Casino Insider Tells (Almost) All About Security

An anonymous reader writes "ComputerWorld has up a story on casino security technology, exploring the world of facial recognition technology and various other systems in casinos such as the Bellagio, Treasure Island, and Beau Rivage. Industry veteran Jeff Jonas reveals some of the secret scams he learned from the casino industry such as the infinite hundred dollar bill, the hollowed out chip cup, the palm (trading cards), the specialty code (inserted by rogue programmer into video poker machine) and the cameraman, as well as detailing how casinos strike back against fraudsters and cheats.'"

3rd page

For some odd reason, the submitter has linked to the third page of a three page article. To no one's surprise, the editors did not catch this. Here is the link to page 1
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;270726757;pp;1;fp;4194304;fpid;1 [computerworld.com.au]

Re:3rd page

Network World has the article as well, since the poor .au site has just developed emotional issues from the stampede of slashdotters.

Link [networkworld.com]

That was quick

One comment and already the site is down. Maybe he's already buried, along with his server, in a shallow grave out in the desert.

Biggest Scam

Don't forget about the biggest scam of all, known as "The Casino"

Skip to Infinite hundred dollar bill

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/030708-vegas-insider.html?page=3 [networkworld.com]

/getting sick of paging through 5 pages of a single page article. If I ever start an online mag, I'm going present one sentence per page just for fun.

When you get caught by NORA

So we seem to accept that machines are looking at our faces and alerting humans to "suspicious" individuals. Yeah, I guess I'm ok with that. I'll get scared when I get caught, and instead of dragging me into a back room, shining a light in my face and asking me questions, I have to sit down and answer NORA's questions. Once the machine gets to decide if I am guilty, we have lost. Oh wait...

The infinite $100 bill

Is a trick you can maybe play on a regular vending machine. If you hit the coin return at just the right moment, there's a chance that you'll get some or all of your money back, especially if you insert change instead of single coins.

Re:minimal risk, really...

If the vending machine eats your money, you can always consume the item dispensed, so technically the worst case scenario is a break-even.

Casino security is neat.

I got approached by Casino security at the MGM Grand one night and was asked why I was looking at the cameras. I told the guy what business I was in and then proceeded to tell him about the 35 cameras that were around our general location. he was impressed and we talked a bit over a beer he bought me and even let me see one of the security offices.

Note: I spotted that the texas Holdem tables had wide angle cameras just under the lip where you sit. Not low enough to get up-skirt shots, but where they can spot cards being handed. I started looking for it when a friend of mine was told by the pitboss to stop handing $5 chips to his friend. that's when I decided to drop my chips and bend over to pick them up and spot the lenses.

Takedown

Court TV used to run this series called The Takedown [tv.com]. Every week they tried to do some casino scam using a team of experts, often at the behest of the hotel's internal security. The way everything was staged was kind of fake in spots, but an interesting look regardless at the mechanics of actually trying to cheat at a casino. Fun show, don't know where it's still running but you might be able to find it somewhere (*cough* torrent *cough*).

I personally don't play games of chance for money, just Texas Hold'Em where people with poor math skills are a steady income source.

Employees rip off casinos more than players

Having worked as a cashier in a riverboat casino I've seen a lot of this stuff. However, I've also seen and heard a lot more about employees ripping off the casino than I did about players. You don't hear about the employees ripping off the casinos though because most of the time they just fire the person and tell them never to come back. I know this happened to at least three people who worked in my department. Two were fairly minor but one was several thousand dollars over a few months (that's how long it too the auditing department to pick up on his pattern and how he hid it). There are lots of ways employees can rip off the casino because they have a lot more access and know how the system works a lot better than most customers.

There were occasional customers passing counterfeit bills and people screwing with the machines or trying to bend cards but there was a lot more people soiling themselves because they didn't want to get up from their slot machine and people losing their homes because they were addicted (happened to a cousin of mine) or getting kicked off because they started yelling at us when their credit card was maxed out.

Casino Security isn't a Magical Mysterious Thing

Disclaimer: I used to work for the largest chain of casinos in the country taking care of the machines that actually talked to all the slots and games in the casino.

Casinos would like you to believe in Ocean's 13 size IT rooms and facial recognition and such. The truth is that most casino security is low-tech (cameras and people). The largest cheating ring that was broken up recently involved a gaming commission, law enforcement, and the casinos themselves busting a partnership between outside cheaters and the employees working at the table. You have to remember, the states view cheating as bilking them out of the exorbitant taxes they get to rake from casinos since casinos are evil like cigarettes and okay to tax at obscene rates.

If some casino is using facial recognition scanning software etc, they probably are just peeing money down a drain. More likely, its hype designed to scare off cheaters. I think its a dumb idea to create this image though.

In Stalin's Russia, there wasn't a dossier on everyone, but the fear of a dossier on everyone was what helped keep the masses in check. Cultivating a fear in casino goers that they are under watch at all times and being scanned isn't in the interest of the big casinos. Casinos are the last place you are free to be free. You can let your hair down, have a politically incorrect drink, and inhale politically incorrect air.

Go to a casino, have fun, and remember that the cameras are more likely watching employees than they are watching you.

Re:Not just to get the venue safe

It was the use of twenty sided dice at the craps table that gave them away.

Untrue

The point is that people who gamble rarely understand the odds. Those that do understand the odds and the house percentage don't unusually gamble. Or if they gamble then they count cards as well.

Perhaps I'm reading it wrong, but I don't find this statement to be true.

There are plenty of people who understand the odds, but still love to gamble. To them it's about the thrill of possibly hitting it big. Those who do understand the odds tend to either play games like blackjack which is the only game in the casino which has positive odds, and those who simply walk in with $500 and intends to make it last as long as they can, but know that the chances of them walking out with more than they went in are not in their favor.

I'm not one of them, but then again I get it why others are like this.

The ones that count cards are simply trying to shift the odds in their favor for bigger payouts, and of course really only applies to blackjack (again, the only game with odds not in favor of the casino, but you have to know how to play to get your money).

Re:Untrue

Blackjack's odds are almost never (if ever) in the favor of the player, unless the player is counting cards.

For reference: http://wizardofodds.com/blackjack/house-edge-calculator.html [wizardofodds.com]

That calculates the house's odds. Even if you give every advantage to the player, the house still has the advantage if they are using more than one deck (which is almost always). So even in perfect player conditions, the house still has to be using only one deck for the player to have any advantage.

Re:Untrue

If your day at the movies cost you as much as a day at the casino, then you aren't doing one of those correctly.

Re:Untrue

Those who do understand the odds tend to either play games like blackjack which is the only game in the casino which has positive odds

Positive odds is only true if you are counting cards and are good at it. Even if you play blackjack perfectly the casino still has the odds favor. See here [wizardofodds.com].

People who understand odds aren't playing blackjack, but craps. Properly played craps has the lowest house advantage than any other game in the casino. Plus it's actually fun! Every time I go to LV I play craps at Casino Royale. It's a crappy casino, but they have the lowest house advantage that I've found. In fact this chart [wizardofodds.com] shows I'm at the right place :)

Re:Untrue

I've heard that it also relies on a) knowing when to walk away, and b) knowing when to run.

Counting your money when you're sitting at the table is also frowned upon.

Re:Untrue

I think you and I just dated ourselves.

This is slashdot, we all date ourselves.

Re:waiting for the MIT movie

Quite the opposite.

There is a romantic view of card counting. People assume it's a magical skill you pick up, then can just roll into a casino and use it as a personal ATM overnight.

The truth is, it gives you about a 1% edge over the house. That means that for every $10 you bet, you'll "earn" $0.10. You can get, maybe, 100 hands of Blackjack per hour on a good day.

And the "margin of error" (standard deviation) means that your long-term swings won't balance out until after about 12,000 hands. 120 hours of Blackjack, just to statistically be guaranteed to at least break even.

And all that is assuming you count perfectly, and play perfectly.

So after card counting gets hyped, you'll get a whole ton of people who want the quick win. They'll learn a quick hi/lo system. They won't practice. They won't learn basic strategy perfectly (quick, what's the proper move when you have 44 vs. a dealer's upcard of 5?). And they'll go into the casino. Maybe they'll double up quickly and walk away. More likely they'll just keep playing, have a few drinks, and either make a bit of money, or get frustrated and lose everything, or just play for a while and have fun. But in every case, they'll be playing with a disadvantage. Making a couple mistakes or missing a couple counts, maybe they're playing an even money game, or just 0.5% house edge. If they start steaming and making the big errors, they'll be giving the house 4-5% of their money on every hand.

And for the one in a thousand counter who does a good job and earns 1-2% on her money, they'll be 999 players who give it all back.

If card counting had the ability to destroy the casinos, they'd have been out of business a long time ago. Blackjack is profitable for the casino.

Re:waiting for the MIT movie

If you bet the same every hand, you get that advantage.

If you work with a team and the next guy bets BIG, then its hugely in your advantage.

Your numbers are WAY off how multi-person counting works.

Interestingly, I've had dealers help me count before. Doing simple "count the tens" helps your odds on a non-continuous-dealt game, especially if you can get a one or two deck hand dealt. I had a dealer, who was watching me pull back as the tens had largely made their appearances actually told me "you don't want to take this next hit".

She was right.

Re:waiting for the MIT movie

If you bet the same every hand, you get that advantage.

No. If you vary your bet according to the count, you get the advantage. You need to be proportionally more as the count goes up, to make up for the small bets you made when the count was down.

If you work with a team and the next guy bets BIG, then its hugely in your advantage.

Again, close. If you work with a team, then the next guy will not be playing at all during a low count. If you are counting, they you don't vary your bet at all. But when the count goes up, you signal the Big Player to come in. They place a large bet-- something that would seem suspicious if YOU put it down, but is normal for him. He only bets that amount and doesn't vary.

In that case, your advantage is EXACTLY THE SAME (~0.5% per count)-- but the EV will be greater. The more you bet, the more you'll earn, but the rate will be the same. If you have a 1.5% advantage, it doesn't matter if you bet $100 or $10,000. You will only "earn" 1.5% of that.

Your numbers are WAY off how multi-person counting works.

Not really. And it depends on the type of team you are working with. If you have small player/big player (as above), then you will still need ~12,000 hands to overcome one standard deviation. If you are sharing a bankroll amongst many counters, then, well, you still need 12,000 hands, but you will be able to pool your hands. (Assuming you are all playing at separate tables). You reach the longterm much quicker, and lower your risk of ruin.

Interestingly, I've had dealers help me count before

Uhhhg. Never rely on the dealer. They don't know what they're doing. They're just a flawed gaming machine made of flesh.

Doing simple "count the tens" helps your odds on a non-continuous-dealt game

No. No it doesn't. It's useless to count the tens unless you are also counting the low cards that balance it. It's useless to know that five 10s have left the deck, unless you know how many low cards have also left the deck. The whole point about counting is to know the estimated composition of the remaining deck.

Example: You are counting the tens. 6 tens come out of the deck. You assume a count of -6, and lower your bet. I am hi/lo. I see those 6 tens come out, and then 12 low cards. I KNOW a count of +6, and raise my bet to take advantage of it. Guess who is coming out on top

I had a dealer, who was watching me pull back as the tens had largely made their appearances actually told me "you don't want to take this next hit".She was right.

And she could just have easily have been wrong. She doesn't know what the next card is. Neither does a counter. A counter just knows the estimated composition of the deck, and can vary their bet or use an "index play". IE: Basic Strategy says 12 vs. 2 is a hit, because that move is the best possible play statistically. But at a count > 0, it becomes stand, because now that move is the bes possible play statistically. That doesn't mean the next card is a 10. It just means that you'll lose less by standing than by hitting.

You cannot point to a single hand and use that as proof for anything. Remember, 12,000 hands is where "long term" begins. Everything else is indistinguishable from luck. If anything, the dealer was taking a blind shot hoping for a tip.

Re:waiting for the MIT movie

Yup, the teams are more of a worry, simply because any well organized team will have a huge bankroll. A red-chipper with a maximum bet of $100 isn't a worry. A team who can drop $10,000 bets with a 2% advantage is.

Of course, there are two reasons the casinos aren't too concerned:

1. The MIT team did it first. And the casinos figured out how they did it, so now they know what to look for. The longer a team operates, the easier they are to spot. The truth is, the MIT teams probably has made more from book sales, movie rights, public appearances and course fees than they did from counting.
2. Teams are unbelievably difficult to get working. Just the trust issue is a major factor. Name five people in your life who you would blindly and 100% implicitly trust with $50,000 of your money. Keep in mind that you pool your bankroll, and share the profits. It just takes one bad egg to realize that they can slog out the counting for a year to see a 1-2% return on their investment-- OR they can take out $10,000 and lose it in a "bad session" (ie: they just pocket it and tell you they lost). Also, one bad player on the team (who isn't up to perfect snuff) can wipe out any profits the team will see. (If you could name five people, how many of them do you trust to be able to do simple math for 8 hours straight?) It takes months of training, analysis and testing to ensure every member is trustworthy and competent.

So the casinos just balance the likelyhood of an effective team coming to town vs. the chance that they'll spot them in operation. Then they tally up the amount they'll earn from their tables from bad players. That'll tell them how much it's worth spending on anti-counting training/technology/etc. Why spend $500,000 on a new system to keep someone from earning $250,000 / year off you-- especially if there's only a 0.001% chance that team will come around. The numbers are fudged, but it's all just a numbers game. Somewhere along the lines, someone gets paid a bunch of money to tell them what the numbers are.

This is one reason why many blackjack tables, particularly high limit tables, do not allow new players to sit down in the middle of a shoe (i.e. you have to wait until the shoe currently being played is finished, the cards are shuffled, and the next shoe is loaded)

NMSE - No Mid-Shoe Entry. Yup, just about all the high-roller tables have that. It's rarer on the mid or low level tables, though, since their bread and butter is unskilled, transient traffic. I've seen a $50-$2500 table that allowed midshoe entry. Let me tell you, seeing people drop $500 a hand on a game they don't know how to play-- that's quite a sight to watch. Maybe I should just open a casino.

Re:waiting for the MIT movie Counting Cards..

Well, since you bring up card counting, I now have an angle to bring up something and hopefully avoid the dreaded, eviscerating "Off-Topic"-wand-wielding maestro...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_(2008_film) [wikipedia.org]

I just a few weeks ago read in a copy of Asian Week how these smart AMERICAN Asians figured out a card counting method and raked in the coin from one or more casinos. Now, we've got hollyweird picking up on this and whitewashing the cast. Amazing the shit hollyweird does to calculate to obtain the best studio ticket intake.

From Wikipedia, from Asian Week and Ben Mezrich (author of the book):

"Casting of Caucasian/Asian

Although the four main characters in Bringing Down the House were Asian-Americans in real life, studio executives have cast mostly white actors to portray them in the film. Ben Mezrich, author of Bringing Down the House, has noted a "stereotypical" casting process on the part of Hollywood.[1] In the book, Mezrich explicitly states that a young Caucasian betting large amounts of money stands out, while a young Asian or other minority would be less conspicuous. Asian Week called the casting a "whitewash," pointing out that if it were African Americans replaced by Caucasians, there would be more vocal protest."

Re:Video example of a few of the scams.

(Must remember to preview before posting. Please mod parent down) There is an excellent BBC series called The Real Hustle that details the inner workings of a lot of scams. They've recently been showing the Vegas scams, here's a few links

Hollowed out chip scam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dDOMyzmkaA [youtube.com]
Blackjack scams: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phnkp4R0iJI [youtube.com]
Brass balls blackjack scam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu9uAaQs-LQ [youtube.com]

There are hundreds more on youtube if you search