# Can/do casino's videotape the bathrooms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 31, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585 "2004-03-31T18:59:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/1 "2004-03-31T18:59:28Z")
Just like the title says. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/2 "2004-03-31T20:40:40Z")
I can’t see why they would want to. They watch the gaming area and entrances for various reasons, but why would they want to watch the bathrooms? Remember, the security in a casino is looking after its interests, not the customer’s safety. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/3 "2004-03-31T20:50:34Z")
If some kid OD’s on coke in a stall the casino has to deal with it, or if a pro is turning tricks in the bathroom. Cheaters might even use it as a staging area if they knew there were no cameras. I’m sure the casino would like to monitor the bathrooms, the question is are they allowed, given the privacy issues? ---
**Author:** ![Qburn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/bc79bd/32.png) [@Qburn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qburn)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/4 "2004-03-31T21:34:15Z")
[The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that cameras in public restrooms, locker rooms, jail cells and dressing rooms constitute illegal searches and thus violate the Fourth Amendment.](http://www.datalounge.com/datalounge/news/record.html?record=20484) ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/5 "2004-03-31T21:54:26Z")
Anybody remember that horrible [case](http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/special/1997/may/27/505937237.html) from a few years ago where the guy followed a little girl into a casino restroom and then raped and strangled her? They caught the guy with surveillance footage of him following her into the restroom and emerging 25 minutes later. But there was no actual footage from inside the restroom. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/6 "2004-03-31T21:59:06Z")
> [@cainxinth](#): > > Just like the title says. Can/do casino’s videotape the bathrooms? Just the craps. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/7 "2004-04-01T01:00:40Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > I can’t see why they would want to. They watch the gaming area and entrances for various reasons, but why would they want to watch the bathrooms? Remember, the security in a casino is looking after its interests, not the customer’s safety. From a TV show I once saw, it said that casinos are extremely enticing targets of slips/trips/falls scam artists, who then sue the hotel/casino. As the bathrooms are the only areas not covered by video, that’s the best place for the con to take place. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/8 "2004-04-01T04:01:05Z")
Cameras in the bathroom may be illegal but they could easily have an undercover guy wandering in there… Would be no different from anyone else using the restroom. ---
**Author:** ![AZRob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azrob/32/3003_2.png) [@AZRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZRob)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/9 "2004-04-01T08:30:45Z")
> [@Qburn](#): > > [The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that cameras in public restrooms, locker rooms, jail cells and dressing rooms constitute illegal searches and thus violate the Fourth Amendment.](http://www.datalounge.com/datalounge/news/record.html?record=20484) Actually, the Fourth Amendment is a protection against government intrusion, not private parties. The article cited refers to cameras which the police placed in the restroom in question. Anybody know what casino’s are doing? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/10 "2004-04-01T08:39:49Z")
> [@BrandonR](#): > > Cameras in the bathroom may be illegal but they could easily have an undercover guy wandering in there… Would be no different from anyone else using the restroom. Why make it undercover? Just have an employee there to hand out towels, offer shoeshines, clean up after guests, in plain site. Some of the shopping malls and stores here have service like this already. The casino gets security, the guests feel extra-pampered. Given the amount of money the cainos take in, it wouldn’t be a major expense, either. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/11 "2004-04-01T18:13:11Z")
Can anyone find the Supreme Court cite on this? I found some other pages that say monitoring dressing rooms is okay. Apparently privacy is preserverd as long as the monitoring is by the same sex as the dressing room is for and the cameras are tapeless. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-do-casinos-videotape-the-bathrooms/237585/12 "2004-04-01T21:56:40Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Why make it undercover? Just have an employee there to hand out towels, offer shoeshines, clean up after guests, in plain site. Some of the shopping malls and stores here have service like this already. The casino gets security, the guests feel extra-pampered. Given the amount of money the cainos take in, it wouldn’t be a major expense, either. Most of the higher class casinos I have been in on the LV strip do offer this service. Heck, even the Barbary Coast has a guy passing out towels during prime time.