Before the “eye in the sky” came along, casino surveillance guys (they were pretty much universally male) would peer down from above with binoculars to watch for dishonest employees and players trying to cheat the house.<\/p>\n

What was it like? Here’s a never-before-seen glimpse into a bygone era in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\t\t\t<\/iframe><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"http:\\\/\\\/schema.org\\\/\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.casino.org\\\/vitalvegas\\\/take-a-walk-along-a-las-vegas-casino-surveillance-catwalk\\\/#arve-youtube-iclz4zf0sdm\",\"type\":\"VideoObject\",\"embedURL\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\\\/embed\\\/iCLz4Zf0sdM?feature=oembed&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&autohide=1&playsinline=0&autoplay=0\"}<\/script>\n<\/p><\/div>\nMany of the old security passageways in Las Vegas casinos were closed off years ago, but a few remain.<\/p>\nGiven the extensive renovation of Cromwell, it’s unlikely the security catwalk in our video survived.<\/p>\nCasino security has come a long way since the early days of Las Vegas, of course. Now, casinos use sophisticated cameras and video analysis software to protect their assets.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20083\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20083\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-20083 size-full\" style=\"border: 1px solid #000000;\" src=\"\/vitalvegas\/dist\/images\/common\/transparent_3x2.gif\" alt=\"casino security\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/barbary_coast_security4.jpg\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20083\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In older casinos, new technology (dome cameras, left) co-exists with old. Note the one-way mirrors at right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn recent years, Las Vegas casinos have started using what’s called “non-obvious relationship awareness,” or NORA, software. This software allows security to tell if players and dealers are colluding.<\/p>\nCasinos even employ cryptographers and game theorists to assist with security efforts.<\/p>\nHere’s a fun fact: Casino employee uniforms are designed to deter theft. Sleeves are often kept short to prevent concealing chips, and pockets are either disallowed or covered with aprons.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20085\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20085\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-20085 size-full\" style=\"border: 1px solid #000000;\" src=\"\/vitalvegas\/dist\/images\/common\/transparent_3x2.gif\" alt=\"craps dealer\" width=\"500\" height=\"749\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/craps_dealer2.jpg\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20085\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Short sleeves and no pockets. Now, you know why.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEnjoy another glimpse into the past of Las Vegas.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20084\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20084\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-20084 size-full\" style=\"border: 1px solid #000000;\" src=\"\/vitalvegas\/dist\/images\/common\/transparent_3x2.gif\" alt=\"casino security\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/barbary_coast_security1.jpg\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20084\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Even that red discard tray is a security measure! They help security detect inks, or “daubs,” used to mark cards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThere’s something thrilling, and more than a little creepy, about walking in the footsteps of those early surveillance teams.<\/p>\nBack in the day, casinos often didn’t hand over unscrupulous employees or cheats to the police, preferring to deal with the issues internally. If you get our drift.<\/p>\nWhile some may pine for the early days of Las Vegas, we tend to prefer our kneecaps unbroken and our eyes unpopped out.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It’s rare when you see something you’ve never seen before, but gird your loins, you’re about to. A few years back, before Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall (originally Barbary Coast) was gutted to become the Cromwell, we got to stroll the casino’s old-school, labyrinthine catwalk. Before the “eye in the sky” came along, casino surveillance guys (they were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,23,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gambling","category-vegas","category-las-vegas-casinos"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Take a Walk Along a Las Vegas Casino Surveillance Catwalk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It's rare when you see something you've never seen before, but you're about to\u2014a never-before-seen view from a casino surveillance catwalk.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Take a Walk Along a Las Vegas Casino 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