Live games and floor leadership
Dealer, inspector, floor and pit leadership, assistant casino management, casino management, and shift management across Roulette, Blackjack, Punto Banco, Baccarat, Craps, poker variants, Sic Bo, and high-limit play.
Founder & Editor
H. Omer Aktas
More than 30 years of international casino experience, from the table and cash desk to surveillance, slots, casino management, internal audit, and casino management systems implementation.
I created Chips & Truths to explain casino games and casino operations from direct experience. My career has covered nearly every operational level: dealer, inspector, cash-desk supervisor and manager, surveillance supervisor and manager, pit manager, assistant casino manager, casino manager, shift manager, internal auditor, trainer, and systems implementation project manager.
Operational experience
Experience across the departments that make a casino work.
My background is not limited to one game or one management title. I have worked on the customer-facing floor, in cash-sensitive departments, behind surveillance monitors, with slot and bingo operations, and in the systems and reporting work that connects departments together.
Cash desk and cage control
Cash-desk supervision and management, chip and cash control, balancing, reconciliation, fills and credits, high-volume transactions, documentation, and exception handling.
Surveillance and game protection
CCTV operations, incident review, evidence-based reporting, fraud and advantage-play indicators, procedural integrity, investigations, escalation, and cross-department coordination.
Slots, bingo, and property operations
Casino management responsibilities covering slot floors, jackpots and handpays, machine performance, a high-volume bingo operation, guest service, staffing, and daily property control.
Casino management systems
Project management for multi-property casino database and surveillance-system implementation, connecting live games, cage, surveillance, approvals, reporting, training, and operational workflows.
Audit, reporting, and training
Internal audit, operating procedures, control checklists, management reporting, Excel analysis, dealer training schools, train-the-trainer programs, and structured follow-up on operational exceptions.
International perspective
Casino work across different countries, customer groups, and operating cultures.
My career has taken me through casino operations in Türkiye, Czechia, Belize, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Northern Cyprus, India, and Suriname. I have worked with international and local player groups, high-limit and mass-market customers, junket business, diplomats, tourists, and long-term local guests.
This international experience matters because procedures, customer expectations, regulatory environments, staff cultures, and management priorities are not identical everywhere. The common requirement is disciplined operational judgment: verify the facts, protect the game and the money, treat people consistently, document exceptions, and make decisions that can withstand review.
Education
Economics, sociology, statistics, and psychology.
My academic studies add a second perspective to my operational career: how organizations allocate resources, how people behave in groups, how evidence should be measured, and how judgment can be influenced by incentives, uncertainty, and cognitive bias.
Ege University
Economics
Studied economics at Ege University in Türkiye, developing a foundation in markets, incentives, resource allocation, and quantitative reasoning.
Middle East Technical University
Sociology, with extensive statistics and psychology study
Studied Sociology at Middle East Technical University, one of Türkiye’s leading universities. The program included extensive statistics and the study of psychology, supporting a deeper understanding of social behavior, decision-making, research methods, and the interpretation of evidence.
Other work
Websites built around practical explanation and operational judgment.
CasinoOpsAI.com
Casino operations applications and management resources
Practical casino software, operational analytics, procedures, reporting tools, implementation guidance, and AI-assisted workflows for owners, managers, and department teams.
Visit site AIUpdateWatch.comClear AI guidance for everyday users
Beginner-friendly explanations of artificial intelligence, important updates, practical tools, safety issues, scams, and the real-world meaning of changing AI products.
Visit site WTFIsTrending.comEvidence-led analysis of important AI developments
Deeper reporting on AI models, agents, infrastructure, security, data, evaluation, workplace adoption, and model comparisons without promotional hype.
Visit site“The purpose of Chips & Truths is not to make gambling sound mysterious. It is to explain the math, the procedures, the incentives, and the operational reality clearly enough that readers can make better-informed decisions.”
Editorial approach
Experience is useful only when it is translated into clear, verifiable work.
I use direct operational experience to identify the questions that matter, but experience alone is not a substitute for evidence. Rules, probabilities, house edges, laws, and change-sensitive facts should be checked against reliable sources. Editorial conclusions should be separated from provider claims, and uncertainty should be stated instead of hidden.
Chips & Truths is independent. It does not promote casino bonuses, sell betting systems, or present gambling as a dependable way to make money. The site is designed to explain how games and casino operations actually work.
Complete working chronology
Professional experience, from 1988 to 2026.
The chronology below presents the roles in reverse order, beginning with the most recent. It shows the progression from front-line casino work to department leadership, property management, audit, training, and multi-property systems implementation.
2022–2026
Casino Shift Manager
Led end-to-end shift operations for a 14-table live-games floor, including high-limit Baccarat, house-rule decisions, limits and approvals, disputes, incident escalation, rosters, reporting, and player-tracking validation.
2019–2022
Casino Pit Manager
Supervised table-game procedures and staff, handled complex disputes and integrity concerns, coached dealers, and created structured dealer training for American Roulette, Blackjack, and Punto Banco.
2018
Casino Manager
Directed the operational reorganization of a downtown casino, including the launch of 140 slot machines and six tables, standard procedures, staffing controls, service recovery, and marketing initiatives.
2015–2018
Casino Manager
Oversaw daily operations for 110 slot machines and a high-volume bingo hall, coordinating gaming-floor operations, cage, guest service, staffing, payouts, promotions, procedures, and performance reporting.
2012–2015
Surveillance Manager
Directed surveillance for live tables, slots, and cage-related cash and chip transactions; produced structured incident reports, supported investigations, and strengthened procedures through root-cause analysis.
2008–2012
Founder / Partner
Co-founded and operated an e-commerce business, building workflows for orders, customer service, suppliers, returns, issue resolution, reporting, and remote technical coordination.
2007–2008
Internal Auditor
Designed and tested internal controls, verified departmental data, performed operational audits, documented corrective actions, and created repeatable checklists and evidence standards.
2004–2006
Casino Database / Surveillance Systems Implementation Project Manager
Led a multi-property casino software rollout covering surveillance, cage, and live games. Defined operational requirements, integrated reporting and exception tracking, and delivered SOPs and train-the-trainer programs.
2003–2004
Assistant Casino Manager
Supported daily operation of a 12-table casino floor, including house rules, limits, staffing, customer disputes, operational exceptions, written documentation, and management control.
1999–2001
Casino Pit Manager
Ran shift operations for an 18-table live-games floor near the Austrian border, maintaining game integrity, workflow, controls, and service for an international customer base.
1998–1999
Surveillance Supervisor
Directed CCTV surveillance for a 16-table floor, investigated fraud, suspicious behavior, advantage-play indicators, and procedural violations, and coordinated with pit, security, and cage teams.
1994–1998
Casino Pit Manager
Supervised a 16-table live-games floor, managed high-roller and junket play, and trained more than 30 dealers across the company’s casino operations.
1992–1994
Table Games Inspector
Inspected game quality and procedure across Blackjack, Roulette, Caribbean Stud Poker, Punto Banco, Sic Bo, and other live games.
1991–1992
Cash Desk Manager
Managed cage operations for a casino with 16 live tables and 120 slot machines, including transaction accuracy, balancing, reconciliation, documentation, and daily reporting.
1990–1991
Table Games Dealer-Inspector
Dealt and inspected Roulette and Blackjack while maintaining correct procedure, game pace, payout accuracy, and game integrity.
1989–1990
Cash Desk Supervisor
Supervised cash-desk operations during high junket volume, ensuring accurate transactions, balancing, documentation, and control standards.
1988–1989
Table Games Dealer
Dealt American Roulette, Blackjack, Punto Banco, Craps, and Seven Card Stud Poker for an international clientele that included military personnel and diplomats.
Professional contact
Connect with H. Omer Aktas.
For professional background, current projects, and public career information, visit LinkedIn. For questions about Chips & Truths, use the site contact page.