Casino Security

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A sign at the Thousand Islands Casino A sign at the Thousand Islands Casino

Given the relatively large amounts of currency that are handled within a casino, the temptation exists for both patrons and staff to commit crimes, and many casinos have security measures to prevent these. The most basic level of security today consists of cameras located throughout the property operated by highly trained individuals who attempt to locate cheating and stealing by both players and employees.

Modern casino security is usually divided between a physical security force, which patrols the casino floor and responds to calls for assistance and reports of criminal and/or suspicious activities, and a specialized surveillance department, that operates the casino's closed circuit television (known in the industry as eye in the sky) system in an effort to detect any misconduct by both guests and employees alike. Both of these specialized casino security departments work very closely with each other to ensure the safety of both guests and the casino's assets. Some casinos also have catwalks in the ceiling above the casino floor. These catwalks allow surveillance personnel to look directly down, through one way glass, on the activities at the tables and/or slot machines.

When it opened in 1989, The Mirage was the first casino to use cameras full time on all table games.[1]

Crime

One area of controversy surrounding casinos is their relationship to crime rates. Many casino opponents contend that casinos contribute to crime, and some recent research supports this. However, economics studies that do show a positive relationship between casinos and crime usually fail to consider the visiting population at risk when they calculate the crime rate in casino areas. Such studies thus count the crimes committed by visitors, but do not count visitors in the population measure, and this overstates the crime rates in casino areas. Part of the reason this methodology is used, despite it leading to an overstatement of crime rates is that reliable data on tourist count are often not available.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ Knightly, Arnold M. (February 2007). "Blink and you'll miss him". Las Vegas Review-Journal: 1E.
  2. ^ Walker, Douglas M. "Do Casinos Really Cause Crime?" (Jan 2008). Econ Journal Watch [1]

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.