Casino Security
Ever since the modern day casino transformed from a house of cards, it has been on the leading edge of technological advances. Casinos are always changing there security protocol and policies in order to stay one step ahead of possible cheaters and counterfeiters. There are three main areas in which casinos are focusing their efforts in order to plug some of the holes in the gaming system. The development of new and more advanced gaming devices are the first area of focus. The second area is the video surveillance systems. Finally, the third being customer data tracking. While all three areas are important, I want to focus on the one area that we as customers interact with, the gaming devices.
When we talk about the advances in gaming devices it can mean everything from the poker chips, poker tables to slot machines, electronic games. The dealers of card games can be included in this category also. Let look at something as small as the poker chip. While it may not seem like there is much security to the chips, most of the time these can be jammed packed with security features. If you think about it, the poker chip is the main representation of real cash in a casino, so these are a huge focus of security. One security feature on the poker chip is a serial number or pigment, now you may not be able to visually see these on the chip, but they are there. Usually, the chip is passed through a machine with a special light or laser that can read the invisible serial or pigment. These machines also serve as inspectors. Every poker chip that passes through the machine is screened for irregularities, and if something abnormal is found the chip will be decommissioned. Also, some poker chips are imbedded with tiny electronic identification devices that can track and in some cases detect tampering. This technology is often reserved for the higher denomination poker chips, but it does exist. There is definitely a lot of thought and effort put into safeguarding the casino poker chip.
The poker table is something that you don’t think about when you think casino security. Much effort has been put into the construction of secure poker tables. Nowadays it isn’t uncommon to see a table with cameras directly installed to monitor the game play of each table. The video is sent back to the crows nest, where a team of security personnel monitors everything. Also, seating and seating positions are directly controlled and managed to prevent any chance of cheating. Even the layout of the poker tables is strategic. Most casinos place tables are back to back or in a circle. Which makes the rotation of dealers easier.
The playing cards themselves are also important to casino security. Casinos traditionally rotate different cards throughout the night. It is rare for one deck of cards to last much more than 3 hours of play. Also, games like blackjack use more than one deck and often times use an automatic shuffling machine to make sure a uniform shuffle is achieved.
These are just a few examples of the measures that a casino takes to prevent security issues. Advances in technology will lend to better practices in security, and it will always be needed as people will always try to find a way to cheat the system. That has been going on since the beginnings of gambling. So, in order for a casino to protect itself, it will always have to be on the offensive when it comes to security.