Golden Gate Casino in Las Vegas Says It Has Best Anti-Casino Cheat Surveillance System in Existence!

Well, maybe so, but that doesn't change the fact that hardly anyone worth his cheating weight would bother going into the Golden Gate Casino in the first place. For those of you who don't know the place, the Golden Gate casino is one of the longtime dingy bastions of Fremont Street (excuse me, now it's called the "Fremont Street Experience") that for eighty years now based its reputation on its 50-cent shrimp cup. In fact, despite its recent facelifts it is still...well, if you read the opening paragraph of the first chapter of my book American Roulette, the "downtown grungy casino" I am talking about is really the Golden Gate.

Funny story: In January, 2000, I walked into the place after not having been in there for 20 years. I recognized a floorman who had been there the first time I ever was, and that was five years or so before the last time I had been there, which means that floorman had at that point been working there at least 25 years. When I said to him with amazment, "You're still working here?" he replied, "I'm still working in this toilet." Then he added with a chuckle, "I've worked in a few other toilets in Vegas, but this place is the toiletest." You can bet I cracked up!

Here's the Wavestore.com article on the Golden Gate's new surveillance system, with my little comments in parentheses.

A leading casino (gimme a break!) in Las Vegas has installed a high-definition (HD) security surveillance system to crack down on gambling cheaters. The system in the Golden Gate casino and hotel is able to be monitored and controlled remotely, from anywhere in the world, which the joint-head of the casino says is reassuring.

Golden Gate casino, which is based on Fremont Street, was established in 1906, making it one of the most historic casinos in Las Vegas. Greg Stevens, the co-owner of casino, says the CCTV system will help the establishment watch out for cheating and - through the use of video analytics - will be able to spot former cheats (even me!). "The clarity and detail that the HD cameras will deliver will transform our surveillance operation. (for what)? The use of HD cameras … for crisp face shots will also enhance the use of facial recognition software and make it much more viable to thwart known cheats."