Lucky Eagle Casino Playing It Safe

After 13 years of operation, the Lucky Eagle Casino in southwest Washington State decided to revamp its surveillance system. The casino turned to Arecont Vision for improved monitoring at gaming tables.


The Lucky Eagle Casino in Washington, United States has completed a new installation of megapixel cameras from Arecont Vision, a provider of megapixel network camera technology. The casino, which has been in operation since 1995, chose to upgrade its existing analog system in order to improve the ability to view and identify critical information on video.


"It's important that our surveillance operators see card indices clearly," said Miguel Grijalva, Director of Surveillance for Lucky Eagle Casino. "We need to view suits and clearly distinguish between a heart and a diamond, and the analog cameras we had were not providing enough of this detail."


Solution
After installation on a test server of two Arecont Vision megapixel cameras (AV2100 and the AV5100) for a two-week evaluation, the casino purchased AV2100M 2-megapixel cameras to upgrade and supplement the existing analog system. According to Grijalva, the cameras deliver highly detailed images of jackpot hands, as well as increased accuracy in chip activity at the roulette tables.


The AV2100M has a frame rate of 24 frames per second, with a resolution of 1,600 by 1,200 pixels and a minimum illumination of 0.1 lux at f1.4. One of the latest additions to Arecont's MegaVideo line, the AV2100M leverages proprietary patent-pending technology and helps alleviate the cost and frame rate shortcomings often associated with multi megapixel cameras. For image clarity and ease of installation, the AV2100M delivers full motion HDTV progressive scan and power over Ethernet.


The HD resolution allows wider shots, enabling the casino's surveillance staff to achieve comprehensive coverage using a dedicated camera for each table. "The frame shot is the same as the analog camera frame shot, but the clarity is several times better," said Grijalva. "If a guest had a full flush, we can go back and readily confirm it."


Built-in electronic PTZ is also available. The casino operators have found that the digital zoom is highly beneficial in both live monitoring and playback. These investigative capabilities help the casino spot unusual activity or instances of suspicious behavior, as well as ensure procedural compliance.


User Feedback
Grijalva's team was particularly impressed with the image quality produced by Arecont's AV2100M 2-megapixel network cameras when viewing details on the roulette wheel and identifying stacks of chips. "The new megapixel cameras have also helped determine if a customer's claim is valid or for claims of short changing on chips." he said. "We are now considering adding more Arecont cameras to the lobby entrances for facial recognition as well."