Imagine this scenario: a casino security team is informed that an individual who has been blacklisted from casinos and gaming facilities due to cheating may be targeting their casino at some point today.
Casino security uploads a photograph into a video surveillance system (VMS) that utilizes facial recognition technology. The network of cameras scan the property – restaurants, parking lots, the pool area – and then an alert pops up: the system found a match with someone who has just entered the gaming floor.
To everyone else around him, the individual appears to be someone without a criminal record who is in the casino for a day of gambling and fun, but thanks to the data from the video management software, casino security knows better. They head into the crowd, remove the individual from the property, and alert surrounding casinos that he is in the area. Thanks to the VMS, the threat has been averted.
Video surveillance, ID cards, and access control systems are required components of a casino’s security solution, but a VMS is at the heart – pulling all of those solutions together and controlling how, why, and when they work to mitigate threats and protect casino people, property, and assets.
What may be overlooked, however, is how “next generation” VMS solutions offer even more than traditional functions. Newer VMS solutions incorporate more intelligence and features into their design that make them more than just a security solution.
Artificial Intelligence & Video Analytics − New VMS solutions can include modern gaming artificial intelligence (AI) that assists operators with table game monitoring. Cards and chips are visually counted and tracked through the VMS to provide table statistics, warn of inconsistencies, and record table activity for future forensic review. Modern VMS solutions can also incorporate advanced video analytics such as license plate or facial recognition. Facial and license plate recognition can be used to determine the arrival of a high roller, allowing staff to provide special treatment immediately on arrival. Or, they can be used as investigation tools, as described above, in the event of a security incident.
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Generate “hot spots” and monitor traffic. – New analytic functions like heat maps and flow patterns can be used to determine where casino patrons spend most of their time and how they move through the casino, allowing the casino to optimize the layout to maximize participation. Queue length detection can be used to alert management to move staff where needed. The data can be used to show the most popular locations on the floor as well as those areas where congestion occurs. Then, casinos can take action to increase activity in popular areas or improve the flow of foot traffic on the casino floor.
Integration with third-party systems – Third-party systems, such as access control, building automation and alarm management, make it easy for surveillance and security personnel to effectively monitor and control access to hundreds of doors. Because a unified system displays cardholder pictures and credentials directly within video tiles, surveillance and security staff are able to save time and quickly verify cardholder information from one central application.
Creation of customized rules – Custom rules can allow VMS workflows to run automatically. For example, cameras associated with a scheduled cash drop can automatically be displayed on a series of wall monitors with control of PTZ’s used to follow cash carts made ready for a designated operator. If a particular door in your casino opens at an unscheduled time, an alarm can be triggered and an alert can be sent to your security team, ensuring no incident goes unnoticed.
New video review tools – Newer VMS solutions allow operators to pull up multiple cameras via a mapping tool that can quickly determine the cause, location, and other details of an incident - improving response times and allowing security personnel or state authorities to arrive prepared to handle the situation.
Comprehensive video export and report generation – Robust, gaming centric VMS solutions allow the operator to export video evidence and create incident reports quickly and effectively. Clips are watermarked for authenticity and easy to follow storylines can be assembled easily with multiple video clips for export or archival. Additionally, archived video can be quickly be adjusted to increase clip times or even include additional cameras after the original archive has been created. To make the archiving of video even more effective, modern VMS solutions provide the operator with report writing options to augment the video evidence.
VMS technology and integrated solutions are changing quickly, offering casinos and gaming facilities more functionality than ever. Upgrading your VMS is as important as upgrading the other business tools in your casino. Not only can it improve security, it can even improve your bottom line.
