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?
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A lot of people pointing towards cameras “eye in the sky” but that’s a reactive system for them. The reality and #1 method is systematic chip counts. They do this when a table is opened, new chips are brought to the table, during dealer changes, on timed intervals, and when table shuts down. Dealers have to sign off on chip counts which also serves as check-points. It’s the pit-boss’s job to tally chips leaving the table. From casino POV, less concerned of players winning than making sure chip counts are accurate. Anomalies and out-of-ordinary then get audited from cameras/analysts to follow the money, establish timelines and resolve discrepancies.
A lot of people pointing towards cameras “eye in the sky” but that’s a reactive system for them. The reality and #1 method is systematic chip counts. They do this when a table is opened, new chips are brought to the table, during dealer changes, on timed intervals, and when table shuts down. Dealers have to sign off on chip counts which also serves as check-points. It’s the pit-boss’s job to tally chips leaving the table. From casino POV, less concerned of players winning than making sure chip counts are accurate. Anomalies and out-of-ordinary then get audited from cameras/analysts to follow the money, establish timelines and resolve discrepancies.
The biggest weapon against fraud from a casino employee is simply fear, fear of being watched, fear of other employees being moles, fear of being beaten up or worse your family friends being targeted because of your actions. Any employee who suddenly appears to have more expensive things than they should becomes a focus of attention. The whole idea that “gangsters” run casinos keeps that culture of fear high in employees minds.
The biggest weapon against fraud from a casino employee is simply fear, fear of being watched, fear of other employees being moles, fear of being beaten up or worse your family friends being targeted because of your actions. Any employee who suddenly appears to have more expensive things than they should becomes a focus of attention. The whole idea that “gangsters” run casinos keeps that culture of fear high in employees minds.
Everybody is being watched. The watchers are being watched. Records are kept as to who signs out chips, and who cashes them in. It isn’t foolproof, but it is heavily supervised and you probably couldn’t get away with stealing for very long, if at all. In the past few years, casinos have also started embedding RFID tags into higher value chips, which allows them to track the movement of the chips continuously. Any chip showing up somewhere unusual, and it sets off alarms.
Everybody is being watched. The watchers are being watched. Records are kept as to who signs out chips, and who cashes them in. It isn’t foolproof, but it is heavily supervised and you probably couldn’t get away with stealing for very long, if at all. In the past few years, casinos have also started embedding RFID tags into higher value chips, which allows them to track the movement of the chips continuously. Any chip showing up somewhere unusual, and it sets off alarms.
Good question, never thought about that but I assume the answer is there are so many cameras anyone transporting money is watched the whole way and/or being followed by other people
Good question, never thought about that but I assume the answer is there are so many cameras anyone transporting money is watched the whole way and/or being followed by other people
High denomination cheques are tracked fairly tightly so a dealer’s only opportunity to try to send out extra without being noticed easily would be when a high roller is at their table. But in that case, their supervisor will spend more time watching the game than normal, making it harder not to get caught. Realistically, a skilled and careful crooked dealer could steal small amounts of moment for some time, but in the long run it is more likely than not that they will be caught, due to the level of surveillance in a casino.
High denomination cheques are tracked fairly tightly so a dealer’s only opportunity to try to send out extra without being noticed easily would be when a high roller is at their table. But in that case, their supervisor will spend more time watching the game than normal, making it harder not to get caught. Realistically, a skilled and careful crooked dealer could steal small amounts of moment for some time, but in the long run it is more likely than not that they will be caught, due to the level of surveillance in a casino.
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