Casino Staff Should Be Trained to Recognize Human Trafficking, Campaigner Urges
Posted on: February 17, 2022, 03:48h. 
Final updated on: February 17, 2022, 04:22h.
A campaigner against human trafficking has known as for casinos to implement instruction applications to assist staff recognize possible victims.
Annie Sovcik, director of Busing on the Lookout, a plan of Truckers Against Trafficking, says casinos are prime destinations for sex traffickers looking to solicit purchasers.
That is because they attract buyers who are prepared to spend income and take dangers. They are also locations where lots of cash adjustments hands and are typically attached to hotel complexes.
Sovick was addressing the Globe Game Protection Conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Her words were reported by CDC Gaming Reports.
Las Vegas Metro Police claim that about 400 children are picked off the streets from prostitution every single year. Meanwhile, the US Justice Division has named Las Vegas amongst the 17 most probably destinations for human trafficking in America.
Gaming Industry Can Make a Difference 
But Sovick believes that casinos can be refuges for victims, rather than places where they are traded like cattle. She stated victims have reported feeling as although they were “hiding in plain sight” in casinos.
That could change if staff are educated to spot telltale signs of trafficking, she added.
Most people, when they hear about how dark the problem is, want to do some thing to assist, but not every person is in a critical position to make an impact,” Sovcik mentioned. “Leaders in the gaming industry all through the United States are in a position to make a essential influence.”
Red flags consist of folks who show signs of physical injury, and when addressed, could not know exactly where they are or what day or date it is, Sovick mentioned.
“Take unique note of men and women who appear to be beneath the manage of somebody else,” she added. “Maybe they cannot speak for themselves or make eye make contact with, or they inform a story that sounds rehearsed, or the information do not make sense. A handful of caring questions can go a lengthy way.”
Preemptive Strikes
Sovick’s organization has developed a instruction program designed particularly for casinos and a toolkit for managers who want to launch anti-trafficking applications.
Even so, she acknowledged that numerous casinos in Las Vegas and beyond are currently taking steps to address the problem, usually in collaboration with law enforcement.
Earlier this week, Casino.org reported that Las Vegas police launched a preemptive operation. The move was to counter an anticipated rise in human trafficking as guests flooded Las Vegas for the NFL Pro Bowl and NHL All-Star Game on the weekend of Feb. four.
The operation involved female undercover detectives posing as potential victims. A sting at Planey Hollywood snared a firefighter with the Clark County Fire Department who was apparently moonlighting as a pimp.