: Behind the Camera
Have you ever wondered what kind of person might be watching you through the lens of a surveillance camera? It’s a case of the good, the bad and the ugly. Who’s watching you?
I have over 20 years of experience working in casinos, including the surveillance room. Casino surveillance is only as good as the people operating the cameras. Gamblers tend to focus on winning and give little thought to who is behind the camera and what exactly they are watching.
Pan, Tilt and Zoom cameras are known as PTZ’s. The technology is very sophisticated. The camera operator using a PTZ camera can quickly zoom in on an ATM machine in the casino. I have personally watched surveillance agents zoom in on gamblers at the ATM machine entering their pin number. Now someone has your pin number.
Everyone who has ever been to a casino has seen the players club booth and the signs telling you to sign up and get your casino card to accumulate comp points. Sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it? Of course you provide the casino with your address, so you can receive those coupons and freebies in the mail.
What you don’t know is that when you put your players card in the machine, it now shows up on a computer screen in the casino surveillance room, complete with your personal information. Not only is that listed, but how much you money you have played and won/lost on the machines and table games. Now in addition to the pin number for your ATM card, someone has your personal information and knows if you’re a winner or loser.
Casinos have a camera over every teller at the cashier’s cage. You have to show ID to cash a check. Your ID has valuable information on it, usually your social security number or your driver’s license number. If a surveillance agent has a question about your ID, a still shot from the film can be brought up on the screen and a picture printed out of you and your ID and all the information it contains. Combine this with all the other information that has been gathered about you and it should make you stop and think about the hands this could fall into.
Average surveillance agents are not well paid. One of the casinos I worked in was having a problem with armed robberies in their casino parking lot. A masked gunman in a car would pull up on an unsuspecting winner who had several thousand dollars in cash in his pocket, had been drinking and would promptly relieve him of his cash and wallet.
Coincidence? Not hardly. All it took was one call from a casino surveillance agent to his partner in the parking lot on a cell phone. Another surveillance agent gathered information on players with large bank rolls and sold the information.
A young couple on their honeymoon had a few drinks while playing craps and things started to heat up. Every time the bride would bend over the crap table, one surveillance agent had a camera pointed down her revealing blouse and another agent had a camera pointed at her short skirt. Women would be shocked at pictures that are taken while they are on escalators.
If you stay in the casino hotel and your room is on a high floor, don’t assume that you can leave the drapes in your room open, thinking that no one could see in on the 12th floor. Not true. If you happen to be across the street from a casino their PTZ cameras can zoom right in from their parking lot. Technology can be amazing.
I have seen surveillance agents duplicate surveillance films that contain some of their favorite shots of women and take those videos home to show their friends during the half time of the Sunday football.
A picture of a local sheriff with a lady who was not his wife made it’s way to the local newspaper. The surveillance agent who made the still shot from the video said it was just a joke he sent down to his friend working on the casino floor.
Ways to Protect Yourself in a Casino
- Take enough cash with you to avoid using an ATM machine. If you must use an ATM, be sure and cover the pad while you enter your pin number.
- Don’t cash checks in a casino.
- Try to avoid getting a players club card. The rewards are tempting, but allowing others access to your gambling information may not be worth it.
- If you get lucky and are a big winner, either ask for your winnings in the form of a cashier’s check or ask for a security escort to your vehicle.
- Keep the drapes closed in your casino hotel room, regardless of what floor your room is on!
- Remember that your behavior or mode of dress could land you on the HDTV of a stranger.
Have fun, don’t lose all your money but remember, someone is watching you.
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12 Comments
RB, posted this comment on Sep 30th, 2007
In surveillance, as in all professions, most of the people conduct themselves professionally and with integrity. But, there are always a few rotten apples in the bunch. Unfortunately the bad apples do things that get in the news. You don’t hear about the stolen purse that we found, the mugging we preventing by alerting security, or the person having a heart attack that lived because we saw it happen and got immediate help. I do agree with the author that people should be more careful wherever they are, this includes casinos, your local mall, bank or grocery store.
Lucy, posted this comment on Mar 29th, 2008
I have long believed that the COMPUTERIZED COMP CARD dictated whether or not you would win or lose especially in casino’s like Missouri that require one. I know alot of people that also believe that, although when I asked casino personnel it was emphatically denied. Then one day as I sat losing at a slot machine a friend of mine sat down beside me and informed me that her husband who had been employed at that same casino in Missouri, and a member of management, said well you were right all along, the card does dictate wins and losses. But she never elaborated on just how it worked. I just refused to believe that one person could be that unlucky. For example, my husband and I had some out of town guests one weekend and we all headed for the casino. I played 9 different machines and just nothing, no line hits at all, only to watch other customers walk up behind me and hit the machine. I knew right then the only way I was going to be able to enjoy the evening was not to play. Does the casino dictate the wins and losses or is it the state? On numerous occasions when my card was placed in a machine, no matter how I bet I just could not win, not looking for huge paybacks, I just would like to be able to stay busy, doesn’t happen. Have any of you experienced this?
gryedouge, posted this comment on May 20th, 2008
I agree with RB. I am ashamed to read that there are operators who cannot conduct themselves in a profesional manner but, like RB mentioned, yuo dont hear about how we recovered stolen property, saved lives, helped guests who were cheated out of thier winnings, etc. As the saying goes, bad news sells.
As for Lucy…when they say that the win card dictates win/losses, it means that when yuo print a report, it shows the win/loss results of the card holder.
Gambling is purely that…gambling.
dirte, posted this comment on Jul 24th, 2008
This article sounds like it was written by someone who was fired from a casino and is attempting to put as much negative material as possible out there. It is a more serious threat typing in my PIN number at a gas station. A room full of people in a casino in collusion to read my PIN number, that sounds like either paranoia or anger toward the industry.
Tommy D, posted this comment on Sep 28th, 2008
I Am the greatest gambler period..
Jack, posted this comment on Oct 29th, 2008
Fired from a casino. Never. Anger toward the industry. Always.
Ng, posted this comment on Dec 19th, 2008
I also agree with rb and #4. Surveillance does alot more good than bad. I believe there are a lot of more dangerous places to be other than a casino. Remember our jobs are to observe.
SecuredOne, posted this comment on May 30th, 2009
I’ve worked in security and you have both good and bad. It’s a matter of your personal morals as to how you conduct yourself. But in the case of a Casino, I would imagine that things would be more stringent. The greatest fear of a Casino would have to be theft by employees as the Casino would be held liable for their activities. Why would a Casino allow 1 person to be in control of the surveillance? Can you see the possibilities? All types of thefts could occur and no one would be the wiser. Look at the Ocean’s movies. Do you think a Casino would be open for the taking? NO WAY!! This may be old information of the 80’s. But with the risk of losing money, the Casinos are more cautious as to who they hire and staff in those positions. SCAMS seem to be the things to watch out for.
Me, posted this comment on Oct 19th, 2009
I\\\’m a surveillance agent. I agree with NG, surveillance does allot more good than bad. We are under constant surveillance as we monitor as well.
Bilbo Binks, posted this comment on Oct 29th, 2009
As a gaming agent I can say with little doubt you are full of cow dung.
Bilbo Binks, posted this comment on Oct 29th, 2009
Okay since I have a few serveillance agents here. I got one for you. We have a husband wife team that come in with a large amount of cash. They take $100.00 at a time to the window and cash it in for $20.00’s sit down and play, but they always cash out big. Usually bringing tickets that add up to $2000.00 to $1900.00 and by the end of the day totalling around $5000.00 dollars. They are laundering money but we are not sure how they are doing it. Has anyone seen anything like this before?
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Nelson Doyle, posted this comment on Sep 28th, 2007
Thanks for sharing your experience and information about the subject. I will now do things a bit differently when visiting my local casino. I have no idea that they could still watch me in my private hotel room even though it isn’t located on their property. Yes, go information and tips to keep in mind.