Gambling Jackpots may Present Security Risks, Analysts Provide Some Precautions

As one Flamingo Las Vegas player recently learned after winning more than $6.4 million at a table game, casino winnings may quickly exceed the seven figures. A large salary might change a person’s life, but it can also bring up significant troubles and security issues. What then may ecstatic winners do to guarantee their safety after they succeed financially?

Insiders from the business provided advice on how winners should safeguard both themselves and their money. After a victory, there are numerous strategies to safeguard yourself.

For prizes, request a check rather than cash, especially if it is a sizable amount. You should also temporarily put winnings in the cashier’s cage or a safety deposit box if you’re staying at the casino hotel. As quickly as feasible, winnings should be deposited at a financial institution.

You can employ the casino’s security features as one of the safeguards if you win a jackpot.

Be Vigilant
After a large win, experts advised winners to always be careful of their surroundings. This applies not only to the gaming floor but also to the casino’s parking lot and the route they take home.

“In recent years, there have been a few follow-home robberies from casinos across the nation that have left victims dead or seriously injured,” according to Charles H. Barry, the founder of Charles H. Barry and Associates, a forensic security consulting company with offices in Las Vegas.

Barry has held senior security management positions at Tropicana Entertainment, Harrah’s Entertainment, Park Place Entertainment, and Hilton Hotels Corporation. He is a former FBI agent and police officer.

Derk Boss, principal of DJ Boss Associates in Las Vegas, another security consulting business, agreed with Barry.

Boss, who has held security and surveillance management positions at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Nevada, the Palms Casino Resort in Nevada, and the Angel Of The Winds Casino Resort in Washington State, advised winners to be wary of anyone who pays them undue attention, behaves suspiciously, or tries to strike up a conversation or obtain personal information from them.

If so, Boss advised you to notify security personnel or other casino officials right away.

Recently, multiple violent and fatal situations took place after winners from gambling establishments in Missouri, New Jersey, and Maryland were followed home.

After a victory, if it appears that someone is tailing you, head straight for the police station or dial 911.

Avoid Too Much Advertising
Former Henderson, Nevada, police chief Tommy J. Burns issued a warning regarding the impact of casinos posting images of jackpots on social media, which might draw attention to your win and could put people at greater risk.

Most typically, casinos want your photo to highlight victories, according to Burns. “Thus, everybody now knows you earned $100,000.”

In addition to serving as the security director at Harrah’s Las Vegas and The Flamingo Hotel & Casino, he has experience as a privacy officer at the Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center.

Casinos are in Charge of Security
Casinos, according to Barry and Boss, are also in charge of making sure that winners are protected. Casinos could ask their security team to record the guard as he or she walks with the winner.

Casinos should also be careful to record any shady characters or actions they come across.

Also, the casino security team should follow the customer’s car until it leaves the premises and record the license plate numbers of any vehicles that may be following it.

Moreover, face recognition and license plate recognition technology are often used in gaming establishments.

This means that, according to Boss, “we can typically identify suspects before their entry and/or should they return after committing a crime.”

Given these protections, potential thieves might try to conceal their looks, which raises suspicion from the moment they walk into a casino.

According to Barry, security officers can inform winners about possible precautions, such as what to watch out for and how to defend oneself, in order to reduce danger. Barry suggests that casinos station security personnel in both uniform and casual attire next to a casino cage to keep an eye on activity.