From the Casino Floor to Global Floors: Aydemir Yüksel’s Journey Inside the Industry

With more than 30 years in the casino business, Aydemir Yüksel has worked every angle of the industry, from dealing cards on cruise ships to training high-limit staff at the Venetian Macao, and leading operations at Marina Bay Sands. He’s managed multicultural teams, mentored future casino leaders, and even uncovered an $80 million fraud. Now, with his first book published and a second on the way, Yüksel joined us on the casinos.com Podcast to share what really happens behind the scenes, and what operators and players often get wrong about life on the inside.

“Casinos don’t operate on luck. They operate on systems, discipline, and the people who run them. From the outside, gaming looks like lights and jackpots. From the inside, it is table games and slot performance, cage controls, surveillance, training, scheduling, compliance, and service at high speed with no room for error.”

That is the intro to a book by our Podcast guest Aydemir Yuksel.

A Love and Belonging to a Life in Casinos

When Aydemir Yüksel walked onto the floor of Sands Macau for the first time, he says it changed everything. That moment,  the lights, the energy, the sheer scale of it all, convinced him that the casino world was where he belonged.

“I started in a small casino in Turkey and then I moved to a ship. … But when I entered the Sands Macau, it was definitely a wow. I want to be part of this business.”

He recalls the scene vividly: a bustling, social gathering where gambling was the expected purpose, not just a sideshow. “I never see a casino like that. … It’s like the free food for all the Chinese … Everyone was there. … They are there for gambling.”

It was a stark contrast to his earlier work at smaller venues and cruise ships, and it set the direction for a decades long career that would take him across continents and cultures, from dealer to senior casino executive, and ultimately lead him to write a book about it all.

Listen to the Full Interview on our Podcast

Changing Lanes, from Dealer to Product Manager

Yüksel wore many hats over the years: dealer, supervisor, manager, chief manager. Yet the turning point came when he switched lanes.

“I became senior casino product manager,” he says, reflecting on his time at Marina Bay Sands (MBS). “I was able to see the other side of the casino operation.”

For the first time, he had to think not in terms of handling individual games, but in terms of building games, optimizing efficiency, and improving the overall casino “product.” Under tight regulatory oversight, this work changed how he viewed the business’s backbone, beyond chips and cards.

“That was the career change. … The way you see the angles was different.”

If he could go back, he says he would return to MBS in a heartbeat: strict jurisdiction, fair play, and operational discipline made it, he believes, the best place he ever worked.

A World of Different Gamblers and Cultures

His journey exposed him to starkly different gambling cultures. On a cruise ship in Malaysia and Singapore and later at high limit tables and VIP rooms, the betting ranged wildly, $5,000, $10,000, even far more. “It was kind of shock … I didn’t know that people can gamble that much.”

Asian players, he says, often eschew the glamour and nightlife associated with casinos in Europe or the West. “They don’t drink, … most big players … drink water, warm water or soya milk … they can play very big and they can focus until they stop playing.”

At the high tables, he sometimes witnessed three generations of a family, grandfather, father, son, sitting at the same table. 

“They have no bad feelings if they lose. They have fun and they walk away.”

In contrast, many VIP rooms he worked in were serene, low key places. “No requests, no TV, no music, no fancy things, only leave me alone. Let me play.” The public perception of casinos, glitzy, nightlife filled, noisy, often misses this more discreet, intense side of high stakes gambling.

Evolution of Regulation, Technology, and Ongoing Risks

Over decades, Yüksel has seen significant change on the casino floor. For one, regulation has tightened. Governments that once ignored where wealth came from (so long as it flowed through casinos) now have to contend with money laundering, criminal proceeds, and cross-border transactions.

He points to stringent rules in jurisdictions such as Singapore, where MBS operates under close oversight from the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore (GRA). Indeed, in April 2025 the GRA renewed MBS’s casino licence for three years under Section 45 of the Casino Control Act 2006, a sign of regulatory compliance and operational standards.  

Technology has also transformed the game. 

“Now with the new technology … You see a lot even in the movies … Changing, switching the cards … it’s impossible.” 

RFID chips, automated card shufflers, smart tables: these developments prevent many of the old cheating methods, card switching, chip theft, even fraudulent “angel-eye” sleights of hand.

Yet Yüksel warns there are still structural risks. When money changers, foreign passports and international transfers muddy the origin of funds, casinos and regulators are often left looking the other way, trading compliance for profit. For him, responsible gaming and regulation only work well when institutions are willing to enforce the rules, not just pay lip service.

Advice for Newcomers, and Why he Wrote the Book Now

For those thinking of entering the industry, Yüksel has a simple prescription: dedicate yourself fully, treat it as a profession, and know when to speak and when to listen. Personal ambition and discipline, he says, separate those who merely survive from those who excel.

He decided to write his book,  Insights from the Inside, now because the time was finally right. 

“For a long time, I was planning to have one trio book … I have been kind of cheated on multiple times … even though I sent money … I was expecting the book … but it didn’t happen.”

Thanks to modern self publishing tools, it became possible at last. His hope? To peel back the curtain on an industry many admire, some fear, but few truly understand.

What’s Next for Global Gambling, and Where to Watch

When asked where the next big growth markets might be, Yüksel pointed to parts of Asia and beyond. He singled out the Philippines as having momentum and potential, provided regulatory and ownership rules evolve to attract major investors. As of 2025, the Philippines is poised for billions in casino-sector investment to meet rising demand in a shifting regional gaming landscape.  

As for the industry at large, whether in Europe, Asia or the Americas, casinos will likely continue to evolve, but only those willing to adapt both culturally and operationally will survive. His books Modern Casino Exploits and Game Protection and Insights from the Inside, Modern Casino Management are  available on Amazon