Part V: Regional & Cultural · Casino Slang & Historical Terms

Skimming

Historical — Illegal ActivityVERIFIED

“Skimming” is the practice of removing cash from casino counting rooms before it is officially recorded, thereby evading taxation and creating untraceable income for casino owners. Skimming was the primary method by which organized crime figures extracted profits from Las Vegas casinos during the mob era. Cash would be removed from counting rooms and transported to mob bosses in other cities. The Stardust and Argent cases of the 1970s and 1980s are the best-documented examples.

In practice

Count-room surveillance, strict cash-handling rules and modern accounting systems were introduced in part to stop skimming.

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary, 1,090 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.