The attention Within the Sky

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Did you ever wonder what the attention within the sky does? That is the name given to the surveillance operation at casinos (and other businesses nowadays.) Because casinos deal in cash and gambling, they've always been big on protecting their revenue stream.

Years ago casinos came up with what was called the eye-in-the-sky, to maintain a watch on their guests, and their very own employees. Back then, men worked above the casino floor within the rafters on plywood frames with binoculars to check out and catch cheats. Other names were extensively utilized for the "eye," equivalent to the peak, sky, and the tower.

These days the attention doesn't also have to be within the sky so long as the cameras are. Surveillance workers string miles and miles of cable to hundreds of cameras and back to the surveillance room, thereby enabling the employees to observe virtually everything that goes on in public areas.

Surveillance Manager

The surveillance manager has to have many talents, because they're in command of a lot more than simply watching the casino. Not just have they got to do budgeting and buying for his or her department, in addition they need to know the technical things concerning the job as well.

Lighting can affect the power of even the most efficient cameras to do an adequate job, so the whole lighting of the casino is vital. Certain cameras even have different attributes; some are stationary, some have pan-and-tilt abilities meaning they may be able to mover around to get a greater view, and a few too can zoom-in on an object.

The manager also has to know what's important for every casino department to have camera coverage for. Often, that coverage isn't "live," just recorded. Other such things as the movement of chips from the vault or cage to the tables or the "drop" boxes being retrieved from the table games and slot machines must be viewed live. The power to correctly handle workflow and scheduling generally is a major attribute for a competent, successful manager.

Managers with little experience may earn up to $48,000 a year. More matured managers and people working for massive facilities often earn twice that sum.

What a Surveillance Officer Does

A surveillance officer, likewise, has to do many roles. They're concerned with taking calls from all areas of the casino and turning on cameras, and in addition watching live footage of certain aspects of the daily grind.

Officers, or operators, get calls throughout the opening of table games like blackjack, roulette and craps. Also they are called when slot machines are opened, when jackpots are hit and paid (both in slots and table games departments), for Keno payoffs, poker site issues, fights, and all manner of player disputes.

Floor personnel are required to name the attention"" whenever they alter cards on table games, do fills of chips for the games, and after they produce other issues like player disputes or issues like drunk or unruly players. Often an officer is juggling several live feeds and in addition handling phone calls on the same time.

Officers, in addition to managers, must have an excellent understanding of ways each table game is played, how the dealers want to deal, what the payoffs are, and what to seem for that may detect cheating. Inexperienced or incompetent officers will cost the casino within the long run, so training could be very important.

New officers are inclined to make just a bit over minimum wage to start, but good properties offer experienced and newly trained officers the danger to earn more money to catch up on their increased abilities. AN EXCELLENT operator understands card counting, not only how a counter plays and what to seem for, but often team play is involved and a surveillance officer must be in a position to snap to their game to avoid wasting the casino money.

Also working for the surveillance department are technical workers, sometimes IT personnel, and those focusing on camera work - the operation, mounting, and the stringing of cable. At larger properties these are full time jobs. At smaller properties or those who have already got the infrastructure in place, the job of surveillance officer may encompass all aspects of the department.

What the Sky Looks For

While large casinos can have thousands of cameras, every casino is most interested by areas where cash changes hands. Areas monitored constantly are the cashiers cage, fill and credit cage, restaurant and bar cashiers, and ATM and and cashless ticket dispensers.

Beyond those obvious things, surveillance personnel are trained to seem for dealer cheating, equivalent to paying losing hands or not taking losers, overpaying bets, and overpaying cash-in and cash-out chip and money transactions. Players are watched for such things as switching cards, switching dice, moving bets on games like craps and roulette, capping (adding) winning bets, and pinching (reducing) losing bets.

Due to increased liability issues, officers should also be diligent about looking ahead to potential danger areas akin to spills, fallen objects, and other walking or driving hazards. Catching a subject matter before it becomes dangerous or harmful is a key attribute of a very good eye within the sky

Read More... [Source: About.com Casino Gambling: What's Hot Now]