The physical security needs of the gaming and hospitality industry have been changing dramatically as the industry grows and moves to a digital-based infrastructure. VCR-based, analog CCTV Updated image systems are being phased out due to operational costs, availability of parts, and compliance of the systems. Professional security managers need to monitor diverse areas such as gaming floors, parking garages, kitchens, and restaurants to protect their guests, and watch for theft, cheating and incidents that could result in litigation.
While the information technology side of the organization has been deploying new technologies like IP for some time, IP is relatively new to the physical security infrastructure of these organizations. In IT implementations, IP has reduced costs, improved reliability and performance, and enabled many more organizations to benefit. Today, that same technological advantage has come to the physical security industry, and is making a major impact in gaming and hospitality.
IP systems are providing an open architecture for evolving applications and systems that incorporate video into daily gaming operations. Supported IP devices now include megapixel cameras, access control, life safety systems, point of sale, entertainment, slot machine networks, and video surveillance systems, all at lower cost and with many other benefits.
As technology has advanced the gaming and hospitality industry has deployed video surveillance and the new IP technologies successfully in the following five areas:
- Safety and security
- Loss prevention
- Regulatory compliance
- Liability and Litigation
- Video analytics
Safety and Security is perhaps one of most basic concerns of any casino or hotel property. Every organization wants to make sure that all their guests and employees are safe and protected from harm no matter where they are on the premises. Operators are constantly on the lookout for new and effective ways to protect their guests. Therefore, more and more cameras are being deployed for both deterrence and monitoring and ultimately archiving events for law enforcement officials.
Loss prevention against theft by staff or guests is probably the second biggest area of concern. Again video surveillance monitoring is a key tool for deterring and catching thieves and providing evidence for prosecution.
Video Surveillance for regulatory compliance focuses on the gaming floor. Casinos and gaming commission regulators insist that all active gaming operations be recorded. To comply, casino operators must close an area that is not being recorded. The inconvenience and revenue loss associated with a closing an area means that casinos require highly reliable systems with minimal downtime. The recording of gaming operations assists the casinos by helping them identify cheaters and settle disputes quickly. Having accurate, high resolution images that can be used to resolve disputes is a necessity.
Liability and litigation. Video surveillance evidence is also highly valuable when resolving disputes over slip and fall or other physical incidents or questions over financial transactions off the gaming floor. However, to have real value, recordings must be available for use days, weeks, months or even years after the initial incident took place.
Video analytics is the final application of technology that is critical to all the areas cited above as well as for analyzing traffic patterns of guests and staffs. Camera footage can be used to identify bottlenecks or low activity areas on the gaming floor or in restaurants, lounges, taxi lines etc. Staff that is being overwhelmed serving customers can concentrate on doing their jobs efficiently if they know that someone else is monitoring queues and will dispatch help to alleviate guest delays and ultimately provide a better hospitality experience.
Intransa VideoAppliance™ is latest generation of proven Intransa Video Data Management and Retention (VDMR) technology solutions that meet the real world business challenges of the gaming and hospitality industry.
Few have experienced as much growth, changes and challenges in an ongoing cycle as those in gaming and hospitality. Operators of casinos, resorts, restaurants and destination locations face both opportunities and risks from the continuing introduction of new technologies, combined with the financial challenges and uncertainty of the current global economy.
Intransa can help. Quite simply, Intransa solutions deliver, and our customers are able to:
- Meet the many security challenges facing them, at reduced cost
- Lower their total storage requirements
- Eliminate the risk of introducing new IP technologies
- Leverage existing infrastructure
- Eliminate operator retraining
- Reduce their storage, server and equipment needs while shrinking energy use
Intransa solutions have been successfully deployed in support of existing analog CCTV surveillance systems in casinos and hotels, providing improved video recording reliability and playback for both live and archival needs.
And they have been of significant benefit to all-IP surveillance deployments in new and updated casinos and hotels, reducing costs and equipment needs while delivering outstanding, non-stop recording and playback.
Some customers further benefit from a hybrid analog-and-IP environment leveraging Intransa platforms, supporting existing analog DVRs, cameras and cabling plus new megapixel and standard IP cameras integrated with the industry's leading VMS solutions.