Casino Surveillance: Inside the Eye in the Sky

The biggest casinos in the world can see millions of dollars exchange hands every day with thousands of patrons passing through to play the games. These institutions must maintain impeccable standards of gaming and security to keep going, and there are numerous ways in which they can do so. Without failure, in practically any casino you visit you will notice cameras scattered all across the casino floor.

The first thing that comes to mind when seeing these cameras is that they must be there to detect cheating. While that is true, the surveillance is mainly there to ensure the safety of the players, and that the game service meets the proper standards. The surveillance system, popularly coined as the Eye in the Sky, plays just as important a role as any of the dealers or the gaming machines.

Main Reasons for Casino Surveillance

If you think about the sheer volume of money that travels in and out of a casino on a daily basis, you would expect the security to be top-notch. The money that exchanges hands on a daily basis can easily beat that of a typical US bank, especially if we consider a Las Vegas Strip casino during peak season. Some patrons may enter the casino with a few hundred dollars in their pocket, whereas high rollers may have checks worth tens of thousands of dollars on their person. A level of security is necessary to ensure a safe environment for all players in a casino.

Detecting Cheats or Fraudulent Activity

Casinos don’t tolerate cheating or fraud, but there are some grey areas as far as the definition of cheating goes. If a player were to damage a machine, place illegal bets or physically tamper with any of the games, they are cheating and must be removed from the premises. Anyone who is not permitted to enter, such as underage gamers or anyone who has a prior suspension or ban, will also be quickly removed. But then there are gaming strategies and techniques that, while technically legal, may lead you to getting kicked out.

Definition of Cheating at Casinos

For instance, card counting in blackjack. It is not illegal to count cards in blackjack, but casinos are within their rights to ask you to stop playing. Unlike locating a trespasser, or spotting a player physically damage or tamper a machine, it is hard to know whether a player is counting cards. Surveillance teams will only see the player sitting at the table for a long period of time, and have to determine by their actions whether they are using a “legally questionable” gaming method or not.

Another example is using computers or software to try to calculate a spin in roulette. There have been notable cases where players used computers to track the spin time and frequencies of the roulette ball, to calculate the portion of the wheel where it may fall. In some of these cases, the suspected players were caught and legal action was taken, but the casino could not take back the players’ winnings. Other cheating, or questionable strategies, include:

• Card Marking
• Dice Slicing
• Card Switching
• Chip Dumping
• Slot Machine Hacking
• Fake Chips or Counterfeit Bills
• Collusion with Dealers (more on that later)

Maintaining Gaming Integrity and Standards

The Eye in the Sky is also used to track the gameplay at the different tables and machines. Surveillance teams must assess the environment, and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. These cameras can zoom in to such a level of detail that they can determine whether cards or dice look worn, or even if dealers make small mistakes. To preserve the gaming standards, the surveillance teams must flag up if there are any mishaps in the quality of the games or whether any of the equipment needs changing.

Protecting Players from Theft or Crime

Card counting or sabotaging dice are not the only types of criminal activity that can occur in a casino. Some visitors may target other players, pinching their chips or walking off with their bags. When you are playing a game of baccarat or sitting down to some slots, you may put your bag or jacket next to you on the seat. But as you are so immersed in your gaming, it leaves you an open target for thieves. A thief can simply walk past and take something out of your bag, and you may not notice until a good while later.

Fortunately, these actions will instantly be spotted by the surveillance team. Before you realise that you have been a target of theft, the security personnel may approach you and return any stolen goods. Though it is not likely to happen. Casinos take great caution when allowing people to enter the casino floor, and thieves are permanently banned from the premises.

Monitoring Employees

Casinos must also keep an eye on their staff. If a dealer has been working for 6 hours straight, they may start to slow down or make mistakes. The surveillance team must notice any errors they make and report them to the pit boss. The boss can then decide whether or not to pull the dealer off the floor to give them a break. But monitoring can also be used to ensure none of the dealers do any cheating themselves.

Collusion is not very common, but it can happen. This is when players and dealers join forces to try to beat the house. For example, a roulette dealer may deliberately try to manipulate the ball to fall in a specific sector. The player bets high on numbers in the sector, and starts to build a healthy bankroll. They then tip the dealers, so both parties benefit from the scam. This cannot really be done anymore, as the cameras can spot any irregularities and dodgy dealers will not only face the sack, but may be taken to court.

Locating Misbehaving Players

Some players find it difficult to call it quits, and begin misbehaving when things don’t go their way. These players can make ugly scenes or disrupt the games for others, and must be handled professionally. The teams behind the camera must spot potential misbehaving or aggressive players before the situations escalate. If handled properly, they can calm these players down or escort them off the premises without disturbing the other players.

The Technology and Equipment

Casinos do not use simple commercial cameras to monitor the floor. Their machines must have 360-degree coverage, with high-quality zooming and infrared capabilities. They are state of the art machines that have little to no blind spots and can provide a crisp picture even when zooming into minute details. The biggest casinos use cameras that can even spot beads of sweat on your head, or tiny folds in cards that indicate they need changing.

Surveillance Teams

The surveillance personnel must be highly trained in the games and gambling psychology. They must be fully versed in the different possible ways players may try to cheat the casino, and spot these quickly before the players can pull a runner. It is not always so straightforward to spot cheats, and if the surveillance team makes a mistake it can end in a countersuit that could be highly damaging to the casino’s reputation. Therefore, they must track players closely and carefully determine whether they are breaking the terms and conditions or not.

Also, spotting potential misbehaving players and flagging them up is not easy either. Some players may suddenly become violent or disruptive, without prior warning or sign. Surveillance teams cannot afford to make mistakes where disruptive players are concerned, as they can end up prompting others to leave the premises, causing a loss in revenue.

Integration of AI and Biometric Security

The cameras have smart AI systems that can help to detect fraud and provide more accurate facial recognition. They can also generate predictive analysis to give the staff more information as to how a patron is playing and what they may do next. This can effectively help them pick out players who may be cheating, or using illegal techniques to play. The biometric security helps casinos verify the identity of their guests. They can immediately spot any trespassers and flag them up in the system.

Radio Frequency Identification Chips (RFID)

Casino cameras can zoom in to such an extent that surveillance teams can read the serial number on paper money or the serial on a casino chip. But for the latter, they won’t really need to, as most top casinos have Radio Frequency Identification technology installed in the chips. This helps them track the chips and prevent any chip theft among players. Plus, if anyone tries to sell back counterfeit chips to the casino cashier, they will immediately be found out. In the past, selling counterfeit chips was one of the most common crimes casinos had to deal with.

The Legal Aspect of Casino Surveillance

We have talked about a lot of the rights and reasons for casinos to use surveillance. But not much about your rights as a player, who simply wants to go into a venue and play games. Each jurisdiction has its legislation regarding casino surveillance, but for the most part, casinos are allowed to monitor your activity. A lot of casinos do not require you to be a member to enter the premises. You can simply walk into the casino floor, and sit down to play any game you like.

However, casinos do have terms and conditions that explicitly state they can monitor anyone who walks onto the premises. Just by stepping into a casino, you automatically accept these conditions (even if you didn’t know about them beforehand). The conditions include:

• They can monitor you on cameras, and even record you via hidden microphones
• Casinos use facial recognition to identify you – mostly to determine whether you are underage or a self-excluded person
• The security staff reserve the right to remove you if they suspect cheating, misbehaviour, or fraud

Entering Casinos and Accepting the Conditions

No one will explain these conditions when you enter. Instead, most casinos have a notice at the entrance that displays all these conditions. Next time you pass by a casino, be sure to keep an eye out for the notice. Then, you can find out everything you need to know about their rights.

At the end of the day, the security conditions are mainly there to ensure your safety as a player. If you are not going to cheat, misbehave, damage the machines, or steal, then you have nothing to worry about. That is, nothing to worry about from either the casino security personnel or from any of your fellow gamers. The casino will provide you with a quality gaming experience, free of any disruption or security issues.