Money is changing hands at a feverish pace. Cash is lying around in buckets of coins or as piles of chips. Then, of course, there is the mesmerizing spell that gambling can cast, creating a distraction that becomes a crook's accomplice. Jim Blair, executive director of security at the Mirage in Las Vegas, and Danny Wright, director of security at Caesars Atlantic City, have seen it all too often. And that feeling is justified.
People are relatively safe here.
But it doesn't take much to become that one case. Even with the ubiquitous cameras that watch casino floors and patrolling security personnel, casino patrons are vulnerable to packs of well-rehearsed thieves. One thief tosses a couple of coins or chips on the floor and asks the victim whether they are his. While the target bends over, the thief's partner grabs a bucket of coins or lifts a fistful of chips. Both security experts have suggestions for thwarting crooks.