Security and Crime: Casino Origins

Security and crime go hand in hand when it comes to casinos. The amounts of money that go through a casino is huge and with this in mind, customers look of ways to cheat or beat the casino odds. Also with the large amounts of currency handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat and steal. They may do this in collusion or independently. Most casinos have security measures to prevent this. Security cameras located throughout the casino are the most basic measure.

Modern casino security is usually divided between a physical security force and a specialized surveillance department. The physical security force usually patrols the casino and responds to calls for assistance and reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity. A specialized surveillance department operates the casino’s closed circuit television system, known in the industry as the eye in the sky. Both of these specialized casino security departments work very closely with each other to ensure the safety of both guests as well as the casino’s assets. They have been quite successful in preventing crime. Some casinos also have catwalks in the ceiling above the casino floor, which allow surveillance personnel to look directly down. This is through one way glass and staff can monitor activities at the tables and slot machines.

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

In addition to cameras and other technological measures, casinos also enforce security through rules of conduct and behavior. For example, players at card games are required to keep the cards they are holding in their hands visible at all times.

Business Practices

Over the past few decades, casinos have developed many different marketing techniques for attracting and maintaining loyal patrons. Many casinos use a loyalty rewards program used to track players’ spending habits and target their patrons more effectively, by sending mailings with free slot play and other promotions. This helps with the security and crime in casinos, keeping patrons happy, they are less likely to cheat

Crime

One area of controversy surrounding casinos is their relationship to crime rates. 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 count the crimes committed by visitors, but do not count visitors in the population measure. 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. 

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas

In a 2004 report by the US Department of Justice, researchers interviewed people who had been arrested in Las Vegas and Des Moines and found that the percentage of problem or pathological gamblers among the arrestees was three to five times higher than in the general population According to some police reports, incidences of reported crime often double and triple in communities within three years of a casino opening.

Article courtesy of Wikipedia