Casinos need to be absolutely secure. Secure against fraud, theft and burglary. And the system needs to be simple, easy to use and easy to understand for the surveillance operators. Furthermore, everything has to be extremely fast as well.
Casinos need to be absolutely secure. Secure against fraud, theft and burglary. And the system needs to be simple, easy to use and easy to understand for the surveillance operators. Furthermore, everything has to be extremely fast as well. That is exactly what the new
Geutebrueck IP video solution provides at the Crown Casino in Perth, Australia.
Provide a safe and secure entertainment precinct for Crown guests and staff, and protect the huge value of the casino assets while meeting existing and near future industry regulations – these were the expectations of Crown Perth at the beginning of its planning process for the modernisation of the existing surveillance solution. Such requirements break down in a massive product and system specification with a lot of “musts” and often an even bigger “wish list”. Let’s have a look at the Geutebruck solution now in place.
Fast availability of GPU-accelerated image processing
Why Geutebrueck? The answer is clear: The main criteria for the selection of the provider were fast availability of information, high-resolution images and simple, intuitive operation combined with the highest possible level of reliability to support gaming integrity. Being able to see what happens, where and to whom, both reliably and immediately, these were the critical elements for the casino operator. The German manufacturer of video surveillance solutions was not only able to fulfill these requirements but even exceed them: using their Software Development Kit Geutebruck integrated various other systems allowing a feature rich customised solution. Data from gaming information to onsite security now smoothly come together in highly individualized layouts thus giving operators complete information packages whenever needed.
Surveillance for casinos is not new territory for Geutebrueck. As early as 2012 the Geutebrueck security experts successfully replaced the old analog equipment with a powerful IP video solution in the Casino Baden in Switzerland. And in Seoul, South Korea, the Walker Hill Casino is also secured by Geutebrueck technology.
But back to Crown Perth in Western Australia: The core of the installed surveillance solution is Geutebrueck’s powerful G-SIM Security Information Management System, which handles the operation, management and administration of all components and sub-systems. The video streams of more than 2,500 cameras are managed by the G-Core high-performance video engine installed on virtualized servers – now merely needing 2 racks which lead to considerably less power than the former units. The image processing for video analysis and playback is GPU-accelerated (GPU = Graphics Processing Unit) – and thus 3 times as fast as usual. This way even high resolution video can be displayed smoothly ensuring that nothing is missed. Easy to use playback and simple retrieval of footage as well as G-SIM’s ability to tag and export cut list for evidence reporting make this solution outstandingly customer friendly.
The virtualization of the video management platform and the redundant design of the G-SIM server ensure high availability at any time and under any circumstances. To allow timely service checks and proactive troubleshooting at the slightest imperfection G-Health monitors the whole solution unremittingly and meticulously.
For good measure the complete documentation of all system activity and operator actions in the tamper-proof audit trail guarantees compliance with strict compliance regulations. Its cross-system audits produce reports that are individually configurable and comprehensive.
Multiple cameras monitor every casino table
Discrepancies or deception at the more than 240 gaming tables or the 2500 gaming machines is an important issue for the casino to address. In order to record evidence, each gaming table is equipped with cameras, which keep the progress of the games and the players in view at all times. The use of modern high resolution cameras make the ambiguity of low resolution pictures an issue of the past. With the stored high quality images it is quite easy to reconstruct what happened at which gaming table. Discrepancies are cleared up as soon as possible and in a legally compliant manner.
BOH access points are protected by access control equipment to reduce the likelihood of unauthorised access. The connection to the surveillance system via interfaces will provide full overview at any time of who has entered or left the building and when this happened. Access for employees is provided with an access control card. If unauthorised access is attempted the system automatically activates an alarm in the surveillance room. The surveillance staff assesses the situation quickly and securely and can react appropriately.
Added security in the hotel and restaurant
The three first-class hotels belonging to the complex – the Crown Metropol and the Crown Promenade and Australia’s first 6 star hotel the Crown Towers – fulfill every desire. With a total of 680 luxurious, spacious rooms, to a suite with a unique view of the skyline of Perth and the Swan River – they provide a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. It is important that guests not only feel comfortable and pampered, but also safe and secure, and not just in their rooms. All publically accessible spaces, such as the entrance area, reception and lobby, are secured with video cameras.
In the numerous restaurants, the cashier systems in particular are protected with surveillance technology, making it possible to solve cases of theft or fraud.
Images come together in real time - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This ensures both preventive monitoring as well as quick assessment, response and, in the best case, the immediate clarification of incidents. In addition, each surveillance officer can examine recordings locally and track incidents thoroughly.
The casino operator expressed its appreciation of the system, which was installed in August 2015: "The system provides exactly what we were looking for. A solution that offers tremendous speed, functionality and immediate availability of images. Further, its simple and easily understandable operation was very important to us."
Anthony Brooks from Geutebrueck Pacific is also sure of the advantages: "Strong demand for our solutions, especially in the casino area, indicates to us that our technology in this highly sensitive industry is at the forefront of the market and that the flexibility of our products makes it possible to meet essentially any and all needs of our customers."