"The Gambling Capital of the World: Intelligence, Las Vegas Style!" – with James Lockhart and Keith Michaels
Summary
Keith Michaels (LinkedIn) and James Lockhart (LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss intelligence in an unlikely place: Casinos! James and Keith have collectively over 30 years of experience within Las Vegas gaming surveillance.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
- How casinos conduct surveillance
- Collaboration between casinos and intelligence organizations
- The mob origins of Las Vegas
- Nation-state intelligence threats in casinos
Reflections
- It’s just the luck of the draw … or is it?
- Playing your cards right
And much, much more …
Episode Notes
You’ve seen James Bond pay his luck at several casino tables. You’ve watched the classic movies Ocean’s Eleven, 21, and Molly’s Game. Maybe you’ve even rolled the dice yourself … but how much do you know about the very real surveillance operations that casinos run to take down some of the most elaborate money-making schemes around the world?
This week on SpyCast, Andrew is joined by Keith Michaels and James Lockhart on a journey into the secret underbelly of the “Gambling Capital of the World,” Las Vegas. How do casinos conduct surveillance, and what prompted them to adopt formal surveillance operations? Tune in to find out.
And…
The oldest casino in downtown Sin City is the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, opened only months after the founding of the city in 1905. Room and board was a stiff $1 charge per night, as the hotel was considered first class. In another first, the Golden Gate was home to the first telephone in Las Vegas!
Quotes of the Week
“Casino operations are venues for intelligence activity, not just for the low-level criminal or the higher-level criminal, but also nation states … You know, we're only catching about 35% of what's going on. There's a lot of cash moving around very fast. A lot of people coming in and out in a casino. So, the possibilities are kind of endless.” – James Lockhart
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
- 70th Anniversary of James Bond, Special with Alexis Albion on 007, Part 1 (2023)
- 70th Anniversary of James Bond, Special with Alexis Albion on 007, Part 2 (2023)
- How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Spy Game with Mike Susong (2023)
- Baseball and Espionage with Ryan Zimmerman and Marc Polymeropoulos (2022)
- Dealing with Russia: A Conversation with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson (2022)
*Beginner Resources*
- A Brief History of Las Vegas, T. Lambert, Local Histories (2021) [Short Article]
- A Brief History of Gambling, R. Cormack, Medium (2018] [Short Article]
- How to Play Baccarat, WikiHow (2020) [Short Video]
DEEPER DIVE
Books
- Casino: The Rise and Fall of the Mob in Las Vegas, N. Pileggi (Ebury Press, 2015)
- Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling, D. G. Schwartz (Winchester Books, 2013)
- Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, B. Mezrich (Free Press, 2002)
- Casino Royale, I. Fleming (Jonathan Cape, 1953)
Articles
- Group accused in $225K ‘dice sliding’ cheating scheme at Las Vegas casino, D. Charns, The Hill (2023)
- The Top 20 Casino Gambling Scams of the Century, W. Allison, Global Gaming Business Magazine (2022)
- 9 Scandals That Rocked the Gambling Industry, P. Evans, Insider (2019)
- ‘Someone to watch over me’: Surveillance within a UK Casino, Y. Guerrier & G. Bohane, Journal of Hospitality and Society (2013)
- How Vegas Security Drives Surveillance Tech Everywhere, M. Kaplan, Popular Mechanics (2010)
Video
- Pro Card Counter Answers Casino Odds Questions From Twitter, WIRED, YouTube (2023)
- Casino Cheating Expert Reviews Card Counting and Casino Scams From Movies, Vanity Fair, YouTube (2021)
Primary Sources
- Federal Special Agent Pleads Guilty To Gambling With Government Funds, United States Attorney’s Office, District of Nevada (2022)
- Surveillance Standards for Nonrestricted Licensees, Nevada Gaming (2005)
- Gaming probers sue CIA, CIA (1979)
- How U.S. Made Unholy Alliance with the Mafia, CIA (1975)
- Bugsy Siegel Collection, FBI (n.d.)
*Wildcard Resource*
- In 1983, William Casey, then Director of the CIA, was invited to the Recording Industry Cultural Award Dinner. Luckily for him, Kenny Rogers was the featured performer of the night. He probably played “The Gambler,” a song that Erin thinks is a spot-on analogy for the Intelligence Cycle. You’ve got to know when hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em … Know when to walk to away, and know when to run.
