 
| ||
|
|
|
THE NIGHTMARES OF WORKING IN CASINO SURVEILLANCE
by Vinny DeCarlo
Vinny DeCarlo is the author of
How to Beat Casino Surveillance – Insider’s Secrets for Card Counters. He is a retired veteran casino man with over 20 years of upper management experience. His expertise covers the pit, security, surveillance, and he even served as a General Manager. Currently, Vinny travels the states as a freelance reporter and a personal consultant to many Indian casinos. He also appeared on TV and radio shows. According to Vinny, there are two types of casino employees - those that know him, and those that claim to know him; therefore, never believe what you hear.Note: As with all my casino surveillance stories based on my recollection of the events and first-hand accounts of incidents, the following is a true story that happened while I was working in surveillance (only I wish it never happened).
It was early Sunday morning at this particular (nameless) casino that was well known for its Champagne Brunch. The joint was busy with adults and kids, all dressed in their Sunday best, scurrying all over the place. I thought to myself (while trying to shake off the hangover I had from the previous night’s party that had just ended at 9 am), "Geez, what’s with these people going to church then to a casino to drink champagne with their kids?" (BTW: I thanked God that there wasn’t anything in the rulebooks about surveill-ing while my on-the-job attentiveness was not up to par. Really, there isn’t. It may/might be a house rule but not one state stipulates that a surveillance observer cannot be under the influence of an intoxicating agent while on duty).
In any event, I was trying to get into the swing of my job duties when suddenly I heard the "blast" over the radio. (I tripped over a chair trying to turn the volume down before my head exploded.) It was the casino security dispatch announcing the same Sunday routine. "All units, be advised ...all units, be advised ... BRUNO has entered the building and en route." (Bruno was security/ surveillance radio code for "Brinks," and "en route" meant they were on their way to the cage.) So far, so good, nothing to get excited about.
Just for the lack of nothing better to do, I picked up the Brink’s guard on one of our security cameras as he walking through the casino pushing a hand truck that was loaded with "bricks" (meaning, bills wrapped in dark plastic, sometimes millions of dollars, for transport to the bank). He was making good time crossing the arena (casino), while talking it up with one of our new casino security guards, who had been employed at this casino for about two days.
While I was watching the monitor, I accidentally poured coffee all over my pant’s leg and was biting my lip trying to stop from letting out a tyrant that would make Don Rickle blush. At that moment, I glanced at the monitor and thought to myself, "Oh my gosh….look at the size of last night’s haul. Those boxing fights sure bring in the money."
I had cleaned up the mess on my pants from the hot coffee while the pain had subsided to a steady 9. I finally sat down and advised Security Dispatch that, "Zebra 9 (Surveillance) on scene…clear blue skies from my view." Within minutes, they were walking through the atrium heading to the Grand Entrance where the Brinks truck was parked just outside the door.
I had just had my first taste of the "army-field-tasting" coffee that I just spilled on me and thought, "Why am I bothering drinking this awful stuff? It felt better when I dumped it on my leg." At that moment, I heard over the radio that "Bruno has left the building. All units be advised, BRUNO has left the building." (Saying it along with the security dispatcher almost made it sound like a Dolly Parton-Kenny Roger’s duet.)
I brought the exterior camera up on my monitor and could see our security guard and the Brinks driver getting closer to the truck, when just outside of normal view, I saw a blue Dodge truck speeding towards the porte-cochere (Valet Area). Jokingly, I announced to all units outside, "Heads Up, looks like a wild one is coming your way."
Our new security guard, who had escorted the BRUNO unit out of the casino, was kind enough to reply, "Copy sir, thanks for the informati ... Before he could finish saying "information," I heard tires screeching to a stop...
...enter your member login information below to read this article/newsletter...
Paid Members-Only Article
You have clicked on a link to a Blackjack Insider web page or article for paid subscribers. You must have a paid membership to the Blackjack Insider newsletter to view this content. About 1/2 of the articles in each issue of the Blackjack Insider are for paid members only, while the rest are viewable by everyone. Your purchased membership will allow you to read all Blackjack Insider articles for 12 months.
Enter your user name and password below (they were listed and e-mailed to you after you purchased your Blackjack Insider membership):
Forgot your membership id or password? Click here.
How do I get a membership?
A membership can be purchased online at our secure store with your credit card for only $19.95 per year. You will receive a user name and password immediately by e-mail which you can use to read the all past and future members-only articles for 12 months, as well as the regular free articles.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP NOW... only $19.95
Do I have to buy a membership?
No. Blackjack Insider will continue to be published as a free monthly e-newsletter. But about 1/2 of the articles each month will be for paid members only. Subscribers without a membership can still view and read the non-members articles for free.
What happens after I buy a membership?
Immediately after you complete your purchase, you will receive a unique login user name and password. These are displayed on the final purchase page, and are e-mailed to you. When you click on a members-only article in our web site, you will be prompted for this user name and password (as shown above). Simply enter them, and enjoy the article! Note: make sure you turn on the checkbox above when you login, to save the user name and password so that you don't have to re-enter them every time you view members-only articles.
Why did you switch to paid memberships?
Blackjack Insider is a professional monthly publication with top-notch articles by world-reknown gaming experts. In addition, we have regular reporters that monitor game conditions and tournament schedules throughout North America. We use a partially paid subscriber model to enable us to continue getting the best content for our readers from leading authors on blackjack and gaming.
|
|
©2015, DeepNet Technologies. No material to be copied without express permission of DeepNet Technologies.
This site developed by
DeepNet Technologies, Ontario, Canada. Contact webmaster @ bjinsider . com
if you have problems.
This site is best viewed in a 800x600 graphics mode, or higher.