Page 36 - Security Today, March 2020

Defining Performance Criteria Integrating the right equipment for each surveillance goal
By Jason Oakley
There are good reasons that video surveillance is mandated for any casino operation by both fed- eral and state gaming authorities – it has proven to be an effective tool to help ensure safety, ac- countability and lawful behavior in the gaming industry. That said, casinos and gaming resorts have a wide range of surveillance challenges, and therefore the video sur- veillance system needs to be a sophisticated and effective blend of cameras, video storage and video management to deliver the required levels of performance.
Quality Performance
For example, a typical casino has multiple entrances, in a range of styles from doorways to wide openings, all open to the pub- lic virtually 24/7. The gaming areas themselves range from table games, where both the staff and the players must be well-covered, to banks of electronic games, where the focus has to be on both players and anyone else present or passing through the area.
All cash-handling locations, including the cashier’s cage and
the back office areas, must also be carefully watched to maintain control. Every one of these areas has different surveillance sys- tem performance requirements because of the specific distances, lighting, visibility and objectives at each location.
With casino operations being the core revenue generator driv- ing gaming facilities, surveillance operations typically take a high priority relative to budget allocation, levels of performance and scope of operations. Casino owners and management select, in- stall and deploy advanced surveillance systems to address the various needs of each area in the casino environment, in partner- ship with an expert surveillance systems integrator familiar with casino regulations and operations.
Here are several key casino areas that drive the performance criteria for surveillance systems.
Table Game Surveillance
The expression “the hand is quicker than the eye” holds special meaning for casino surveillance staff, as professional cheats have engineered clever ways to conceal means of stealing chips, manip-
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CASINO SECURITY
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