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Digital CCTV systems - really secure solutions for casinos?

Next to commercial banks, the biggest cash handlers in the country are the casinos, which turn over billions of rands each year while facing increasingly sophisticated criminal elements with scams designed to beat security system technology.

Today, casinos wanting the best in security have little option but to adopt digital CCTV systems and even then, just any digital system will not really do.

Casinos have a variety of surveillance requirements, including staff and patrons both inside and outside the building. The very nature of their operations demands very specific CCTV capabilities, according to Dr Bennie Coetzer, managing director of Thales Advanced Engineering, the Johannesburg-based manufacturer of high level electronic surveillance security systems.

Dr Bennie Coetzer

"Historically the gambling industry has recorded images of all transactions at the gaming tables as required by law. This needs a high frame rate because of the speed at which the transactions are conducted and the image needs to be of sufficient quality to determine chip denominations by their various colours and patterns as well as accurately determine the number of chips and the cash handed over by the patron.

"Other requirements include scam detection by observing patrons at the tables, and close observation of all money counting and cash handling operations within the casino. The slot machines also need to be monitored to prevent tampering or abuse and to observe jackpot payout procedures and the servicing and re-stocking of the machines. Entrances are also monitored to identify known cheats or scam syndicates."

Continuous surveillance

Coetzer adds that such monitoring activities have to be conducted online and continuously. Today, circumstances are such that analog systems using video tape recording are becoming increasingly impractical. They cannot be fully automated, the recorders require regular servicing and maintenance and casinos have to manage and store up to 80 000 video tapes at any time.

Digital CCTV systems, however, deliver very high reliability, very high quality images at very high frame rates and offer reliable, easy-to-manage and easy-to-access storage requiring very little physical space.

"Price is an important issue," says Coetzer. "Because the casino industry by law is forced to conduct surveillance, it is seen as a grudge purchase by some and the attitude is that quality is irrelevant and the cheapest system will suffice.

"However, some groups are evaluating digital systems on the basis of what can be achieved with the new surveillance technology to improve the security, overall management and overall profitability of the business."

Coetzer says that a thorough evaluation of the casino's surveillance needs can lead to the design and configuration of a digital surveillance system at a competitive cost and with a strong value-added component in the form of better management control and more profitable operation.

Configurability and flexibility

"For example, a digital system can be configured at an image frame speed of 25 frames/second in areas where such high speed is necessary, such as cash handling operations and the tables themselves. In other areas, this rate can be reduced to 12 frames/second and cameras in other areas can be configured to operate only if motion is detected. The system can be configured on a per camera basis allowing true optimisation that can save large sums of money.

"The real benefit comes in the fact that such a system also offers all the advantages of digital technology such as enhanced image management, automatic search, facial recognition, low maintenance, inherent reliability, continuous background monitoring without having to change tapes - all factors that also lead to a lower cost of ownership over the life of the system."

Other major advantages of digital systems are quick resolution of disputes at tables or slot machines, easy identification of known undesirables or scam syndicate members, improved control over tables that perform below the casino benchmark, proactive recording of images, fast and easy review and simple overall system management.

"Digital systems deliver truly proactive monitoring through better image control, retrieval and manipulation, allowing immediate response to an incident, irregularity or dispute," adds Coetzer.

"With digital systems, recording is independent of image playback so there is no need to stop and swap recorder banks. Images can be taken to any gaming table at which there may be a dispute and played there on a laptop. This ensures that the dispute is settled quickly, minimising any disruption of gambling. The inherent reliability of digital technology and its high uptime ensures that tables are operational for as long as possible because if image recording of a table stops, then the table by law cannot continue with gaming until such time as image recording is restored. Tables that are not operating mean loss of income."

A weakness with many digital technology systems is that if one of the system units goes down, the images from 16 cameras are lost and rebooting of the unit takes some time. But other digital systems can be configured in single camera units so that any power down takes under two seconds to restore with 'hot swappable' modules that virtually eliminate downtime.

In the case of Thales Advanced Engineering, Coetzer says the company's development history in designing and manufacturing surveillance and security systems for the defence industry established processes and procedures geared to exceptionally high reliability standards as well as equipment robust enough to operate in harsh environments.

"Digital system user interfaces have been specifically designed for proactive surveillance and can integrate with other sensors and recording equipment such as voice recorders and money counters.

"Casinos have established procedures that they set up wherever money is counted or handled. At cash handover points the camera must be situated above the cash handling person. The person is required to show the cash to the camera and count the notes singly while calling the count out aloud. Casino management can work together with systems developers to arrive at the best solution.

"Casino observation staff are well trained in people behaviour, actions and body language and in scenarios that could indicate a scam or crime. Alert, well-trained observers supported by a digital system can sometimes detect frauds, thefts or scams from online images in realtime but more often in a simultaneous review which, with a digital system, can be conducted very quickly."

In conclusion, Coetzer says casinos recognise many of the benefits of digital technology but there remain concerns about cost.

"The decision to purchase should be driven by a number of factors rather than the acquisition cost. Digital CCTV systems achieve very high quality with exceptional reliability so that maintenance and service costs are minimised. The system also enables security management to make informed decisions regarding their reaction to events, which improves efficiency and reduces unnecessary costs. A calculation of these over the life of the system paints a very different cost picture."

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