How do casinos keep track of the amount of chips in a dealer’s care at a table to make sure the dealer isn’t pocketing them or paying out too much?

Question

I used to think it was some kind of process like a cashier till where the dealer would pick up a tray with X amount of chips, and then have to turn it in where everything is counted and reconciled somehow.

But I saw in a movie (never been to a casino myself to gamble) where one dealer would just walk up and tag-out another dealer and take over their spot. It made me wonder how everything was accounted for.

What’s to keep a dealer from slipping an extra $500 chip every once in awhile to their buddies?

In: 125

Answer 1

I work as a table games floor supervisor at a casino. We regularly track the count in the tray (and on the table in front of players), along with buy-ins and player totals, in the computer, entering notes when somebody hits something big, changes their play strategy oddly, gets on a streak, etc.. Every floor is in charge of 4 tables/dealers, and we watch the games to make sure they’re being dealt correctly and paid properly. We require the dealers to get approval from us before sending out any payouts over a certain amount, or to provide change/color-ups. There are also cameras EVERYWHERE, and surveillance can catch things the floor misses.