Las Vegas Casinos Banning More People Than Ever

Casinos in Las Vegas are kicking out and banning more people than ever before, according to a report by the Las Vegas Review Journal.  In the last four years, Las Vegas casinos have seen an ‘uptick’ in individuals put on the Excluded Person List, commonly referred to as the ‘black book’. According to Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett, there has been an increase of around 25% more individuals on the Excluded Person List in the past four years than in the last twelve. And, Las Vegas isn’t alone in this. A report on the gaming industry in the US as a whole found that there are more individuals being banned from casino floors across the country.

Illegal Activity

According to the American Gaming Association’s Elizabeth Cronan, one of the main reasons for this increase is due to the association doing more to keep illegal activity out of their casinos. She said that the industry is both regulated and ‘based on integrity’. In recent years, casinos have stepped up their efforts to assist law enforcement, something that was acknowledged in a report by the Financial Action Task Force. The report said that the gaming industry in the US has taken ‘significant steps’ to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) and combatting the financing of terrorism (CFT) requirements, something that has led to casinos not only increasing their budget for compliance, but putting in place mitigating measures that are above the minimum requirements.

Growth of Gaming

According to Burnett, gaming has quickly become a part of nearly every jurisdiction throughout the US, and all of those jurisdictions have quickly had to become hyper-aware of crimes related to gaming and the gaming industry. He went on to say that ‘virtually 100%’ of every licensed gaming company in the US has a decent surveillance program, a requirement that is imposed on casinos by the state. However, with online casino sites showing a big list of casino reviews for Canadians, there’s becoming less of a need to travel to Las Vegas or even find a physical casino close to home. The increase in online casinos and their ever-growing popularity could well have contributed to the rise in barred individuals, as less regular players and more gaming criminals head to physical, offline casinos.

Praise

The fact that Las Vegas casinos are banning more people than ever from their floors shouldn’t be a cause for concern, however. In fact, the Financial Action Task Force gave some serious praise to the US gaming industry for the way in which they have turned things around and made playing casino games a safer and more enjoyable experience for all, something which has come as a welcome change after the industry suffered criticism from the regulatory body in recent years.  For example, the Amazing Canadian Portal lists reviews of casinos to help players find a safe website for them.

It seems that the gaming industry has taken note of the advice given to them by the Financial Action Task Force back in 2006, where it was recommended that the industry take ‘a number of steps’ to increase customer identification procedures, supervise and monitor anti-money laundering operations at casinos, and improve reporting of suspicious transactions. According to Cronon, casinos often serve as the ‘first line of defense’ for law enforcement officials, saying that they play a vital role in getting sensitive, and often new, information directly to the government.

According to the Financial Action Task Force, the US gaming industry has seriously stepped up its game when it comes to ensuring that casinos are safer, crime-free places, particularly in Las Vegas. With the rise of online gaming and casinos in the US and Canada, it’s good to know that it’s still possible to enjoy a physical casino game safely.