The case: Connecticut's Mohegan Sun casino is preparing to go "all in" on a sensor-riddled blackjack table that will give the house perfect knowledge of how its customers play. It found that a relatively low-tech system of cameras is more sensible than RFID -- and that customers will tolerate electronic surveillance if they believe it offers them benefits.

For a casino, the expenses and profits at blackjack tables are difficult to precisely pin down. What's clear is that the aggregate numbers are staggeringly high: a typical blackjack table in Reno, NV, can see more than $6 million wagered monthly, with about 1 percent of that sum staying behind as the casino's winnings. But gauging the performances of individual players has long been an inexact science. Clay gaming chips slide back and forth between human hands. Paper playing cards are dealt, collected, and shuffled. Players signal their desire for additional cards by tapping their fingers on the table and refuse hits by waving their hands. Some expend all their chips; others walk away with more than they brought.