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Interest Waning in Megaresort Security

Presentations that lacked the sex-appeal of computer gambling or billion-dollar deals were suddenly hot tickets, with casino executives and the news media scurrying to find out how hijackings and the anthrax scare would affect the operation of Strip megaresorts.

But if a Tuesday panel presentation on security matters is any indication, that fleeting interest in security matters is reverting to indifference.

Only 25 American Gaming Summit-goers attended a panel discussion called "Security in a Changing World," less than half as many industry insiders as attended similar seminars at gaming conventions last fall.

The seminar's speakers, however, said the terrorist attacks have changed how security is handled at local casinos.

Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief Bill Young, an announced candidate to succeed retiring Sheriff Jerry Keller, told the sparse crowd that if normal is defined as the way things were before Sept. 11, things won't ever return to normal for Las Vegas security professionals.

"At least in my career, it'll never be the same for me," Young said. "But given time, the public will realize that the threat has been diminished."

Young credited the casino industry for cooperating closely with law enforcement officers in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

"We couldn't do what we do without our partners in the tourism industry," he said. "Our casino industry partners have really stepped to the plate."

Young noted that major Strip operators offered their customer lists to the post-Sept. 11 law enforcement effort, cross-referencing their databases with a 1,000-name list of people being sought by U.S. intelligence agencies.

The list was provided by the FBI and presumably included names forwarded by other federal intelligence gathering organizations, he noted.

"We provided the operators with all of the names from the watch list," Young said. "It's amazing how many people on the watch list that were also listed, in one way or the other, on the operators' lists."

One name that jumped out at law enforcement officials, he noted, was a sister of Osama bin-Laden.

"She's a very good customer in Las Vegas," Young said of the woman, one of more than 50 bin Laden siblings. "She's very well-known in Las Vegas, and she's been known to visit a number of casinos."

The sister's last name is also bin Laden, but Young didn't remember her first name.

"Our understanding is that Osama bin Laden is estranged from most of his family," Young said. "It's interesting that the computers spit out the name bin Laden a couple times, but his sister is evidently a good customer and a good shopper."

Young declined to say which company's list showed bin Laden's sister as a customer.

Casino security expert Douglas Florence reminded conference-goers that casino customers have some expectation that their personal information will be kept confidential.

"These players have some level of trust," Florence said. "But I think that the properties will be very forthcoming about sharing that information with law enforcement."

Casino industry lawyer Ellen Whittemore had another take on the small crowd, suggesting that the security seminar's attendance was more a reflection on the event than on the subject matter.

"This is a networking gathering," Whittemore said. "People are meeting each other rather than attending seminars."

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