The importance of the security and surveillance departments of the casino industry was again emphasized last year as a severe recession gripped the industry and made it even more important to prevent cheating, scams, thefts and criminal activity on the casino property.

With no letup in sight, these departments are charged with doing more-often with less. The responsibilities of the departments are varied and the response is precise, so the need for good information provided by quality sources is crucial.

This year's Global Game Protection special section contains articles that will inform security and surveillance professionals about some of the important issues in the industry today.
    With the severe economic conditions, employees are tempted more than ever to steal from their employers. Darrin Hoke explains their motivations, justifications and methods in his excellent piece on page 38.

Al Zajic explains the importance of cooperation and communication between the security and surveillance departments on page 42, while Caitlin McGarry outlines the important new area of "dataveillance," which uses a variety of technologies to help apprehend the guilty.

And finally, Willy Allison, the producer of this month's World Game Protection Conference (February 21-23 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas), interviews Ted Whiting, the director of surveillance at Aria, the groundbreaking casino at MGM Mirage's CityCenter, on how he set up the industry's most cutting-edge surveillance department. Keeping tabs on the bad guys in Las Vegas' newest mega-property is a true challenge.

By GGB Staff

Staff writers for Global Gaming Business magazine. Las Vegas, Nevada.

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