Any gambling establishment’s activity is always accompanied by a large stream of visitors and high stakes that entail large cash flows. Part of the casino industry’s success and effective functioning depends on a properly constructed security system.
As a rule, casinos have several types of such security systems to cover different areas of the facility – it allows the administration to keep an eye on everything going on in and out. Thus, casinos can locate not only instances of cheating and suspicious activity among players but also detect any misconduct among workers, for example, employee theft.
Before you start playing, it is crucial to understand the process of both gaming and security procedures. This article will show you the reasons for the presence of security guards and their responsibilities, help you be aware of your own safety and focus on a gaming table. Keep reading to find more about casino security forces, techniques, and tools:
Risks
The risks in the casino are quite significant for both players and the gambling house itself. For the latter, those include:
- cheating and suspicious behaviour of individuals;
- fraudulent and illegal actions on the part of certain players;
- theft of property;
- vandalism;
- cheating, stealing, and other fraudulent activity on the part of the staff;
- violation of order and occurrence of conflicts.
All of the factors mentioned above could become a reason for significant losses for a casino that can negatively affect its reputation and financial state.
Security Systems
Casino security is an integral system, a set of measures created to ensure the safe functioning of land-based gambling facilities. The structure of casino security includes a list of particular divisions of different specializations:
- physical security of the entire casino territory;
- comprehensive security of gaming halls;
- personal security for VIP clients;
- technical tools for the protection of the facility, its entire territory, including parking lots;
- continuous video surveillance system for monitoring all game processes.
There are two main security sectors: physical security and specialized surveillance department. Each branch has several specific tasks aimed at ensuring the safe functioning of the casino.
Physical Security Force
The casino’s physical security is a comprehensive measure created to protect the gaming facility by ensuring full safety. This type of protection is one of the most common methods of protecting the casino’s integrity, material values, monetary assets, staff, and customers’ lives and health.
The main focus of the work of security officers is on the knowledge and control of the casino’s life circle, its operating procedures, as well as understanding all of the principles of operation and mechanisms of gaming processes.
There are several types of security staff, which are determined depending on the areas of their responsibility. Those may include:
- face control at the entrance;
- security of the individual gaming tables and gaming floor in general;
- specialized groups of security guards of rapid response in case of emergencies;
- operational surveillance security officers;
- security representatives responsible for the full support and control of cash flow in the casino and cash-in-transit
The selection of employees is usually conducted with high diligence, as their professionalism directly impacts the business’s functioning. Before they start working, security staff members get physical, legal, and psychological training and learn the processes that they are to follow in the case of emergency situations.
Video Surveillance System
A specialized video surveillance department’s work is to manage a closed video tracking system for everything that is going on in the gambling hall. Due to this department’s existence, authorized security officers will quickly determine any disciplinary violation among both visitors and casino staff. For this purpose, the casino’s internal premise, parking lots, and the entire facility’s perimeter are equipped with high-precision video cameras of the highest quality possible.
CCTV cameras installed around the gaming facilities help achieve absolute control of the situation almost anywhere, including individual gaming areas such as slot machines or gaming tables, cashier areas, and bars. The optimal location of security cameras on the premises allows the security department to get complete information, evaluate it, and quickly respond if the gaming floor’s situation requires it to do so.
Security cameras come in different models that vary in functions, characteristics, and price. For example, some cameras allow security staff to get a high-quality picture in almost complete darkness or, on the contrary, amid the intense light and high humidity conditions.
The most commonly used security cameras in casinos are the so-called “eye in the sky” pan-tilt-zoom cameras, fish eyes, and sometimes pinhole cameras. The latter are nearly impossible to notice – that makes them a useful tool for combating situations like employee theft and instances of cheating.
Most often, casinos use security camera systems that allow displaying an image from several cameras on one monitor (or more) – that provides the video surveillance department with an ability to observe different rooms simultaneously. Other security surveillance technologies include alarm system sensors, motion detectors, door frame metal detectors, and more.
Conclusion
The gaming industry is directly connected to various financial transactions. In order to avoid multiple fraudulent activities and guarantee complete security to customers as well as employees, each prestigious casino pays special attention to implementing a comprehensive security system.
There are many security solutions and surveillance systems that can be implemented to protect the casino’s workflow and its customers. In most cases, they are chosen according to their costs. Some prefer to invest in high-end technology and experienced employees. Others may stick to classic and time-proven methods or train workers during the onboarding process – both can be reliable solutions as long as they match the needs for casino security.
When you go to a casino, you want to entertain yourself and make sure your time and money are well spent. You definitely do not want to become a participant in some unexpected situations. For that reason, it is necessary to know you are protected. With this knowledge, you are now capable of choosing a casino that will not only appeal to your taste in games but will also provide you with safety during the whole time in there.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.