As far as beggars at a table, my experiences have been pretty limited, and the few times it has happened, the pit took care of it immediately. You have to see it from the casino's point of view. If they are begging chips, they aren't playing, but they are making players feel uncomfortable, which means they should toss them. Think of it this way, if you own a casino and it gets a reputation for having this happen, while a store down the road does not, where do you think good players are going to go? Just makes economic sense to get rid of them, especially if they are known to the staff as a problem.
With friends asking for chips, if it is someone who I know well, and someone I traveled there with, I won't feel bad tossing them a few chips especially if I am up, as long as they don't make a habit of it. But if it is a new acquaintance at a casino or someone I do not see often, not a prayer for me to hand over chips.
And being followed around, it is something you have to be aware of, especially if you are cashing out. It is a legitimate risk to get rolled if someone knows you have a large amount of cash leaving an area, cages are always in view to the public, anyone can just idle by within seeing range of the money transacted (think of all the shady spots in parking garages, alleys, that are usually near a casino when you leave). Have a buddy around when you know you are going to be in possession of a lot of chips or cash, criminals see a lot more risk in trying to hustle/jump two people than someone by themselves, especially helps to be a big guy that looks slightly intimidating, why take the risk as a criminal to getting a beating when there are other marks without the inherent risk.
