Negative or Counterproductive Casino Surveillance and Security

What does this mean? Well, it is when casino and poker room surveillance staffs (floor staffs as well) screw up and create problems for their poker rooms and casinos. For instance, you may have noticed that lately there have been several lawsuits filed against poker rooms and casinos across the US by people who have been detained and even arrested for committing casino and gambling crimes only to have been found innocent upon further investigation by the casinos and poker rooms themselves, and then let go.

These HUGE errors in judgement by casino staffs, almost always by surveilance people, cost their casinos lots of money. Lawsuits like this are always open-and-shut cases with the plaintiffs walking out of court with between $50,000 and $500,000 depending upon the size and power of the casino involved, as well, of course, as the judge or jury.

Casino surveillance staffs are supposed to safeguard the casino's assets, which in turn is supposed to save the casino money that would end up in poker cheats' and casino cheats' pockets. But when people are detained and arrested for cheating and then let go (which is far worse for the casino than being found innocent in court), the surveillance operation proves to be negative or counterproductive.

The main reason for these horrific lapses in casino surveillance and security is simply that the huge majority of their staffs are trained by people, the so-called "game protection consultants," who really have no clue about real casino surveillance themselves.

This is why the casinos who do not use my training seminars ought to be calling me instead of the incompetent people they hire to teach them surveillance academics and game protection.

Poker Cheat Teams Working Morocco...Should You Worry About Their Poker Room and Casino Security Upgrades?

Source: John M. Gaming Zion

According to Moroccan gambling law, most forms of gambling are legal in the nation. This is likely a result of its being quite popular amongst the locals and the government’s realization that, through gambling, they can provide the nation with social benefits and a better stream of revenue.

Morocco is one of the most popular gambling destinations on the entire African continent, including both tourists from Africa and other parts of the world. As a result, Moroccan casinos and gambling centers are often abuzz with life. The huge crowds that can be found in Moroccan casinos are a plus when it comes to revenue, but can also lead to some problems. Players are always trying to get an edge on casinos and to find an easier path to free money. Due to this, Moroccan casinos need to have pretty high security levels.

In order to guard against sleight of hand, substitution of dice, theft of chips and inappropriate card counting and other issues that plague brick and mortar casinos, The Casino Agadir Atlantic Palace, one of Morocco’s most popular casinos, is making efforts to upgrade security. They are doing so by installing networked megapixel cameras and speed dome cameras which are capable of panning at a rate of 400 degrees per second! These steps to deter cheating are likely to benefit the casino greatly.

My Take: I don't think much of anything can help Moroccan poker rooms and casinos safeguard against cheating. Remember, all improvements to video surveillance and gadgetry are subject to the knowledge and intelligence of the people looking at the images and deciphering the information.

Another Casino Facing Lawsuit Over Falsely Accusing a Gambler of Cheating!

This time it's a false cheating accusation on slot machines.

Source: Kelly Holleran Southeast Texas Record.

A Jefferson County woman has filed suit against Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel, alleging she was wrongfully accused of cheating the casino, detained by employees and arrested.

Connie Sue Broussard claims she and her husband decided to travel to Delta Downs in Vinton, La., on Feb. 5, 2009. Arriving between 11 a.m. and noon, Broussard proceeded to play various slot machines for several hours, winning money on some machines and losing on others, according to the complaint filed Feb. 4 in Jefferson County District Court.

After several hours, Broussard claims that when she attempted to cash her ticket vouchers several employees approached and detained her, the suit states. "When she inquired about the detention, an employee of Defendant Delta Downs publicly stated that 'you know what you did' and further publicly and falsely accused Plaintiff of 'milking' the casino 'for over $13,000,'" the complaint says. "Employees of Defendant Delta Downs then publicly seized the casino money vouchers as well as all cash in Plaintiff's possession."

According to Broussard, defendant Travis Waters then led her to an isolated room where he and other employees interrogated her for an hour and a half. Broussard said they accused her of tampering with one of the slot machines so it would pay her more often, according to the complaint.
The suit states employees took all of Broussard's money from her, then took her to jail.

On Nov. 16, the casino dropped the felony theft charge against Broussard and the money was returned to her on Jan. 15, according to the complaint.
Nonetheless, Broussard claims she experienced humiliation, embarrassment, emotional distress, mental anguish, fright, anger, aggravation, worry, loss of enjoyment of life, deprivation of liberty, invasion of privacy and pain from the incident. The suit alleges the following acts of negligence on the part of defendants Delta Downs and Waters:

Failing to properly control security staff;
Allowing security staff to falsely arrest and detain a customer;
Failing to properly inspect the operating function of the slot machines;
Failing to maintain proper control of the premises; and
Failing to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances.

Broussard is seeking up to $75,000 and other relief to which she may be entitled.

My Take: It looks like this casino is in trouble! I don't see how they say she actually cheated the slot machines in the first place! This is another case of bad casino surveillance. Surveillance operators must not only know how to recognize scams they see but also recognize that the scams they think they see are not scams at all!

New Online Poker Cheating Scandal Connected to Stoxpoker and Instructor Jason Ho! This Time it's Ripping Off Players Trying to Learn How to Avoid Being Cheated Online!

Source: aintluck.com

Over the past several years, as online poker players have evolved from a sea of fish to a more overall competent player pool, players seek out to get whatever edge they can. Whereas in the past, players sought advice in books from successful players, the technological age has paved the way for virtual teaching methods from online coaches. Some of the more successful training sites include Cardrunners.com and Stoxpoker.com.

The formula is simple. The established sites seek out highly profitable players and offer them positions within their company to teach other aspiring players the tricks of the trade. Often times, they create instructional videos in which they video their online sessions and they use voice-overs to explain what they are doing. The videos are then archived online and made available to paying customers through the use of a username and password they obtain through paying a membership fee to the site. Other times, the individual instructors offer actual lessons to customers for a higher rate.

This is the very situation of the controversy swirling around Stoxpoker.com instructor Jason Ho. On his website, Ho claimed to have earned over $1 million playing online poker in 2008 alone. By making this incredible claim, Ho was able to lure unsuspecting students for private lessons at exorbitant rates. One by one, player have been coming forward claiming they have been bilked out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In addition to overcharging for sub par lessons, Ho also allegedly concocted a scheme around Pot Limit Omaha in which he obtained an undisclosed amount of money from prospective business partners. To date, none of the partners has received a single penny for their investment and Ho has cut off all communication with them. He has since been dismissed from his association with Stoxpoker and has taken his blog offline, leaving cheated customers angry and without their money.

Stoxpoker maintains no liability in the matter saying that ultimately it is up to individuals to do their own due diligence before entering into business alliances with any possible coaches or mentors.

Among the most exorbitant claim is a player stating that he paid $7,000 for what he believed was a week long one-on-one training session with Ho in Macau, and was surprised when other customers arrived. In addition, Ho spent a large amount of the training time locked up in his hotel room.

To date, no one has filed any legal complaint and Ho has yet to issue a statement as more and more players come forward.

California Senate to Hear Legalizing Intrastate Online Poker Bid!...Can the Sunny State Keep its Skies Clear of Online Poker Cheating?

Source: John Stathis examiner.com

An informal hearing titled "Examining the Public Policy and Fiscal Implications Related to the Authorization of Intrastate Internet Poker in California" will be held by California's Senate Governmental Organization Committee on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at the State Capital (room 4203) in Sacramento from 9:30 a.m- 5:30 p.m. The hearing's agenda includes statements from Tribal Government leaders, card clubs, players, Bureau of Gambling Control Commission, internet service providers, and problem gambling/anti-gambling organizations. Public comment is slated last on the agenda where the people affected most will have its say to the Senate committee.

Poker, as in blackjack, provides an advantage to players who depend on mathematics to earn a profit and those who ignore the math will lose in the long-run. The State Senate of California is exploring the feasibility of revenue from the multi-billion dollar industry that is lost to offshore online casinos. The Morongo Band of Mission Indians is scheduled to make a pitch for the exclusive right to operate intrastate internet poker in California. The tribes in California are loosely enforced by the Bureau of

Gambling Control Commission and disputes are enforced by California Tribal Gaming agencies which is to say that the tribes are the fox guarding the henhouse. On September 11, 2009 the Kahnawake Gaming Commission of the Mohawk Tribe near Montreal, Canada admitted cheating occurred at Ultimate Bet from 6/03-12/07. A tribe in California running internet poker can cheat players right under the Bureau of Gambling Control Commission's noses and that is disturbing.

Many don't desire a casino in their homes while it can be argued taxing online poker will help California out of its budget woes. California can cut out the middleman and run internet poker as it does with horse racing now. The morality of the issue will begin in Sacramento February 9 where the politics of "making sausage" will rear its ugly head.