SPECIAL REPORT : SECURITY AND SURVEILLANCE
The Casino
Insider Threat Ninety-eight percent of your employees are assets to the business . Two percent are liabilities .
By Willy Allison
The sad truth is that some employees can ’ t be trusted . They are thieves . They steal money from the hand that feeds them , the same hand that feeds the rest of us . In the casino industry , it ’ s well known by seasoned surveillance veterans that the gaming floor is a candy store for employees with larceny in their heart .
Internal theft is a bit of a touchy subject among casino executives and public relations managers , and is often kept on the down-low for various reasons .
In my opinion , those reasons and the decrease in sharing the details of large casino scams , especially those involving employees , are the reason we have become more vulnerable to sophisticated organized criminal groups and bad actors . As an industry , we are heading into a security black hole . Our reluctance to share information works in the favor of criminals . They see our security by obscurity and keep-your-mouth-shut philosophy as a weakness that they can exploit ; that in turn puts a target on the rest of the industry .
If we are serious about keeping organized criminal activity out of the casino industry , we need to come together as a group and devise a strategy to fight collusion and newage technology threats . In particular , we have to address what all fraud experts are saying is an alarming global trend in fraud — the insider threat . Let ’ s start by examining why brick-and-mortar casinos are so vulnerable to internal fraud and insider threats . Why do I think the insider threat is on the increase ? What exactly is an insider threat ? What does the casino industry need to do to reduce the risk of insider threats ?
The Gaming Floor is a Candy Store
Casinos are unique places of business . They ’ re like huge money exchanges but with alcohol and a lot more excitement . They are colorful funhouses where humans and machines are played under the premise that they will both end the day with more cash than they started with .
Customers come with cash , the casino gives them an IOU in the form of plastic chips or paper tickets and they play games with “ funny money ” until
22 Global Gaming Business FEBRUARY 2024