## Deconstructing Casino Protection
The safety protocols employed by physical casinos are significantly more intricate than simply haphazardly positioned security cameras. This is particularly critical considering the spectrum of risks casinos encounter in the present day, ranging from active shooter incidents to credit card scams.
During the recent G2E assembly in Las Vegas, a group of casino security, observation, and regulatory experts, including Honoria Hebert (Director of Regulatory Adherence at L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles) and Derk Boss (Security and Observation Advisor), were asked to provide perspectives on the most urgent matters confronting the sector today. _Gaming Today_ was present and furnished the following summary of the dialogue, facilitated by Darrin Hoke.
**Regarding conformity, where do you observe observation being capable of assisting you and the other way around?**
**HH:** A current hot button in conformity is Title 31 and Unusual Activity Notices. Just a few years prior, Title 31 was solely documentation—observation desired no part in it. Nevertheless, that has entirely reversed—the documentation aspect is now merely the tip of the mass.
Upon a visitor’s arrival, should my records indicate three or four instances of questionable conduct within the preceding year, I initiate a dialogue with my security personnel. I inquire about their insights, seeking confirmation of my instincts and the nature of the potential activity. While their immediate involvement isn’t sought, as documenting unusual behavior falls under my purview, I furnish them with pattern analysis. In return, they provide me with valuable information and observational data, a collaboration that has yielded notable outcomes.”
“Data Repository: Our approach has evolved beyond mere conjecture. We now leverage gaming metrics, food and beverage consumption patterns, and scrutinize existing frameworks, extracting insights from compliance departments. This strategic shift away from arbitrary camera surveillance represents a positive development, empowering us to leverage compliance expertise in our endeavors.”
“What perspectives can you offer on the concept of ‘Client Familiarity’ and its implications? How might this principle shape the trajectory of safety and monitoring practices in the times ahead?”
“HH: It’s a curious phenomenon—the demand for comprehensive client knowledge seems to escalate with each passing month. Previously, such scrutiny was reserved for individuals subject to federal investigations or those featured in news reports. However, the prevailing expectation now dictates proactive awareness, anticipating and mitigating potential concerns before they reach critical mass.”
My appreciation for security and observation truly blossomed when I needed to delve into the background of questionable characters. Individuals openly displaying significant sums of money in the casino, for instance, would lead me to rely on the “all-seeing eyes” of security and observation. While I might examine records, study patterns, or even consult online resources, observation provided immediate insights into whether someone was a legitimate high-stakes gambler or possessed alternative motives for their wealth. Were they engaging in suspicious credit card use, exaggerating their wagers to inflate their perceived activity? Observation could unveil the company they kept. My understanding grew immensely through observation.”
“Regarding observation, our comprehensive knowledge of the players gave us a distinct advantage. Naturally, we conducted extensive background investigations into their identities and origins. I recall one young man, approximately 22 years old, who frequented the craps tables daily, placing substantial bets. His dilapidated vehicle raised questions about the source of his funds. Our inquiries revealed his employment at a carwash, suggesting either extraordinary tips or an alternative explanation. As it turned out, he was involved in illicit activities, likely drug-related. In the past, such funds would have simply appeared at the tables without raising eyebrows. Today, caution is paramount.”
Senior leadership, while they may prefer not to address it, we must compel them to confront this issue. Perhaps presenting them with visual documentation from recent firearm incidents would be impactful. We must effectively convey the urgency of this matter.” – This is Dirk Bos discussing the sensitive subject of active shooter incidents.
He raises a valid point. It’s an uncomfortable dialogue, yet one we cannot afford to disregard. We must ask ourselves: What level of preparedness do we *truly* possess for an active shooter event? What function does security serve? How can we effectively communicate with those in positions of authority and impress upon them the reality we face?
Dirk’s organization understands this all too well, having experienced it firsthand. He describes the ease with which these events can transpire, the perpetrators’ desire for recognition and notoriety. What better platform than one under constant surveillance, with countless cameras capturing every move? It’s a disturbing thought, but one that underscores the world we inhabit. This is not an isolated incident; it’s an ongoing menace.
Even more alarming is the lack of readiness. Dirk emphasizes that the majority of individuals are ill-equipped to handle such situations. How many of us have genuinely contemplated our course of action? Where would we seek refuge? Who would we contact? Have we engaged in any drills or simulations? Sadly, the answer for most is likely negative.
Dirk contends that security personnel must assume a leadership role. They possess the surveillance systems, the ability to monitor events in real time. They can serve as the eyes and ears for law enforcement, offering guidance and critical information. However, they cannot shoulder this burden alone. They require the backing of the entire organization, from the highest levels down.
This is not about instilling fear; it’s about ensuring preparedness. It’s about acknowledging a harsh reality and taking proactive measures to safeguard ourselves and those in our vicinity.
My opinion remains that onboarding new personnel with training on handling these types of scenarios is valuable. I received some resistance at first – there was concern about instilling fear in employees by prompting them to consider such events. However, the staff responded positively – they felt empowered having a plan of action.
Admittedly, it’s a challenging topic to bring to the attention of senior leadership, but it’s our responsibility to ensure they address it – to make them grasp its significance. Presenting the footage from the recent incident might be necessary. I understand it’s difficult, but they need to witness the reality.
While we may have contingency plans in place, I can attest that, often, no one reviews them until a crisis occurs.
All company systems must be equipped to process the integrated chips in payment cards by October 25th. What is your perspective on adhering to PCI regulations? How do you perceive the connection between observation and safety measures?
HH:
Achieving PCI compliance now necessitates meeting stricter requirements. A significant portion of our work involves conducting investigations into credit card fraud claims – this is where the integration of security and surveillance becomes paramount. I can request our surveillance team to retrieve archived recordings to potentially identify individuals who were using those credit cards.”
Our monitoring network enables efficient visual data collection on individuals, allowing us to estimate their potential hotel arrival times. For security protocols, should a person need to navigate a rotating entrance or complete identity confirmation, we can precisely rebuild the identifying details of those who accessed the hotel.
When addressing fraud mitigation, although we have divisions like regulatory compliance and internal review tasked with fraud detection, we are not sufficiently prioritizing the education of our front-facing personnel. They are deficient in adequate loss avoidance instruction, representing a critical lapse. We ought to explore outside educational courses to furnish them with crucial knowledge and proficiencies. Their ability to identify and disclose questionable actions will directly correlate with the quality of their training.
The present fraud environment is worrisome. We are observing a rise in varied and complex fraud instances, especially within the United States, which falls behind areas such as Europe in implementing more robust technologies like chip-and-PIN payment methods. To counter this, substantial companies are now assembling specialized fraud examination units, frequently comprising nine to ten individuals, each managing a substantial workload of 10 to 20 cases concurrently.”
I cant emphasize this enough: your income verification, internal regulations, and cashier teams must be informed whenever there’s a claim of credit card deception. It’s not always the case, and I’ve discovered that the difficult way. A patron might call and say, ‘My card was compromised, I wasn’t present,’ and it appears like a minor concern, perhaps a few hundred dollars. Accounting manages it, observation is unaware, protection is uninformed. The profile is never marked, and suddenly, an opportunity to address a larger issue is missed.
Let’s discuss anomalies and their relation to some significant instances.
**Leader:** Every gaming establishment conducts some degree of internal examination on these unusual dealings across various sections. The issue is, it’s frequently hidden within a massive amount of information. My CEO informed me last September he had over 15,000 income verification anomaly notices already that year! How do you even commence separating the valuable from the worthless?
Conversely, we’ve had swindle situations where those anomaly notices were absolute game-changers when we were attempting to construct a case against an individual and follow their overall pilfering. We had a gaming establishment supervisor who would fabricate slot machine breakdowns and then issue ‘disbursements’ to himself, filching between $40 and $200 each time.
She got irregularity flags almost daily, each bearing the same mark. However, is it fair to fault someone for sounding the alarm fifteen thousand times?
Our goal – which we’re improving at, particularly after some highly effective inquiries – is to sift through those irregularities for patterns. You should be querying your revenue protection, inspection, and regulatory teams about which personnel activate the most irregularities, and the precise nature of those irregularities. When you begin examining, you’ll uncover some surprising things – blatant instances of pilfering that were never even disclosed to security or legal authorities.
If you aren’t already getting breakdowns of your irregularity flags, insist on it. Then, if you do apprehend a staff member engaging in illicit activities, request from your regulatory team all of that person’s irregularity records, as it will aid in constructing your case. In certain situations, you can actually utilize irregularity flags to identify a specific monetary sum and escalate the accusations from a minor offense to a serious crime. The data is available – you simply need to ensure it reaches you.
DB:
They can be ingenious in their methods of stealing, they can be ingenious in their methods of concealment, but they cannot conceal the outcomes – the funds are missing. If something transpired, there’s a trail – that’s how you locate it. Your task now is to become an expert in that data. When you become truly detailed, you obtain that undeniable proof.
This piece was initially published in November 2015.