Deregulation of casinos is coming. That could mean many more casinos – Blackpool becoming the English Las Vegas, even. That would mean more demand for CCTV and other electronic security measures to monitor the gaming.
Also, regardless of the Government’s wish to reform gaming in the UK by allowin’g casinos to expand, the new regulator would still have a security job to do.
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As Peter Dean, Chairman of the Gaming Board for Great Britain pointed out in a recent speech, the regulated casino industry in the UK has enjoyed a good reputation for probity for decades. The Gaming Act 1968 created the board (Gamboard) partly to combat criminals operating and laundering money through casinos. In July, the Government brought out draft clauses towards a gambling bill. Gamboard will be replaced by a Gambling Commission. Mr Dean said: ‘Whilst the thrust of the Government’s proposals is de-regulatory, the first of the statutory objectives is to keep crime out of gambling, and the Commission will be given broader powers than those now exercised by the Board, including powers to impose fines and commence prosecutions.’Mr Dean singled out a possible new power for the regulator – to tackle illegal gaming. As our last report on casinos in February 2002 showed, measures like in-house CCTV not only have a security management purpose (to protect staff, visitors and takings) but a general management purpose (staff can show digitally recorded images on colour monitors promptly if players have a dispute with the house). Gamboard also takes in thousands of bookmakers and arcade operators.
