SPONSORED BY ALL GAMING ALL THE WORLD

EYES ON
THE PRIZE
The latest gaming resort security
and surveillance trends
CONTENTS
COVER STORY COLUMNS

4 Casinos Look Beyond Surveillance 36 The Growing and Changing Role

By Paul Doocey, Casino Journal of Casino Surveillance
By Derk Boss, DJ Boss Associates
SPONSOR CONTRIBUTIONS
39 Bolster your Casino Cyber Security
10 American Public University Systems By Chard Pinson, Stroz Friedberg &
15 Cognitec Jason Smolanoff, CISO Advisory & Investigations
18 iView Systems
42 Preparing Operators for Internal Fraud
& Theft with Surveillance
FEATURES
By Derk Boss, DJ Boss Associates
21 Applying Consistency to Complexity
in Resort Security
By Claire Meyer, Security Magazine

25 Eye on Information
By Paul Doocey, Casino Journal
29 Developing Low-Profile Surveillance
for High-Profile Security
By Claire Meyer, Security Magazine
32 Streamlining Guard Tours with Technology
By Claire Meyer, Security Magazine
4 25
Published by Casino Journal, October 2016. Copyright 2016, BNP Media. All Rights
Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner, except as
permitted by the U.S. Copyright Act, without the express written permission of the pub-
lisher. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented
in this book. However, BNP Media does not guarantee its accuracy. Any error brought to
the attention of the editor will be corrected in a future edition.

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FROM THE EDITOR

C
asino resorts are under constant threat from individuals looking to scam money off
unsuspecting players, employees and operators through cheating, robbery, identity
theft, false damages and a host of other nefarious means. Fortunately, there are cut-
ting-edge products and applications coming to the fore that can make the casino enterprise
more secure. There are also industry experts who are more than happy to share their insight
and knowledge on how to make gaming resorts safer. Articles involving the latest security and
surveillance product applications and best practice advice from experienced executives regu-
larly grace the pages of Casino Journal and Security Magazine, and have been gathered into this eBook
for easy reference and reading. Enjoy!

Paul Doocey
Editor
Casino Journal
dooceyp@bnpmedia.com

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 COVER STORY

CASINOS LOOK BEYOND SURVEILLANCE

Surveillance technology is only one of many products and practices casinos should
employ to better detect and prevent increasingly sophisticated gaming scams and cheats
BY PAUL DOOCEY, CASINO JOURNAL

D
arrin Hoke, vice president of operational protection
for LAuberge Casino Resort Lake Charles, agreed
with his surveillance staff that there was something
very odd about the way a Mississippi Stud poker player was
handling his cards.
The player in question was moving his hand under the table
as cards were dealt, and then pressing two right hand fingers
against these cards as he was looking at them. Finally, he was
betting in a way that did not make sense with the face cards he
was receiving, and he was winning steadily with this strategy.
To Hoke and the experienced surveillance team at
LAuberge, these actions pointed to someone who was likely
marking the value of individual playing cards on their backs
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with a light adhesive or colored ink in a pattern that only they
can detect, an illegal practice commonly referred to as daub-
ing. Unfortunately, this individual left the property before
they fully realized what he was doing, but from the surveil-
lance tape they were able to capture his image and send a
warning about him to area casinos.
Shortly thereafter, this same player showed up at the LAuberge
sister property in Baton Rouge, where he was once again playing
Mississippi Stud and exhibit the same card handling behavior.
This time the surveillance department had a chance to
switch their cameras to a UV setting that usually detects the
inks and substance used in daubing. The cameras revealed
nothing unusual.
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COVER STORY
Despite this setback, LAuberge felt it had enough evidence
to pull this player out of the game and confront him. They
searched him and found a cell phone, cash, chips and a con-
tact lens case. The player voluntarily gave his winnings back to
LAuberge and casino officials, lacking proof of cheating, de-
cided to let him go. The playing cards used in the game were
bagged for further inspection.
While examining the cards the next day, someone decided
to try viewing them through the infrared filter of a surveil-
lance camera. What they found were a plethora of daubing
marks. When they viewed the game felt under the same lens,
the sport occupied by the player was also covered with notice-
able smudges and fingerprints. The player had been marking
the cards with invisible luminous ink. The only mystery that
remained was how he was able to view these marks since the
ink he used was invisible to the naked eye.
The answer came when he eventually showed up to play
a Mississippi Stud game at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. By
this time, casinos throughout the U.S. were on alert for him,
and when facial recognition software spotted him playing a
card game at a Delaware casino, neighboring gaming facilities
were warned. A Mohegan Sun surveillance officer eventually
spotted him at a table game, cut to an infrared filter and taped
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him daubing the cards. During questioning, someone noticed
he was wearing contact lenses and eyeglasses. He admitted that
the lenses were infrared and allowed him to read the markings
he left on the cards.
Unfortunately these invisible inks and color matching
lenses are readily available online, so you can expect more such
scams in the future, said Hoke to a gathering of security pro-
fessionals at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) conference in Las
Vegas. The good news is there are tools like security cameras
already inside your operations that can help you detect this. A
lot of you already have IP systems; you should also have some
kind of mechanism that allows you to toggle back and forth
with cut filters. Then its just the simple process of scanning
table layouts in the various filters to see if there is a problem.
It is important to understand there are a lot of technolo-
gies and procedures out there that will have you looking at
casino security in a different way.
Indeed, few would argue that surveillance cameras remain
the front line of defense at most gaming properties, and are al-
ways instrumental in uncovering and protecting the enterprise
against cheats. But its becoming increasingly apparent that
more than just a cutting-edge camera system is needed to com-
bat increasingly sophisticated gaming scams and criminals. In
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COVER STORY

fact, camera surveillance is of limited value in one of the latest

gaming scams growing in popularity across the country.

CHIPPING AWAY
Officials at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City
realized there was a problem at their 2014 Winter Poker Open
when a mid-tournament chip inventory revealed something
strangethere was a lot more money in the game that there
should have been. A close examination of the chips revealed
some were counterfeit, evidently introduced into the tourna-
ment by one of the players. The event was immediately can-
celled and an investigation launched by the Borgata and the
New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
A week later at neighboring Harrahs Resort & Casino,
maintenance workers responding to a plumbing issue found
someone had tried to flush $2.7 million in Borgata chips down
a room toilet. The chips were counterfeit and it was quickly
ascertained that a player from the tournament had been stay-
ing in the room. In fact, the man was the day two chip leader
before busting out. It was later determined that he had intro-
duced more than $1 million in bad chips into the game.
Unfortunately for casino operators, counterfeit chip scams
are on the rise. Hanover, Md.-based Maryland Live! Casino was
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COVER STORY
actually hit twice in 2014. One scheme involved a couple that
had altered $1 chips from West Virginia casinos to look like
the black $100 chips used at Maryland Live!. They were able
to exchange the fake chips for real ones of lesser denomina-
tions at Maryland Live! tables, which they then cashed out at
the cashiers cage. The fakes were discovered and investigators
used surveillance footage to trace them back to the couple,
who were identified and arrested.
The second counterfeit chip case was far more alarming
and potentially problematical. It too involved $100 Maryland
Live! casino chips. However, instead of doctoring the chips
himself, this time the scammer went online and purchased
$150,000 counterfeit, look-alike chips for a reported $12,000.
Eventually, $4,000 of the chips were passed before the cheat
was discovered. Forensic surveillance once again uncovered
the people using the chips and a search of their home and
nearby property found $115,000 in counterfeit Maryland Live!
chips dumped and floating in a local lake.
It was never really all that hard to counterfeit table game
chips, Hoke said. Anyone with an arts and crafts back-
ground can probably do it. But now people can just go on-
line, search for offshore manufacturers who are willing to
make casino chips, give the specifications and style they are
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looking for, and get as many as they want sent to them. And
now we also have 3D printer technology to consider. I cant
imagine it would be all that tough to make a credible coun-
terfeit chip using a 3D printer.
Hoke believes the best way to prevent counterfeit chip
crime is to be proactive. To start, properties should purchase
chips with modern security features such as UV coding and
microprinting. He also proposes regular chip inventories, with
the understanding that whole denominations of chips be re-
placed once a certain percentage of counterfeits are detected.
Finally, he suggests table and cage staff be specially trained to
spot and recognize counterfeits.
The key to preventing [counterfeit chip crime] is to real-
ize where they are likely to be passed and have staff in those
areas trained to identify them, Hoke said.
SORTING OUT A PROBLEM
Training and following established procedures is also key
in preventing another growing table game concernplayers
who use card sorts to gain an advantage over the house and
fellow players on certain games.
Card or edge sorting involves players who are using a defect
in card design to gain an illegal edge, according to casinos. Ide-
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 COVER STORY
ally, playing cards should all have the same identical pattern on
the back. But sometimes during the production process, cards
are miss-cut and the pattern on the back of cards is slightly
different for different denominations. Some card players are
observant enough to notice these off patterns, and if the cards
are placed a certain way, can determine a range of denomina-
tions the card may be without seeing the face. This is especially
helpful in games such as baccarat, were a small range of single
cards (6, 7, 8, and 9) are more desirable than others.
However, in order for this advantage to work, at some time
during a game the player needs to convince the dealer to turn
cards in a certain way, whether they are winners or not, in or-
der to discern and interpret the faulty edge pattern. On paper,
this should make the crime easy to prevent.
Look at recent sort issues and they all have a common de-
nominatora high-limit player requests cards be exposed and
turned over in a very specific manner, Hoke said. And we
do it, despite the fact we have rules in place telling us not to,
because they are such a great customer. This is a mistake that
is made consistently because we cater to the high roller and
that high roller, at least in my estimation, can cause the most
damage to your operation. Think about what a high roller can
do if they are on a good streak, but then we also allow them to
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change some of the rules of the game and now lets see how
much damage can be done.
Besides adhering to rules, Hoke believes sorts scams can
be disarmed by better card security and inspection. Dealers
need to make sure its not an off-pattern deck before the game
begins. Operators should look into cards with fade designs that
avoid pushing patterns to the edge, and only do business with
playing card vendors that vouch for quality control during the
production process.
INTERFERENCE CALL
Flaws in equipment can lead to security vulnerabilities in
a whole host of table games. The same can be said for slot ma-
chines as well.
On paper, slot machines would appear to be a much more
secure device than table games, especially considering the me-
chanical and linked nature of the devices which would seem
to make any crime against them easy to detect and prevent.
But historically, this has not been the case. Monkey Paws and
Light Wands have been used to fool video slots in the past. And
now a new generation of slot cheat is looking take advantage
through the use of electronic communication devices that can
interfere with the function on the machine.
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COVER STORY
We have to realize that there are people out there who
spend their days looking for ways to get into the slot machine,
Hoke said. Im relatively confident that the machine program
is safe. It is the peripheral devices I have a worry withall
these other things that now go on a slot that we are not fa-
miliar with and that can create the environment needed for a
cheater to take advantage.
To underscore this point, the FBI recently uncovered and
indicted a team of Russian slot cheats who hit 10 casinos in
Missouri California and Illinois. The group targeted a specific
type and model of machine and, by allegedly communicating
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with the machine using a communication device linked to a
foreign server, allowed the defendants to predict the behavior
of thegames and obtain winnings from the games that far
exceeded what would be expected from fair play.
What worries Hoke is that these slot scammers have
been coming to the U.S. since 2012 and have only been dis-
covered now.
It underscores an important thing, Hoke added. We
dont know enough about slots from a surveillance and game
protection perspective that can prevent some of these newer
threats from happening. And that is scary.
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 SPONSOR CONTRIBUTION
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE:
ITS MORE COMMON THAN YOU THINK
Addressing the growing threat of workplace violence
W
orkplace violence incidents have tripled in the
last decade, and its now the fastest-growing cat-
egory of murder in the U.S. Its also the second
leading cause of death for women in the workplace (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 2016).
In fact, the rates of murder and other violent incidents have
intensified to the point that the U.S. Department of Justice
declared the workplace as one of the most dangerous places
to be. Its an escalating concern for employees and employers
nationwide, with many cases going unreported. According to
OSHA, 2 million workers in America are victims of workplace
violence each year.
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ACTIVE SHOOTER INCIDENTS RISING
An active shooter represents one of the worst examples
of workplace violence. The years 2013 to 2015 saw the worst
rate of deaths due to active shooters in a two-year span. From
2000 to 2015, over 1,000 active shooter casualties occurred
in the workplace.
According to an analysis by CNN, the U.S. accounted for 31
percent of all public mass shootings between 1966 and 2012
in the world, despite the U.S. only having five percent of the
worlds population.
Active shooter incidents have tripled in the last eight
years, with an event occurring in the U.S. once every three
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SPONSOR CONTRIBUTION
weeks. Alarmingly, you are 18 times more likely to encoun-
ter workplace violence and an active shooter situation than
a fire.
WHAT ARE THE FINANCIAL AND
INSURANCE RAMIFICATIONS OF
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE?
No amount of training, security guards, and warnings can
totally eliminate the chance of an active shooter launching an
attack. No employers are 100 percent immune from this phe-
nomenon, nor can they totally prevent it and the financial
costs are staggering. Workplace violence researchers assess that
the cost to American business ranges from $6 billion to $36
billion each year (FBI, 2011).
According to the Workplace Violence Research Institute,
neglectful hiring and negligent employee retention out-of-
court disbursements due to workplace violence lawsuits aver-
aged more than $500,000. Jury rulings in these cases averaged
$3 million (2012).
Workers compensation policies usually omit coverage for
acts of lethal force or the threat of lethal force. You need sepa-
rate coverage to shelter you against the aftermath of work-
place violence.
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One option is active shooter insurance. This coverage is
provides additional financial security for businesses.
While each policy is different, they may reimburse busi-
ness income expenses, security consultants, medical services,
rehabilitation costs, independent security guards, employee
counseling, public image management, and wages for victim
employees and replacement employees. They may also impart
death benefits to families or other beneficiaries of employees.
WHAT SHOULD COMPANIES
DO TO BE BETTER PREPARED
FOR WORKPLACE VIOLENCE?
Despite the escalating numbers associated to violence in
the workplace (according to a report issued by the National
Institute for the Prevention of Workplace Violence), the aver-
age spend on workplace violence prevention by organizations
is $4.50 per employee annually. There is opportunity for im-
provement with regard to workplace violence training, prepa-
ration, and prevention.
Employers can adopt these effective steps to lessen the risk
of violence in their work environment and safeguard the lives
of their staff:
Identify workplace risk and vulnerability factors. Organi-
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SPONSOR CONTRIBUTION
zations should perform a realistic and comprehensive risk as-
sessment to identify the security vulnerabilities of the business
and facilities to an active shooter event.
Use security controls. These safeguards may include
coded card keys and employee photo ID badges for access
to secure areas; camera surveillance systems, on-site guard
services; and other appropriate security measures such as
metal detectors.
Foster a culture of respect and trust amongst work-
ers and between employees and management. Companies
must eradicate a bad culture of bullying or harassment by
creating a zero-tolerance workplace violence policy. The
policy should be plainly worded and specify how the em-
ployer classifies workplace violence, the conduct the policy
prohibits, methods for reporting violations, and how these
reports will be investigated.
Develop a workplace violence prevention program. This
program can stand alone or it can be integrated into your in-
jury and illness prevention program. Regardless, its essential
that all employees (to include managers and supervisors) be
familiar with the company policy and program.
Provide regular workplace violence prevention training.
Simply put, its every employers duty of care to protect and
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safeguard their employees by training them to respond ap-
propriately to active shooters. Seventy percent of active shooter
incidents occur in businesses versus campuses. Training con-
ducted before such an incident actually occurs will help to bol-
ster prevention protocols at your workplace.
Regular performance of active shooter drills. Drills should
be established and conducted in such a way so as not to fright-
en or alarm employees. They should have an education focus
and be designed to aid employees in retaining information that
may save lives.
PREPAREDNESS RESOURCES
Department of Homeland Security Pocket Card:
Active Shooter Response Pocket Card
Department of Homeland Security Booklet:
Active Shooter Response Booklet
Department of Homeland Security Poster:
Active Shooter Response Poster
Active Shooter Preparedness Website
American Public University System
Active Shooter ACTION Online Training Course in
Multi-Hazard Crisis Safety, developed in exclusive coop-
eration with the FBINAA
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 SPONSOR CONTRIBUTION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: BIBLIOGRAPHY

DeAnn Wandler is responsible for American Public University Corporate Liability: Sharing The Blame for Workplace Vio-
Systems Center for Applied Learning (CAL) within the government
contracting, finance, and insurance industries.She is also the lence. Corporate Liability: Sharing The Blame for Work-
product manager for CALs Active Shooter ACTION Online place Violence. Workplace Violence Research Institute,
Training Course in Multi-Hazard Crisis Safety, which was developed 2012. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
in exclusive cooperation with the FBINAA.
Hart, Jay. Saving Lives with a Test: Active Shooter Response
Prior to joining APUS, DeAnn served as vice president of
admissions operations, overseeing the strategic direction Training for Employees. Security. BNP Media, June 2016.
and management of 24 career-college campuses throughout Web. 28 Aug. 2016.
the United States.She has more than 15 years of increasingly
Romano, Stephen J., M.A., Micl E. Levi-Minzi, M.A., M.S.,
responsible and successful experience in all areas of higher
education, including vice president of eduction outreach, Eugene A. Rugala, and Vincent B. Van Hasselt, Ph.D.
vice president of enrollment and director of admissions. Her Workplace Violence Prevention. FBI. Law Enforcement
background includes positions at University of Phoenix, Grantham
Bulletin, Jan. 2011. Web. 9 Aug. 2016.
University, and Vatterott Educational Centers.
DeAnn currently serves on the National Contract Management Table 3. Fatal Occupational Injuries by Occupation and
Association (NCMA) Board of Advisors. She has served as vice Selected Event or Exposure, 2014. U.S. Bureau of Labor
president of educational standards on the Greater Kansas City Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 July 2016. Web.
Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and sat on the Board
of Directors for the Kansas City Executive Women International 22 Aug. 2016.
(EWI). DeAnn Wandler can be reached via T 571-358-3109 | E WorkplaceViolence911. National Institute for the Prevention
dwandler@apus.edu. of Workplace Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2016.
The American Public University System (APUS) Center for
Applied Learning (CAL) provides a wide range of online training
and educational solutions to help public and private organizations
attain their workforce development and performance goals. To
learn more, visit: www.apus.edu/CAL

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 SPONSOR CONTRIBUTION
COGNITECS FACE RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY
SUPPORTS SEARCHES IN VIDEO FOOTAGE AND
REAL-TIME SURVEILLANCE
T
he video screening and analytics technology from
Cognitec, FaceVACS-VideoScan, now allows users to
perform complex searches and analyses on persons
appearing in real-time camera streams and video footage.
The latest product release introduced a user-friendly inter-
face to quickly import sets of recorded video and then carry
out detailed investigations. For example, security and law en-
forcement agents can upload the video files of a specific loca-
tion at a specific time to find possible participants in or wit-
nesses to a crime.
Users can find a person that was previously enrolled in an
image database or search for an unknown person and find their
appearances in multiple videos. Person searches can also make
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use of filters that specify age ranges, gender and ethnicity.
For real-time surveillance applications, FaceVACS-Vid-
eoScan applies Cognitecs premier face recognition technology
to compare faces to image databases and instantly find known
individuals. Casinos can detect and prevent unwanted behavior
in much faster and more efficient ways, as operators can track
individuals in real time, or receive alerts on mobile devices to
act within the immediate vicinity of a suspect.
On the other hand, the software can identify high rollers,
members or authorized individuals in real time. Positive au-
thentication can alert personnel to provide special treatment or
allow access to restricted areas.
FaceVACS-VideoScan also employs leading-edge face recog-
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 SPONSOR CONTRIBUTION
nition technology to analyze the count, flow, demographics
and behavior of people visible in video streams. Surpassing
traditional video surveillance systems, the technology detects
and extracts peoples faces in live video streams or video foot-
age and uses anonymous facial analysis to count individuals,
generate demographical information, track people movement
in time and space, detect frequent visitors and crowds, and
much more.
For example, operators can receive an alarm if too many
people gather in a specific area and measure waiting times to
direct traffic. The analysis of traffic patterns and demographi-
cal statistics can provide businesses with precise visitor data to
make interior design, advertising placement, staffing and other
operational decisions.
Since the technology can analyze a face for gender, age and
ethnicity as people approach a camera, it can trigger the dis-
play of a targeted message on a digital sign or other advertis-
ing/message devices.
Last year, Cognitec introduced a highly specialized IP video
camera with built-in face detection and tracking technology
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as a component of its FaceVACS-VideoScan product, therefore
eliminating the need to identify and source suitable cameras.
The FaceVACS-VideoScan C5 camera provides optimal image
quality for real-time face recognition, even under challeng-
ing conditions, while requiring low computing hardware and
bandwidth resources.
Cognitec will demonstrate the product once again at the
World Game Protection Conference in Las Vegas on February
21-23, 2017.
Cognitec develops market-leading face recognition technol-
ogy and applications for industry customers and government
agencies around the world. In various independent evaluation
tests, our FaceVACS software has proven to be the premier
technology available on the market. Cognitecs portfolio in-
cludes products for facial database search, video screening and
analytics, border control, ICAO compliant photo capturing and
facial image quality assessment.
MORE INFORMATION AND CONTACT:
www.cognitec.com | info@cognitec.com
Phone: +1-781-616-0600
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 SPONSOR CONTRIBUTION
THE ITRAK PLATFORM STREAMLINES
REPORTING & RISK MANAGEMENT
FOR CASINO RESORTS
S
ecurity, surveillance and responsible gaming opera-
tionsrely on timelyand accurate information, and
high technology gaming environments are faced with
handling and processing vast amounts of both real-time and
recorded video information from hundreds of cameras.
iView Systems security management reporting solu-
tion optimizes the way you report and manage incidents by
strengthening security measures by mitigating risk and li-
ability through analysis and reporting of evidence, activities
or events; providing a complete audit trail for accountability,
compliance & enforcement.
The iTrak incident reporting and risk management soft-
ware platform provides a snap-shot of real-time incident and
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subject information, which expedites and improves the inci-
dent reporting and notification process, with the ability to in-
stantaneously share incident and exclusion information within
the network of properties by easily identifying and tracking
persons of interest.
By combining a casinos existing auditing, incident report-
ing, investigation workload, and the task of identifying self-
excluded patrons and other undesirables becomes highly de-
manding.
iViews experience with gaming operations provides logi-
cal, proactive security layers which include:
Security Reporting
Surveillance Reporting
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SPONSOR CONTRIBUTION

Case Management Suspicious Transaction Reporting

ID Recognition Patron Trespass Management
Player Risk Analysis and Identification Patron/Activity Monitoring, Alerting
Personnel Management & Dispatch and Custom Notification
Business Intelligence System Interfacing
Mobile Guard Patrol
Detailed Investigations To streamline everyday tasks quickly and satisfy reporting
Facial Recognition requirements with an easy to use interface and intelligent busi-
License Plate Recognition ness logic to simplify the end user experience, contact iView
Responsible Gaming & Reporting Systems or visit www.iviewsystems.com.
Compliance Reporting (AML, etc.)

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 FEATURE
APPLYING CONSISTENCY TO
COMPLEXITY IN RESORT SECURITY
For MGM Resorts, having renowned gaming properties throughout the U.S.
and the world means having to broaden its risk awareness
BY CLAIRE MEYER, SECURITY MAGAZINE
T
he Las Vegas Strip, despite being just 4.2 miles in
length, is a massive economic center for the state of
Nevada, and a tourism mecca, drawing more than 40
million visitors each year. This also paints it as a target for
crime anything from petty theft to more nefarious plots.
In July 2007, the Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Cen-
ter was formed. This 24/7 fusion center a public-private
partnership between local, state and federal law enforcement
as well as local stakeholders in the area, including casinos and
resorts strives to keep residents, tourists, businesses and in-
frastructure safe. The fusion center collects data and analyzes
crime trends, and it also acts as a base of operations for resorts
and law enforcement to collaborate and share information on
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day-to-day matter and during large-scale events, such as city-
wide celebrations on New Years Eve.
However, this partnership cannot be expected to serve
each resorts unique needs fully, and resorts cannot rely on
the public-private partnership alone to gather actionable intel-
ligence which is where MGM Resorts Intel Ops Center and
new Corporate Watch Center come into play.
According to MGM Resorts Executive Director of Corpo-
rate Security, Tom Lozich, each resort is practically a minia-
ture city, with many complex events and operations being
simultaneously managed. On the Las Vegas Strip alone, MGM
Resorts has 10 major resorts, including MGM Grand, Bellagio
and ARIA. The enterprise also has properties outside of Ne-
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 FEATURE
vada, including properties in Detroit, Mississippi and Macau,
China. New resorts are currently being built in Maryland,
Massachusetts and Macau.
In years past, the main source of revenue for these proper-
ties had been casino-based profits, and the business was cen-
tered around the casino accordingly. However, Lozich says, in
order to remain competitive in a growing market, enterprises
MGM Grand is one of 10 MGM Resort properties on the Las Vegas
Strip, all of which coordinate security through the companys Intel
Ops and Corporate Watch centers.
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moved toward being entertainment spaces, not just gambling
businesses. An MGM Resort is a hospitality company, an en-
tertainment company, a convention center, a shopping and
dining destination and a casino, all rolled into one complex
enterprise. On any given day, the resorts security teams may
be managing security for a convention, a UFC prizefight, a
high-profile concert, 10 casinos, hotels and the protection of
thousands of guests. Because of this complexity, consistency
was absolutely imperative.
The Corporate Watch Center now operating 24/7 is
functioning as an in-house fusion center. Because each MGM
property is so different, both in clientele and operations, the
Watch Center is a single-stop service station for resort person-
nel (security or otherwise) to report suspicious activity, gain
insight into trends and connect with corporate resources. Law
enforcement also knows that they can reach out to the Watch
Center for information instead of having to chase down the
appropriate security contact at each resort.
A dedicated staff of investigators at the Watch Center mon-
itors the properties and even street views around MGM prop-
erties, and they gather suspicious activity reporting through
the robust See Something, Say Something initiative in Las
Vegas. They vet that information with the fusion center and
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follow up with law enforcement or security personnel for
incident resolution.
While the Watch Centers establishment was strongly sup-
ported by security-minded executives, Lozich said that MGM
Resorts security is based around top-down support and bot-
tom-up sustainability.
Our See Something, Say Something messaging is still non-
stop for our employees, he adds. At the line level, those are
the employees who can make or break anything that happens.
Maintaining an open channel of communication for employees
and visitors to report suspicious incidents or other events up
through security and into the Watch Center is vital to the resorts
intelligence gathering efforts and mindful leadership.
The Watch Centers goal is to support and assist proper-
ties vice presidents and directors of security, and we have a
de-centralized approach, Lozich said. Our security vice pres-
idents report directly to the property presidents. The property
presidents are like the captains of a ship, and security is a big
factor for them. Were here to assist them in gathering data,
long-term reports and critical analysis, and being that link be-
tween the fusion center and our properties.
Were also a one-stop-shop for public safety and law en-
forcement, when they have enquiries. The information turn-
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around time is much shorter when you have one answer point
instead of trying to reach out to all of our 10 properties when
trying to gather information.
Knowledge is power. Information is power, adds Lozich.
From this information, the fusion center can then share
threat intelligence or reports of suspicious activity to other re-
sorts and stakeholders in the Las Vegas area.
In one regard, we look at the others on the Strip as com-
petitors, but from our standpoint, from the security stand-
point, theyre partners. We want to look at how we can gather
information, analyze information, for any risks or threats and
to disseminate that information not only up to the fusion cen-
ter but out to our other resort partners. We do know that pre-
vention is job number one, Lozich said, but if a response is
needed, having as much detailed, collected information as pos-
sible enables a faster, more effective reaction.
In addition to local threats, the Watch Center is on alert for
any activity around the world that could potentially impact an
MGM Resorts property.
Were a global company, and we have to be mindful of the
security risks in the world that could impact not only our ability
to function but (our ability) to protect our guests. The Watch
Center enables us to maintain visibility in those areas and try to
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look at some of those threats or crises that are occurring. They
may seem innocuous or may not be of concern now, but were
looking ahead to see if they could be of concern later.
This plays out in the security awareness operations on
New Years Eve, Lozich said. For that holiday, MGM Resorts
activates a separate Intel Ops Center that is dedicated to the
Strip itself. It takes the white noise of all of the data that
flows in (surveillance, reports from employees or law en-
forcement, crowd management) and determines what is ac-
tionable, suspicious or deliverable, and pushes that intelli-
gence out to the resorts. For example, if a show isnt opening
its doors on time, there may be a crowd management prob-
lem outside, and the theater and security personnel would
be notified so they could monitor the situation more closely
and find solutions. Local, state and federal law enforcement
partners are embedded in the Intel Ops center for the eve-
ning, as are representatives from each property and resort
partners on the Strip.
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At the Corporate Watch Center, investigators and law en-
forcement are taking a more global approach, tracking New
Years Eve events throughout the world. As the ball drops in
New York City, for example, what incidents are happening that
could impact Las Vegas? Would inclement weather in South
Asia impact what could happen in the Macau resorts festivities?
Generally, how could outside events impact MGM properties?
The casino, entertainment, event and hospitality industries
have a unique intersection in resorts, and each resort is unique
in and of itself. Having this centralized reporting and analysis
center, however, forms a unifying link and resource for MGM
Resorts ongoing security efforts.
(The Watch Center) applies consistency, said Lozich.
What we try to do from a company standpoint is apply consis-
tent standards to all of our properties. We have to. That becomes
even more critical with the complexity of our resorts Our job
is to support and assist security officers and management at each
location, and we do that every day.
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EYE ON INFORMATION
Advances in imaging technology and systems interoperability are
transforming the functionality and use of casino surveillance cameras
BY PAUL DOOCEY, CASINO JOURNAL
S
urveillance systems within casinos are designed, in
part, to deter cheating, theft and other crimes from
taking place on the gaming floor and throughout the
entire casino resort. But to accomplish this goal, security prod-
uct and system designers, engineers and producers have had
to borrow technological advancements in surveillance from
other industries and adapt them for casino use.
As surveillance technology evolves in other industries
such as broadcasting, computing and retail, we take advantage
of those improvements and apply them to the casino space,
said Robert Prady, CPP, PSP, CHS, field sales engineer for Axis
Communications and member of the ASIS Gaming and Wager-
ing Council. Surveillance technology has grown by leaps and
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bounds over the past decade. IT people now come to security
sessions, which shows you how far the marriage between se-
curity and technology has come over the past 10 years. For
years, convergence was the buzzword you always heard. Well,
now we are converged at least when it comes to IT; computer
technology is firmly entrenched in our industry.
Pradys observations were part of a session he gave at
2015 Global Gaming Expo that explored emerging trends
in casino surveillance. During that discussion, he described
two emerging technology trends that are having and will
have an important impact on casino surveillance products,
systems and strategiesthe Internet of Things (IoT) and Big
Data analytics.
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As defined by Wikipedia, IoT is the network of physical

objects, devices, vehicles, buildings and other items which are
embedded with electronics, software, sensors and network con-
nectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange
data. From a surveillance perspective, IoT entails the placement
of Internet and network connectivity into cameras and record-
ing/storage systems. In the past, a surveillance camera was
simply a camera, Prady said. It linked to the VCR or DVD and
performed a simple recording function. Now these cameras
are being linked to each other and to other devices and systems
throughout the casino. This connectivity makes the cameras
and recording systems more intelligent, and that opens up a lot Technology is now available that allows surveillance cameras to
better recognize and identify visitor faces.
more possibilities for us.
Indeed, thanks to IoT, Prady envisions a future where, po- As surveillance product developers and users contemplate an
tentially, some surveillance personnel and investigators can IoT future, they also have to grapple with another potentially dis-
work from home and still provide quality protection. This ruptive technology: Big Data, which is a broad term for data sets
technology also clears the way for creation of centralized sur- so large or complex that traditional data processing applications
veillance offices that can handle the surveillance needs of are inadequate, according to Wikipedia. Challenges with Big Data
multiple casinos wherever they are located in the U.S. You include analysis, capture, data curation, search, sharing, storage,
can also have one casino perform surveillance on a number transfer, visualization, querying and information privacy.
of other casinos, Prady said. You can centralize your sur- Prady describes the current combination of surveillance
veillance operations in one location and can monitor several and Big Data as an information firehose, in which a lot of
other locations. data can be collected and disseminated, but very little of it is
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 FEATURE
instantly usable. However as Big Data evolves and its link to IoT
becomes stronger, he sees it playing a transformative role in
how security and surveillance systems are viewed throughout
the entire casino resort enterprise.
You hear the term necessary evil a lot when it comes to
surveillance systems, Prady said. As Big Data and IoT tech-
nology expands, I believe surveillance systems will start to be
viewed as an asset instead of just a cost center. Surveillance will
become an information collecting asset that can mine data and
share the results with marketing, management and other de-
partments within the gaming resort. Everyone will benefit as
security and customer service improves and loss goes down.
PICTURE THIS
Of course, this Big Data and IoT transformation of security
departments could not take place without the ongoing techno-
logical improvements to the central components of all surveil-
lance systemsthe cameras. Simply stated, surveillance cameras
are now intelligent, thanks in large part to the integration of
computer technology into the devices. Todays IP camera is es-
sentially a computer that is set in the ceiling, Prady said. Not
only can it process information and transmit it throughout the
network, it can also accept programs and run advanced analyt-
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ics. It used to be that all the analytics of surveillance information
has to take place in the server; now, with the right program, it
can take place on the edge in the camera itself.
The modern surveillance camera can indeed perform a lot
of functions that would have been considered miraculous just
a few years ago. These include:
Wide dynamic range technologyMany surveillance cam-
eras now contain wide dynamic range capabilities that greatly
improve picture images. These cameras can take over- or under-
exposed images, compress them, map them at the frame or pixel
level and create a new picture that is sharper and easier to view.
Auto-tracking PTZBy incorporating auto-tracking pan,
tilt and zoom (PTZ) in camera, surveillance staffs now have the
ability to follow a single patron throughout the property. The
technology is also being adapted to better monitor game play,
with programs that let the camera actually track and count
table game play by recognizing the pips on cards.
Freedom of placementIt used to be that internal surveil-
lance cameras could only be placed in ceilings or on walls. But
thanks to divided camera technology pioneered by the ATM
industry, smaller sensors linked to nearby camera units allow
for the placement of very small cameras in a variety of places,
such as the alligator rail on a table game or security bar within
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a casino cage. This allows us to take the cameras out of the
ceiling and place them just about anywhere, Prady said.
Heat mappingA program that can be installed in newer
surveillance cameras creates a heat map of the entire casino
that can be used to determine usage and traffic patterns. This
information can be shared with other casino departments to
determine which areas of the casino are most popular during
a certain time period, which can help with employee staffing
and marketing campaigns. Heat mapping is really helpful to
casino management and marketing departments, Prady said.
It provides a myriad of information that can be used to im-
prove operations.
License plate recognitionSome outdoor surveillance
cameras can now read and record the license plates of arriving
and departing cars. From a property protection standpoint, this
ensures the right car is returned to the right person if the valet is
used and the condition of the car when it arrived in case there is
a complaint about damage. License plate reading technology can
also be used as a marketing toolwhen the license plate of an
important customer is read, a notice can go through to the ca-
sino host and property front desk alerting them of their arrival.
People CountingSurveillance cameras can now be
programmed with an app that allows them to count the
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number of people entering the facility, as well as track
when they came in and the general direction of traffic. This
information can be put into a database to determine visita-
tion against time of day and other information that can help
marketing departments.
Facial recognitionTechnology is now available that allows
surveillance cameras to better recognize and identify visitor fac-
es. This is obviously helpful from a protection standpointif
the camera recognizes someone that is on a black list, security
personal can be notified and the person tracked. The system can
also be programmed to notice someone on a white list, im-
portant customers that warrant contact from a casino host.
Wearable surveillancePolice departments across the
country are equipping officers with wearable surveillance
cameras to help combat claims of brutality and other improper
conduct. Chances are these devices will migrate toward casino
security personnel for similar reasons. Indeed, there is already
technology in place that allows casino personnel to use the
camera function on a smart phone to record interactions with
casino guests to the propertys security system.
Wearable cameras are just one of many surveillance tech-
nologies that are evolving and will likely play a greater role in
casino operations going forward, Prady said.
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DEVELOPING LOW-PROFILE SURVEILLANCE
FOR HIGH-PROFILE SECURITY
In the continually moving environment of a casino, adding covert
surveillance tools proves an unobtrusive way to get unobstructed images
BY CLAIRE MEYER, SECURITY MAGAZINE
I
ts not Spy vs. Spy; its good security.
Despite the installation on numerous ceiling-mounted
surveillance cameras, important details can still be missed.
If a person is wearing a ball cap, or looking down at his phone,
ceiling-height cameras might be unable to provide the positive
identification needed for investigations.
According to John Underwood, manager of surveillance
technology for Cherokee Nation Entertainment, which in-
cludes the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Okla., among
their 10 casino properties, the goal is to get the right surveil-
lance coverage without disturbing visitors experience. In this,
he turned to more covert surveillance tools.
For a long time, this was taboo with operational man-
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agement in the environment were in casino and gaming.
Cameras can be seen as a necessary evil those black domes
hanging on the ceiling and you start talking about bringing
cameras down to eye level, you start having issues about get-
ting the most cooperation, and thats understandable, Under-
wood said. Were trying to make sure we do this in the most
seemly fashion, not being a distraction, hanging black dome
cameras on the wall to look like a black eye on the design of
the building. We wanted to do this in a way that wont disturb
anyone or take away from the experience being marketed, but
we can do our due diligence in gathering all the information
possible, whether thats for data mining with analytics or for
video investigations internal loss prevention or law enforce-
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ment Im able to deploy more tools to be more effective. in the casino, so he prefers ATM cameras activated on
There are three main areas of focus for covert surveillance movement, so they provide another eye-level point of
installations around the casino, Underwood said. view for situational awareness, not limited to footage
DOORFRAMES/ENTRY POINTS: Adding eye-level during the time of the transaction.
surveillance at these choke points for incoming and Underwood also adds more discreet surveillance tools in
exiting traffic enable security less-trafficked areas such as stair-
personnel to maintain more wells. There is an expectation of
accurate awareness of who surveillance in elevators, he says, so
is entering the establishment potential bad actors duck into stair-
and when. wells or other lesser used areas for
CASHIER STATIONS: Pin- illicit acts.
hole cameras or other discreet Yes, by having overt surveil-
tools at these locations enable lance in busy areas, you will deter
security personnel to verify (bad actors) to a point, but if you
identities to help either pre- Tulsa, Okla.-based Hard Rock Hotel and Casino uses
have something covert in (lesser-
vent or investigate ID, tax, or convert products to augment its surveillance coverage with used) places, you may actually cap-
check fraud, as well as to get the goal of making resort guests safer and more secure. ture the incident rather than having
Photo courtesy of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
a better image of the visitors to assume that something may have
face as he or she interacts with the cashier. just happened, because youre being a bit more discreet.
ATMs: While ATMs often have covert cameras installed, Underwood was inspired by an analytics program at the
many are only activated during a transaction, both for Dallas Cowboys Stadium, which utilizes video analytics to deter-
efficient searching and to save on storage. However, for mine which advertisements are most effective and eye-catching
Underwood, many ATMs are near heavy-traffic areas to visitors, to find items around the casino that would draw the
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 FEATURE
eye and install surveillance there. He works with the market-
ing department for the casino to get fixtures or signage to add a
discreet, covert camera so that when visitors look at the display
or sign, the security team also gets a clear image of their faces.
If we have a guy who wants to come in with sunglasses
on and pass a counterfeit check now hes got his low-brim
baseball cap on or cowboy hat, and Im now no longer ob-
structed by those, said Underwood. Ive been able to provide
to law enforcement agencies or those at other casinos or other
companies tangible data and intelligence to help these people
be caught, prosecuted or at least be able to ensure that we can
work on the next stage of the investigation when they arrive.
Theres no longer the question mark of is this the right guy or
not? Now Im seeing past the brim of that ball cap because Im
no longer looking from the 24-foot ceiling trying to get the
right angle to see him sitting down Im seeing directly into
his face. Also, in working with law enforcement agencies,
weve become the go-to for any type of video intelligence,
Underwood adds.
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With so many cameras in play, however, challenges do
arise. Underwood and his internal team test potential cameras
and tools against a number of parameters and situations. De-
vices that they do adopt and use must:
Be non-intrusive;
Provide a proper image, despite interference from con-
tinuous motion and lights from slot machines, bar ven-
ues and employees, and smoke; and
Offer options to ease storage burdens, such as H.264
or H.265 compression standards, Zipstream technology,
lowering frame rates or being able to turn off or
avoid certain high-storage features, such as wide
dynamic range.
With covert (surveillance), Im not always seeing inci-
dents in most of those areas, Im gathering information. Im
providing other tangible features of quality video or quality
still shots to provide over to the investigative side and help to
identify somebody, Underwood said.
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STREAMLINING GUARD TOURS
WITH TECHNOLOGY
A security officer is often one of the most expensive and necessary tools
in a security leaders arsenal, but new technology is helping to maximize the investment
BY CLAIRE MEYER,, SECURITY MAGAZINE
W
hen Mark Paige first entered the security in 1984,
all security officers reports were hand-written,
with a lack of standardized forms and tedious
storage solutions. Now, as the director of security for Red Rock
Resort in Las Vegas, Paige can take advantage of technology-
based reporting, complete with easy document searching and
compiling, trend analysis and real-time reporting.
For example, manual reports are time-consuming, per-
forming an audit can take several weeks, and if a case in litiga-
tion requires a document of all slip-and-fall cases in the resort
for the past three to five years? That could take an administra-
tor days. Now, all Paige needs to do is hit a button to collect
report histories.
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In an increasingly technology-driven world, security of-
ficer is really a skilled position, said Paige. In a variety of
enterprises, officers can be responsible for monitoring surveil-
lance, access control systems and alarms, as well as physically
patrolling locations.
For telecommunications company TELUS in Canada, Dana
Adams, CPP, CISSP, director of security, said integrating tech-
nology and the services of its own security resources and a
contract guard force through Securitas is the key to successful
physical security. TELUS needs to secure large office buildings
and events as well as hundreds of remote sites and many thou-
sands of miles of infrastructure.
The default is to say we should place a guard there, but
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thats not feasible at a remote site or along all our infrastruc-

ture. Its also not feasible to secure a large office building with
guards alone, said Adams. If you dont leverage your security
efforts with technology, youre going to fail.
In larger buildings, in addition to using security cameras,
alarms, and video analytics TELUS makes use of systems such as
Vision to electronically acknowledge guard rounds and track in-
cidents that a guard must respond to. At smaller sites and along
our critical infrastructure, TELUS makes use of creative solutions
such as security camera surveillance and alarmed doors, enhanc-
ing the security of classic target-hardened physical structures
through active monitoring by trained security professionals.
Its too easy to dump too many duties on the guards with
their boots on the ground, such as asking them to patrol too
many areas, as well as perform value-add functions such as
equipment checks, maintenance and other odd jobs, he said.
Technology helps TELUS streamline their operations while
optimizing security by eliminating busy-work and keeping
guards focused on the important services only a professional
on the ground can provide.
At the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, security officers use
Better technology and better training mean a better re- their Android-based guard tracking devices to check in throughout
sponse. Moving forward, companies are going to demand a the facility, note incidents, attach photographs to reports and more,
providing accountability and insight for the enterprise.
better-trained, tech-savvy guard force, adds Adams.
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 FEATURE
And now, security-supplementing technology is moving
outside the command center and into the hands of security of-
ficers. Guard tour tracking and tools can help enterprises better
audit and monitor security officers efficiency and actions, as
well as gain insight into incidents as they occur. Some solutions
even enable security dispatchers or enterprise security leaders to
request more information from the security officer reporting an
incident while it is occurring, reducing the need to wait for a full
debriefing after an event to gain insight and adjust procedures.
Bill Strother, CPP, is the director of corporate security for
Weingarten Realty, a commercial and retail property manage-
ment company with properties in 21 states. While not every
property has security through Weingarten, those that do most-
ly utilize G4Ss security officer force as well as Secure Trax
guard tour management tools and Insight GPS tracking.
The system helps Strother and other property stakehold-
ers better understand what happens at the properties in a
real-time basis. The tools can also be used to alert officers to
be aware of different things, such as BOLO alerts, updated
directives and more.
Security officers can use the tool to complete incident re-
ports from the field, cutting down on report time and en-
abling officers to add more contextual information. Strothers
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team can program the tour management devices to ask ad-
ditional questions specific to an issue to prompt the officer to
add more relevant data. A water leak might warrant a simple
information-only report, while a trip and fall might need
more context (what was the person doing, was it an employee
or a customer, what were the results, etc).
This system is a living, breathing organism, and it chang-
es with the needs of the client, said Strother. Daily activity
paper logs are gone; officers can complete documents elec-
tronically, and they can be checked and followed up on more
quickly. We use these systems together to maintain awareness
and determine needed action.
There are also auditable trails that accompany each report.
If a supervisor sends a request for response, there is a record.
As the security officer moves to respond, his or her GPS coor-
dinates can be attached to that report. As the response is sent
back with photos, video or just text, all of that is stored. Hav-
ing these records electronically available means that Strother
and his team can be more agile in creating an appropriate to
show stakeholders where the challenging areas are.
At Red Rock Resort, the iView Systems security officer
tracking system (Tour Trax) enables Paige to better perform
risk assessments, as the system can accurately show where
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there have been issues in the past, such as trouble spots for slip
and fall incidents. This helps to improve the accountability for
the resort, as the reporting program provides insight into these
trends and can help demonstrate improvement.
Guard tracking tools can also provide proof of presence at
locations that are difficult to track without the help of technol-
ogy, such as multi-level parking garages. At the resort, secu-
rity officers use their tracking tool to scan different RF chips
on each level, which can also be used to send new directives
through, such as to check lighting on the third floor or to re-
spond to a lost-looking customer on the second.
If an officer does not check in at all of his or her loca-
tions in the time allotted, an tour alarm is sent to supervi-
sion through email or on the system dashboard. The dis-
patcher can make a note of the reason why the tour was
incomplete (perhaps there was an incident that required the
officers time), or can investigate. The system also has GPS
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capability, so if an officer is not responding for whatever
reason, such as a medical condition or injury and cannot
communicate, the GPS on Tour Trax will give you the of-
ficers location, Paige said.
This system has not reduced our security staff, he adds.
It simply makes the officers jobs easier to manage.
The iView system features a number of modules that help
provide value to the resort as a whole, not just the security
function. For example, as of January 2016, Red Rock Resort is
using this system to also track internal maintenance tasks, such
as sweep records to track when areas such as restaurants or re-
strooms were last attended or cleaned and by whom. The team
member goes into the area and uses his or her Android-based
device to note that they are there, and they use a dynamic tour
system to check their completed tasks off of a customized ac-
tion list, which is stored in the system, and then they scan out
of the area when theyre done.
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THE GROWING AND
CHANGING ROLE OF
CASINO SURVEILLANCE
BY DERK BOSS, DJ BOSS ASSOCIATES
N
ot too long ago, surveillance departments spent al-
most all of their time watching table games.
We looked for cheaters, advantage players, and
thieves working inside and outside the pit. That was the work-
ing model for almost all surveillance rooms, and it worked
then. That was a different world.
Today, our world is changing. In earlier, and some would
say better, times, our gaming world would not be affected by
what was happening outside of it. The dice would continue to
roll, the cards would hit the felt, and the wheel would contin-
ue to turn, no matter what happened outside in the real world.
Thats no longer true, and probably hasnt been for a long time.
We just didnt know it.
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What changed? We now have to be concerned about what
is happening around the world, and how that may affect our
guests, employees, and our property. Its no longer all about
card cheats and small-time criminals. Its about ensuring that
our employees and guests are not attacked or shot.
We never really had to worry about that before. We are
in the midst of a continuing threat environment that should
change how we approach the security of our properties.
I think a real sign of the times is the recent decision by
Disneyland and other major theme parks to add security mea-
sures, including metal detectors and bag checks. Disneyland
and Disney World have long been recognized by security pro-
fessionals and the general public as safe places to take your
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family. Im sure that they will continue to be so. But it is in-
teresting to note that they did feel that it was time to enhance
their security in order to protect their guests and employees. I
think we in gaming need to start thinking the same way. It is a
different world with different security challenges.
We dont have to look far for examples of our new world.
Weve had the terrorist attacks in Paris, and then in San Bernardi-
no, Calif. In Las Vegas, a few days before Christmas, a homeless
young woman ran over thirty-six people on the Strip, killing
one and critically injuring others. Why? I dont know, and nei-
ther does anyone else at this point. And its not the first time that
someone has attacked our tourists or employees, or that they
became victims of someone who had an ax to grind and didnt
care who they hurt. Today, security and surveillance teams must
be constantly prepared for a critical event or emergency, such as
an active shooter, workplace violence, or someone who just de-
cides that theyre going to use whatever they have at hand to hurt
people. This has become a continuing saga, and unfortunately it
isnt going away for a while, if it ever does.
Surveillance isnt trained for that. Maybe they should be.
How can our surveillance and security departments pre-
vent any of these events or scams from happening, and if they
do happen, what can they do about it?
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First, surveillance (and security) should be constantly look-
ing for suspicious individuals or unusual circumstances any-
where on the property. Again, its not just gaming that we have
to worry about anymore. We should patrol all areas in order to
protect the property as a whole. We need to be on the lookout
for dangerous individuals and situations, and do our best to
respond appropriately.
Secondly, I think it is important to understand that we
must be prepared for any of these events to occur. Its certainly
been demonstrated that they can occur. For example, our secu-
rity and surveillance teams must be prepared to immediately
react properly to an active shooter. It is, sadly, an event that we
may have to handle one day. Our duty and responsibility in
that situation is to help our guests and employees find safety.
We should also be able to provide first aid to those who may
be injured. Remember, the police will respond as fast as they
can, but they will, on average, be seven to 10 minutes out. And
when they get there, their first job is to engage the shooter.
Emergency medical personnel will not enter your property
until it is secure. Knowing that, our security and surveillance
teams should be prepared to work together to locate, aid, hide,
or evacuate guests and employees to safety. This requires an
emergency plan to be in place, executives and staff thoroughly
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trained, as well as regular drills for all personnel. We must do
this now, not during an actual event. It will be too late.
Traditionally, the surveillance department watches the
money, and the security department takes care of all other se-
curity issues and concerns. It is time to change that model.
Surveillance must be included in emergency planning and re-
sponse. The surveillance department brings considerable ex-
pertise, skill and the necessary ability to see all areas of the
property at once, providing real-time information to security,
law enforcement and other first responders.
Security and surveillance working together can quickly
identify potential threats, and apply appropriate countermea-
sures to prevent a critical event from taking place. Should such
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an event occur, security and surveillance can work together to
assist guests and employees, and provide intelligence to law
enforcement when it is most needed during the crisis.
Our world has changed, and so has protecting our casi-
no property. Surveillance (and security) must adapt to these
changes. Make it part of your surveillance program to consid-
er, planand prepare for todays security challenges. You wont
be sorry that you did.
Derk Boss, principal of DJ Boss Associates and a Raving Consulting
partner, is an author, instructor and speaker specializing in the
fields of surveillance training and methodology, gaming protection,
loss prevention and the detection of internal and external theft
and fraud. He is an adjunct instructor for the International Gaming
Institute at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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 COLUMN
BOLSTER YOUR CASINO
CYBER SECURITY
BY CHAD PINSON & JASON SMOLANOFF
T
he gaming industry has long been known for its Fort
Knox-level security. But casinos and online gaming
operators are clear targets of cyber attackers, and the
extensive, best-in-class preventative security measures of years
past only go so far.
A gaming operation could spend a billion dollars to deter
an attack, but without effective internal defenses and a compre-
hensive, well-rehearsed plan outlining clear attack remediation
and recovery steps, operators will find themselves exposed and
unprepared when an incident occurs.
This new reality means leaders in the gaming industry must
adopt a philosophy that we call assumption of incident. Casi-
nos can no longer hope to achieve flawless cyber security across
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their sprawling network perimeters. Its a sad truth: enterprise
networks must be considered semi-permeable. Operators must
be ready to respond to an attack. Some security experts call this
notion assumption of breach, but this only captures incidents
of improper access to confidential data. Assumption of incident
reflects the various other risks facing gaming businesses, includ-
ing gameplay hacks, theft of electronic funds, money launder-
ing, and cyber attacks that knock online gaming operations of-
fline or cause full-on business disruption.
Gaming industry security programs must be based on the
assumption that cyber incidents of all kinds can and will oc-
cur, and that companies must be prepared to fight, survive
and recover. Optimizing cyber defenses, while being ready to
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 COLUMN
respond to and recover from an incident, is better known as
cyber resilience.
In practice, this means hunting for signs of intrusion, per-
forming rapid damage mitigation and rehearsing plans for a
quick rebound. At the heart is a dedication to resilience, be-
cause the games must go on, the money must be safe and the
players must have confidence in the game and the house.
Below are the three key pieces of advice for a realistic, bud-
get-friendly and effective cyber resilience program for casinos
in todays when-not-if environment:
Know your greatest risks.It all begins with knowledge.
You have to address your greatest risks firstand budget the
greatest proportion of resources to these areas. Your first in-
clination may be to think about slot machines, chips or cash
and accounts on hand. Yes, these are valuable assets that need
to be protected, powered on and uncompromised. But what if
table games were forced to close, too? What if the data casi-
nos possess on players and patrons were compromised? In a
cyber risk assessment, appropriate questions include: Is game-
play code stored securely? How is the personal information of
players protected in the gaming environment, and networks of
the hotel, retail operations and restaurants? Are there internal
network barriers that prevent an intruder from pivoting from
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his place of entry into your digital vault? Company leader-
ship, legal counsel, compliance executives, IT/human resourc-
es professionals and security experts must work together to
identify where sensitive and regulated data is stored and make
sure these systems are tightly controlled in accordance with the
current threat environment and business needs.
Have a plan for disasters.In a data breach scenario, seconds
matter. This is not the time to figure out who to call, what to say
and how to avoid additional damage. Writing and practicing an
incident response plan gives a gaming organization the power
to act immediately in case of an attack. Often this includes iden-
tifying a team of first responders. The same multi-disciplinary
group that worked together to identify valuable data should be
involved, plus public relations executives. For gaming compa-
nies particular care should be placed on PR, third-party assis-
tance and getting the business back up and running.
Public relations and crisis management professionals should
be an integral part of the incident response plan, ready to be-
gin providing counsel immediately following the discovery of
an incident. For casinos, reputation is everything. To attract
and keep players, customers must believe games are free from
tampering and that the money in play and in their accounts is
safe and secure. Competition is tight and trust is a major factor.
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 COLUMN
Outside legal and technical counsel are particularly valu-
able in the highly regulated gaming industry. If you wait until
thegaming commission is headed your way or a lawsuit is filed
to bring them on board, its too late. Thats because one of the
primary advantages of engaging third-parties is the opportuni-
ty to extend legal privilege to an investigation as its happening.
Business continuity considerations include planning for the
immediate and professional preservation of data to avoid any
additional losses, having copies of essential data stored else-
where, back-up power supplies and back-up servers.
Create a culture of resilience.People are securitys weak-
est link. Just clicking on the wrong e-mail or accessing a critical
system from an insecure Wi-Fi network can set off a chain of
disasters. Cyber security has to become central to core business
operations and practiced throughout the enterpriseit cannot
be dependent upon a single tool or the IT group. Therefore, ca-
sino leadership must evangelize and incentivize security through-
out the company. Leadership must take what theyve learned in
the risk assessment and use the incident response team to create
strong, multidisciplinary security policies that complement exist-
ing operations and culture. Many of our clients create a security
committee, with a multidisciplinary composition similar to the
one described earlier, who meet on a quarterly basis to review
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security issues, consider security policy and practice and prepare
updates for the board. They meet more often if an issue arises.
The gaming industry has the attention of cyber criminals.
Like retailers, a casino holds payment transaction information
related to buying chips, hotel rooms, and food. Like a bank, it
manages the storage and transmission of vast amounts of money.
Like a cryptocurrency operation, online gaming businesses may
offer the possibility of anonymous transactions through the use of
chips. These risks could lead to paralyzing cyber incidents, and no
one has the budget to guarantee cyber-attack prevention. The best
answer to these challenges lies in accepting that at some point,
failure is inevitable. Prepare the board of directors, the CEO and
all levels of your companys operations for it. Scream it from the
hilltops the worst can happen, and theres no doubt something
bad will. The time to prepare is now. Ignoring the inevitable will
only ensure more serious consequences when it occurs.
Chad Pinson is managing director and head of office for cyber
security, investigations and risk management firm Stroz Friedbergs
Dallas office. He can be reached atwww.strozfriedberg.com.
Jason Smolanoff is the president of CISO Advisory &
Investigations, an information security, risk management and
investigative firm providing outsourced chief information security
officer services. He can be reached atwww.cisoadvisory.com.
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 COLUMN

PREPARING OPERATORS
FOR INTERNAL FRAUD AND
THEFT WITH SURVEILLANCE
BY DERK BOSS, DJ BOSS ASSOCIATES

T
he nightclub is packed and the music is loud and
pulsating.
Bartenders are making drinks and slinging beers as
fast as they can. One bartender grabs a wad of cash from a cus-
tomer, takes it over to his register, enters the transaction, looks
around to see if anyone is watching, voids the sale and places
the cash into his toke bucket.
The bartenders been stealing for several weeks and doesnt
expect to get caught. He knows surveillance rarely watches
the club, and even if they did, they would never figure out
what hes doing. He smiles thinking about how much money
hell have at the end of his shift. Hes still smiling when secu-
rity grabs him and marches him away.
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Unfortunately for him, surveillance did watch the club and
did figure out what he was doing.
In surveillance, we often talk about training our agents to
protect the property. Knowing how a scam operates is very
important for its detection. This means that a lot of our focus
is preparing our staff to know what to look for. I think it is im-
portant that we continue to do this, but I think its even more
important that we place ourselves in a position to detect the
scam quickly.
Let me explain what I mean. Nowadays, there is a lot of
criminal activity occurring in casinos. There is, of course,
the traditional cheating at gaming. In addition, we now must
be concerned with losses that can occur (and do) in any of
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 SECURITY
a propertys departments or venues. If that is so, then the
way we must operate is to find ways to put our surveillance
personnel in a position to detect them. If you think about it,
almost every scam thats caught is usually reported by a guest
or employee, or is caught by accident. Unfortunately, most
scams are caught too late to prevent the loss of thousands of
dollars. We just get there too late.
We need to do more besides knowing how a scam works.
There are so many new scams or variations of old ones that
we can never know all of them. Surveillance must operate
in such a fashion that we are able to place ourselves where it
is likely well detect the activity, regardless of how well the
scam is hidden.
Thats not as hard as it sounds. What Im saying is that in-
stead of randomly moving surveillance cameras in the hopes
that well see something suspicious, we use tripwires and data
analysis to drive the surveillance team to where they need to
be, and allow them to focus their considerable ability and re-
sources on a particular issue or concern.
Heres an example. In table games and slots, we will have
players win. Most of them are not going to win very much,
and what they do win will be legitimate. They are not of
concern. The winners who win a lot, who are unknown to
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the property, or who play suspiciously, we must look at to
ensure that their win is legitimate. Surveillance must get to
those players and stop them, if necessary, before they beat us
for too much money. This is an operational issue that can be
resolved quickly. I just make it standard operating procedure
that surveillance must be notified (via a tripwire) when a
player wins a certain amount and require that surveillance
perform a thorough review and evaluation to ensure that the
play is normal. We evaluate the player at a lower amount to
detect suspicious activity in order to prevent it from becom-
ing a larger amount.
In todays gaming world, with the myriad scams and
internal frauds that continuously occur, surveillance must
use their operational procedures to isolate, identify and fo-
cus on those issues requiring their attention. Focusing on
getting into a position to detect those issues allows surveil-
lance to operate proactively and detect losses quickly wher-
ever they occur.
Derk Boss, principal of DJ Boss Associates and a Raving Consulting
partner, is an author, instructor and speaker specializing in
the fields of surveillance training and methodology, gaming
protection, loss prevention and the detection of internal and
external theft and fraud.
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 ALL GAMING ALL THE WORLD

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