Pit Bosses

Gambling has existed since ancient times. Gambling establishments have changed over time, but there were always places to gamble, where people placed bets in one form or another whether simply on a game of chance like dice, or playing cards, or sporting events. Over the years, criminals have not only tried to cheat at casino games but have often succeeded.

Casinos need to be on the lookout for people trying to cheat or take an unfair advantage. That is where pit bosses come in. The pit boss at a casino is the employee that helps the casino guard against theft and fraud. He or she helps make table games fair for everyone.

In early years, the responsibilities of pit bosses were entrusted to the casino manager. At that time, he or she was responsible for watching over all the games. As gaming and casinos progressed, the job of pit bosses evolved. Today, pit bosses watch over a bank of table games in one pit or might even oversee a number of pits, but not the entire casino. In this way they can concentrate on what is happening and keep close tabs on all players and dealers in the pits for which they are responsible.

Pit bosses hold an important job in the casino. They make sure that the games are played fairly and according to the rules. They watch the games, the dealers, and the players to ensure everything is on the up and up. They look for players who appear to have an unfair advantage and players who count cards.

When they see anything suspicious, they step in. While pit bosses do a lot of their work simply observing while walking around the casino pits, the details of their job has changed over the years because of technology. Today, everything in the casino is videotaped by “the eye in the sky.” These surveillance cameras are strategically placed throughout the casino property and literally show everything that is happening. When pit bosses suspect someone of doing something wrong, they simply need to call security or surveillance to check the footage. They may, for example, analyze player’s play or see if the customer is in the casino’s system and marked as a card counter and cheater. If they feel a customer is cheating, they not only can ban them from playing at the casino, they often send over a video clip to other casinos for their protection as well.