Willy Allison

Casino Riskologist

Willy Allison is the Managing Director of World Game Protection and a trusted voice in the casino protection community. Willy started in the business 37 years ago as a surveillance operator in Australia. His operations career progressed into various surveillance management roles in Australia, Asia, South America and the US which gave him a unique opportunity to gain valuable international and multi-jurisdictional experience. In 2006 Willy created and launched the World Game Protection Conference (WGPC), the industry’s first conference and expo dedicated to casino surveillance and game protection professionals, which has become a must-attend for casino professionals around the globe.

An industry researcher and information sharer Willy possesses a strong commitment to lifelong learning. He has written numerous articles for the casino industry and has published free online game protection newsletters since 2005 including The Monitor Room, which currently goes out to over 6,000 subscribers weekly. Willy is the host of Pan Tilt Zoom, a bi-weekly video podcast about casino operational threats and ways to reduce the risk.

 

SESSION DESCRIPTION
CORE TRAINING: Table Game Protection
If you want to know the secret of how to make yourself a lesser target for cheats, thieves and advantage players, quite frankly it’s easy – good management. This class is a 3-hour summary (from a veteran surveillance professional’s perspective) of the most common ways people have cheated, stolen and beaten casino table games over the last twenty years and what we have learned to better safeguard our games. Spoiler alert: he believes prevention is better than cure.

Willy doesn’t pull any rabbits in this class. He breaks it down to the brass tacks of protecting table games. You will learn that the biggest threat to the game is your own staff. You’ll see videos of common cheating methods as well as multi-million dollar scams. Other topics covered include: collusion, employee theft, advantage play, counterfeit chips, faulty equipment, flawed math and the use of computers to cheat the game.

SESSION DESCRIPTION
CORE TRAINING: Surveillance Management
A knowledgeable surveillance professional with strong leadership skills and the ability to manage an efficient high-performance department is an asset to any casino organization. But how does one become a good Surveillance Director? How does one set up a surveillance operation that casino executives can rely on and brag about? This class taught by 36 year casino surveillance veteran Willy Allison explores his Four Pillars of Surveillancepeople, operations, communication and information. Breaking each pillar down, detailing specific practices, students will learn how to take a structured approach to organizing and maintaining an efficient high performance operation. Topics covered include: recruitment, training, performance management, leadership, surveillance equipment, information systems, monitor room procedures, new technologies, effective communication, customer service and global best practices.

SESSION DESCRIPTION
The Top Casino Scam Busts of 2023
2023 was an eventful year for casino cheating scams. It’s safe to say that cheating is back after somewhat of a drop-off during the COVID years. In this interactive session Willy Allison and Buddy Frank discuss the cheating busts that made the news around the world (they’ll also talk about some that didn’t make the news). They will breakdown how the scams work and with the help of the audience rank them in terms of impact and ingenuity. The hosts will also examine: What types of scams are trending? What do the 2023 scams have in common? What should casinos do to sharpen their defenses against scammers in 2024?

SESSION DESCRIPTION
Closing Remarks: Willy Allison’s 15 Minutes of Flame
How do you sum up the takeaways of a 3 day conference, the events of the year (not to mention the state of the world) in 15 minutes? You don’t, but it’s the end of the conference and the organizer will do his best.

Casino Riskologist