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

7.10 Skimming

Historical — Illegal Activity

“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. Skimming operations were estimated to remove hundreds of millions of dollars from Las Vegas casinos between the 1940s and 1970s.

In practice

The Nevada Gaming Commission’s introduction of strict cash handling procedures, the “eye in the sky” surveillance system, and mandatory counting room monitoring were all designed to eliminate skimming. Modern casino accounting systems make skimming virtually impossible in regulated jurisdictions.

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary — 1,157 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.