Security at a Casino

A casino is a gambling establishment that offers a wide variety of games of chance. The modern casino is like an indoor amusement park for adults, with lighted fountains, musical shows and lavish hotels helping to draw in the crowds, but the vast majority of the entertainment (and profits for the owner) comes from games of chance. Slot machines, black jack, roulette, craps, keno and poker all contribute to the billions in profits raked in by casinos every year.

While a casino may seem like a place to just throw your money away, there are plenty of things going on behind the scenes to make sure that everything runs as it should. Security starts on the casino floor, where dealers keep an eye on their tables and the patrons to ensure that no one is cheating. They can spot blatant cheating by watching the way players place their chips and looking for any other irregularities. Table managers and pit bosses have a broader view of the action and can watch for betting patterns that suggest cheating.

Casinos have also dramatically increased their use of technology to monitor the games themselves. Chips with built-in microcircuitry allow casinos to oversee exactly how much is wagered minute by minute; electronic systems at roulette and dice tables detect any statistical deviations from expected results. In addition, sophisticated closed circuit television systems give casino security personnel a virtual “eye in the sky,” with cameras that can be focused to monitor particular suspicious patrons.