Casino Enterprise Management

When it comes to building a casino, one of the highest priorities for an architect is the design of the surveillance system.

Camera locations, cabling, and monitor room design are all important considerations and usually have to be built to comply with strict regulatory gaming standards. In fact, failure to comply can delay the opening of a casino. I know quite a few surveillance directors who have opened new casinos that know the meaning of insomnia.

Not many would dispute the need or importance for surveillance in a casino.

I still remember the first day of my surveillance career when my boss told me to think of a casino as if it was a bank without receipts.

Often, the priority of management is to get it up and running so the casino can open and start making money. Unfortunately, sometimes in the frenzy of a casino opening, not as much time is given to the role of the surveillance department until after it opens.

Operations

The role of surveillance is dictated by senior executives and to a certain extent, influenced by the regulatory environment.

But to have a successful asset protection program the hard work is done in the monitor room. The way in which a monitor room is managed determines whether a casino has a surveillance operation with a ROI (room of intelligence) or a ROR (room of recorders).  

CCTV System

I vividly remember the first time I walked into a surveillance room. A wall of monitors illuminated the entire room. A supervisor was seated in front of a console at the back of the room and three operators were stationed near the front. Two of them were on the phone, one was watching a baccarat game, and the supervisor was working on the employee schedule for the next month.

I asked the operator who was watching the baccarat game how much the player was betting and she replied, “Oh about 20Gs a hand.” The people in the room could see everything. It was like they were flying around the casino with a jet pack on, only faster. This was my first experience with a closed-circuit television system.

The CCTV system is obviously an important tool for monitoring a casino, although some of the old timers still argue that they could do a better job surveilling the catwalks back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. I must admit, I broke into the business in a casino with a catwalk and I didn’t mind having the option.

The trouble is, I wasn’t getting paid enough to pay for the dry cleaning that was required from spending my working days in the casino’s dusty ceiling.

I still subscribe to the theory, however, that surveillance agents should regularly get out of the surveillance room and smell the players’ cigars from time to time.

CCTV has come along way since the invention of video recorders in the ‘70s. The digital world is upon us and surveillance is currently going through a transitional stage from analog to digital. Almost all casinos that are built now use digital recording equipment, and many older casinos are upgrading their systems.

Surveillance personnel use different criteria when rating the performance of a CCTV system. Now, there are so many different features to a system, and choosing one can be quite confusing. I was privy to a market research study a couple of years ago that surveyed 100 surveillance directors across the United States. The survey asked, “What are the most important things you are looking for in a digital recording system?” Respondents rated the top three in the following order: picture quality, space requirements for storage, and searching capabilities.

I think that is a good place to start.

Operating Procedures

The surveillance manual should precisely spell how management wants things done in the monitor room. This very important document is usually written in one of two ways. The first is for management to sit down and collectively look at best practices for performing necessary tasks. The other is to photocopy them from somewhere else.

I suggest implementing a combination of both. It doesn’t hurt to use proven practices from somewhere else, but standard operating procedures (SOPs) should be developed and amended on an ongoing basis to reflect a new working environment, management philosophies, and monitoring priorities of the organization.

When assessing the health of a surveillance department, the surveillance manual is a good place to start. The surveillance manual allows you to take a peek into the management philosophy of the department.

It is the playbook for the coach and everyone in the team is expected to know how to run the plays. Check to see: if it is comprehensive enough to cover all of the day to day tasks; if it explains precisely how a task should be completed; if employees understand what is required of them; and if employees adhere to the procedures. 

Scheduling Efficiency

One of the hottest topics in any 24-hour casino operation is scheduling.

The surveillance department is no different. Due to the nature of surveillance, there are many theories as to what is the best way to schedule surveillance operators on shift. The job requires a high level of concentration for extended periods of time.

There are sometimes long periods of boredom followed by periods of intense activity.

Unlike most departments in a casino, surveillance activity is not always dictated by patron levels. Schedules are generally designed around expected busy times in the casino, but it is very difficult to schedule for possible criminal activity. Some of the busiest times in surveillance are often when there is hardly anyone in the casino.

One of the biggest debates regarding surveillance scheduling is how long an operator should work. Most people would agree the job is not physically demanding, but it certainly can be mentally demanding if surveillance is carried out at a consistent intensity level.

The standard shift is eight hours with a break every two hours, but it is not uncommon for surveillance operators to work ten or even 12 hour shifts. I have tried them all. All have their pros and cons, but if I had to choose one of them, I would personally choose the ten-hour shift. I look at it this way: For a little extra time on the end of a normal eight hour shift, I get an extra day off a week to recharge the batteries.

I realize that this view is not shared by everyone. Personal preferences are different with every individual (just ask the scheduler). It’s like a workout routine and nutrition program. Some things work for some, and other things work for others. Twelve -hour shifts were the trend for a while.

Four days on; four days off. This shift is definitely not built for everybody.

In the beginning, employees are excited about getting four-day breaks, but after a few months the lack of rest during the four days on shift pays a toll. By the end of the workweek, productivity was found to wane and some people looked like they had aged a year for each day worked.

In my opinion, individual preference for the eight, ten, or 12 hours shifts comes down to enthusiasm for the job and personal life and activity outside of work.

Staff motivation has a very important effect on surveillance performance, but from a management perspective, it can be challenging to design a schedule for surveillance that balances the needs of the department and the individual wishes of the staff. Productivity, efficiency, and customer service should not be compromised because of a schedule that does not meet the practical needs of the organization. 

When assessing the effectiveness of a new schedule, you need to review your key performance indicators (KPIs) and monthly statistics. Some of these may include incident detection rates, dispute resolution times, investigation successes, observation reports, or analysis studies. Monitor them frequently to determine if there is a drop off in productivity. A more informal way to find out if your department is productive is to ask your customers within the organization. Hopefully you have a relationship with your customers that encourages open dialog.

Work Environment

Is your monitor room conducive to maintaining staff motivation and productivity? I have had the opportunity to visit a number of surveillance departments around the world. They come in all shapes and sizes ranging from the brig of the United States, to the Starship Enterprise, to the casino owner’s office.

The space and design of a monitor room usually indicates one of two things: the age of the casino, or senior management’s attitude towards the importance of surveillance. The modern day casino usually has a monitor room that can be shown off like a new Corvette.

It is not uncommon for owners and senior executives to take distinguished visitors for a tour of the room. In contrast, the aging or struggling casinos usually prefer to keep their monitor rooms in the closet (some unfortunately are literally the size of a closet).

In fact, I have found it is not uncommon for potential buyers to list the monitor room as a high priority when viewing a prospective property. The condition of the monitor room is like the lumberjack’s way of counting the circles in the trunk of a tree to see how old (fashioned) it is.

The point here is that when you walk into a monitor room you get a sense for what senior managements’ attitude is towards gaming integrity and asset protection. Technology should be updated on a regular basis to stay in line with the hardware and software that individuals have access to at home and everyday society. Going from Windows 2003 at your home to Windows 95 at work is not the best way to keep intelligent employees motivated.

Maintenance Program

No doubt the unheralded superstars of a surveillance operation are the technicians. “Da Techs” keep the CCTV system up and running smoothly. Often found hanging from casino ceilings or trying to find innovative ways to mount cameras between palm trees and Harley Davidsons parked on the tops of slot machines, the surveillance techs are constantly called upon to challenge the boundaries of common sense and patience.

Like a well maintained car, a surveillance department should carry log books. The logbooks should consist of (at a minimum): system drawings, schematics, equipment inventory, service and repair records, and an ongoing maintenance schedule. This information is usually a mandated regulatory requirement.

One of the challenges for technicians is the always-changing layouts of the gaming floor and expansion of property amenities. These types of projects usually put a strain on in-house resources and often result in the day-to-day ongoing neglect of the maintenance program. This is where the training of surveillance operators to conduct simple routine preventative maintenance tasks is a good option. My last word of advice on system maintenance: Check the log books regularly. The boss doesn’t like to hear the words “Systems are down.”

Next Month: Part 3: Information

Willy Allison is President of World Game Protection Inc., organizer of the World Game Protection Conference. He can be reached at (702) 407-9900 or willy[at]worldgameprotection.com. For more information on the WGPC, visit www.worldgameprotection.com.