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The bill validator in the slot machine will not flag a serial number. It won't be caught until the bills hit the bank. But once they deduced that casinos were b

The bill validator in the slot machine will not flag a serial number. It won't be caught until the bills hit the bank. But once they deduced that casinos were being used, Barney Fife would be hot on the trail.

yieldcrv 3y ago
So what’s the solution? Casinos file currency transaction reports over $10k and trying to stay under $10k is illegal structuring too, if flagged There is still a trail with that method. there are gaps in the AML/KYC framework but I don’t think this a good one
- gosub100 3y ago
  I am not suggesting going over $10k at the cashier's desk. The automated ticket cashing machines can easily handle $500-$1k amounts. I'm also not suggesting all $30MM could be washed in one casino in one day. I do think a few people could wash $100k in a day or 2, depending on the size of the operation. 2 edits: wash isn't really the right word because you still can't prove where you got it. Secondly, you'd potentially be showing yourself on video so that's a significant risk.
  - FireBeyond 3y ago
    "Potentially" on video? I think after the third or fourth bill you put into a slot or a table, it'd be -trivial- for casino camera systems to isolate you. The software is specifically designed to track people between cameras, to be able to point to a person and 'rewind' their movements, to be able to say "which people played these three slots between 10pm and 11pm", etc.
    - gosub100 3y ago
      Yeah so basic ops sec. Don't drive in with a vehicle tied to you, wear a hat or basic disguse, get your money swapped and leave. You can put a few bills into the machine, that's not a crime. The only thing to worry about is if that casino has been alerted to people cashing out without playing. Hell, you could find the lowest volatility game such as video poker that has a 99.5% hold and play it for a calculated amount to converge to the mean as quickly as possible. It's not like cheating where they are going to be running after you as soon as you put in funny money.
      - FireBeyond 3y ago
        > You can put a few bills into the machine, that's not a crime. Until you're suspected of laundering. All I'm saying is that as soon as the Secret Service comes knocking (although maybe they only deal with counterfeiting, but [insert any federal agency]) with a suspicion that you, or that money, are involved, the casinos will fall over themselves to assist. They're not going to risk threats to their licenses. > Don't drive in with a vehicle tied to you, wear a hat or basic disguse You say this like casinos don't also employ systems, and people who are trained to look for hustlers, con artists, cheats who might be using disguises to enter. You're right, though, absent any suspicion of you, they won't be looking for you. It's very easy for banks to tell what merchants have had skimmers installed. Three or four fraud reports that all have a common merchant, and you're off and running, by seven or eight you can isolate pretty much any merchant. But this also the fallacy of superiority, and "the intelligence of criminals". "Hah, stupid criminals, basic opsec, and you're fine." Were you carrying a cell phone? What's your gait as you walk look like? Etc., etc. "Oh, they won't go to that length"... for thirty million dollars cash stolen? They absolutely will. "Gait analysis is pseudoscience"? Maybe. Do you think that will stop efforts at parallel construction? > Hell, you could find the lowest volatility game such as video poker that has a 99.5% hold and play it for a calculated amount to converge to the mean as quickly as possible. It's not like cheating where they are going to be running after you as soon as you put in funny money. This would stand out like a red flag as soon as you did it a few times. Because who goes from video poker machine to video poker machine (even at different casinos - and many of the casinos can and do track and work with each other on surveillance to watch people moving between them) just to "play for a calculated amount to converge on the mean" and then cash out? No, they're not running after you, but when the po-po come knocking, you'll be wearing a neon sign above your head.

yieldcrv 3y ago

So what’s the solution? Casinos file currency transaction reports over $10k and trying to stay under $10k is illegal structuring too, if flagged There is still a trail with that method. there are gaps in the AML/KYC framework but I don’t think this a good one

gosub100 3y ago
I am not suggesting going over $10k at the cashier's desk. The automated ticket cashing machines can easily handle $500-$1k amounts. I'm also not suggesting all $30MM could be washed in one casino in one day. I do think a few people could wash $100k in a day or 2, depending on the size of the operation. 2 edits: wash isn't really the right word because you still can't prove where you got it. Secondly, you'd potentially be showing yourself on video so that's a significant risk.
- FireBeyond 3y ago
  "Potentially" on video? I think after the third or fourth bill you put into a slot or a table, it'd be -trivial- for casino camera systems to isolate you. The software is specifically designed to track people between cameras, to be able to point to a person and 'rewind' their movements, to be able to say "which people played these three slots between 10pm and 11pm", etc.
  - gosub100 3y ago
    Yeah so basic ops sec. Don't drive in with a vehicle tied to you, wear a hat or basic disguse, get your money swapped and leave. You can put a few bills into the machine, that's not a crime. The only thing to worry about is if that casino has been alerted to people cashing out without playing. Hell, you could find the lowest volatility game such as video poker that has a 99.5% hold and play it for a calculated amount to converge to the mean as quickly as possible. It's not like cheating where they are going to be running after you as soon as you put in funny money.
    - FireBeyond 3y ago
      > You can put a few bills into the machine, that's not a crime. Until you're suspected of laundering. All I'm saying is that as soon as the Secret Service comes knocking (although maybe they only deal with counterfeiting, but [insert any federal agency]) with a suspicion that you, or that money, are involved, the casinos will fall over themselves to assist. They're not going to risk threats to their licenses. > Don't drive in with a vehicle tied to you, wear a hat or basic disguse You say this like casinos don't also employ systems, and people who are trained to look for hustlers, con artists, cheats who might be using disguises to enter. You're right, though, absent any suspicion of you, they won't be looking for you. It's very easy for banks to tell what merchants have had skimmers installed. Three or four fraud reports that all have a common merchant, and you're off and running, by seven or eight you can isolate pretty much any merchant. But this also the fallacy of superiority, and "the intelligence of criminals". "Hah, stupid criminals, basic opsec, and you're fine." Were you carrying a cell phone? What's your gait as you walk look like? Etc., etc. "Oh, they won't go to that length"... for thirty million dollars cash stolen? They absolutely will. "Gait analysis is pseudoscience"? Maybe. Do you think that will stop efforts at parallel construction? > Hell, you could find the lowest volatility game such as video poker that has a 99.5% hold and play it for a calculated amount to converge to the mean as quickly as possible. It's not like cheating where they are going to be running after you as soon as you put in funny money. This would stand out like a red flag as soon as you did it a few times. Because who goes from video poker machine to video poker machine (even at different casinos - and many of the casinos can and do track and work with each other on surveillance to watch people moving between them) just to "play for a calculated amount to converge on the mean" and then cash out? No, they're not running after you, but when the po-po come knocking, you'll be wearing a neon sign above your head.