Working in the casino industry, you know that crime is a major risk. After all, it impacts your bottom line, customer experience, and reputation. So, which crimes are more likely to keep you up at night? We’re looking at the three biggest casino crimes and the best tools to stop them.

 

Theft

Stealing something that belongs to another—especially money—is all too common in casinos when there’s so much cash floating about. And the challenge is that it comes in many forms—from pickpocketing to robbery to stealing vouchers—that impact your patrons and your bottom line. 

Imagine if a patron had their purse or wallet stolen. That’s probably one less customer you’ll have and a smudge on your reputation as well. And if your employees are ripping off the point of sale (POS) system? Look for a high number of no-sales, canceled transactions, and voided items—and a new employee while you’re at it. 

 

Solutions Against Theft

The best strategies to address theft-based casino crimes depend on the type of theft you’re dealing with. Technology can elevate your efforts regardless of whether you're dealing with a bad actor on the gaming floor or an unscrupulous employee at the cash register.

On the floor, facial recognition makes a difference. It lets you see real-time footage of those involved and compare their images to database information, so you can identify individuals and respond appropriately, protecting customers and your reputation.

At the POS, monitoring systems add layers of protection against POS theft. For one, advanced artificial intelligence (AI) integrates with major POS and video management systems to enhance theft detection at the cash register. However, you want actionable tools too. That’s why case management tools make it easy to share, comment on, and preserve video and POS evidence for further review.

 

Fraud

Some bad actors hate that “the house always wins.” Their solution? Tricks to gain an advantage over the house or their opponents. They lean on two key strategies to walk away with more than they’ve earned: 

  • Advantage play, including colluding with a dealer who provides information about the game, informing their betting strategy
  • Tampering with the intent to cheat, including using homemade tools to trick slot machines, working with employees or vendors, and even recognizing and abusing glitches in gaming machines to repeatedly play the same winning hand

Of course, don’t forget that fraud extends beyond in-game cheating. There’s a reason you always have to screen patrons who request lines of credit: ID fraud enables bad actors to use stolen IDs to open credit lines, racking up large debts before your venue or the victim finds out.

 

Solutions Against Fraud 

Want to combat casino crimes involving fraud? Luckily, you have options as bad actors interact with your venue.

Starting at the door, ID scanners ensure that patron IDs are legitimate so they don’t enter using false credentials. These high-speed forensic tools scan the front and back of cards to validate ID information, such as age, and also compare IDs to your existing database or enroll new faces. If something doesn’t seem right, suspicious individuals can be flagged or even turned away.

If patrons get inside, however, your strategy changes. List and tagged-based alerting lets you integrate facial recognition with data systems to identify trends, individual player activities, and suspicious playing patterns. Are players dwelling at slot machines or at table games or performing beyond expectation? Flag suspects when they access facial recognition touchpoints and notify your team to take action.

 

Quash Casino Crimes

Whether you're the biggest Vegas resort and casino or a niche tribal gaming venue, you need to be prepared to prevent and respond to casino crimes. Theft, fraud, and money laundering top the list and represent significant risks to your bottom line and reputation, but there’s an easy solution: eConnect.

We offer comprehensive casino security solution suites focused on facial recognition, LPR, compliance, and more to work separately—or even better, together—to enhance your operation. eConnect is unlike any other security and surveillance solution on the market, built specifically with casinos in mind and with more integrations than the competition. It’s no wonder our technology is deployed on more than 400 properties!

You don’t know WHO you’re missing. Request your demo today to peel back the curtain and stop more casino crimes with eConnect.

About the Author

The eConnect Team