The new Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel and Casino has deployed an integrated surveillance system from IndigoVision, a supplier of end-to-end IP video security solutions. IndigoVision’s partner, Reliable Security, Sound & Data in partnership with gaming industry consultants The Talisman Group, designed and installed the system in full compliance with the local gaming authority. Interlink Group is the developer and managing partner of the resort.
The new Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel and Casino has deployed an integrated surveillance system from IndigoVision, a supplier of end-to-end IP video security solutions. IndigoVision's partner, Reliable Security, Sound & Data in partnership with gaming industry consultants The Talisman Group, designed and installed the system in full compliance with the local gaming authority. Interlink Group is the developer and managing partner of the resort.
"With the strict gaming regulations in Puerto Rico, we were pleased to have exceeded the Gaming Board's demanding requirements. To reflect the stellar status of the resort complex it was important to specify a surveillance solution that could meet the demanding requirements of casino security," said Robin Powell, Principal of The Talisman Group.
Situated in the midst of the Puerto Rico Convention Center District in the port city of San Juan, the 503-room Hotel and Casino opened in November 2009 and is considered a showcase property for the region, having won the Puerto Rico Development of the Year award. Casino Metro, the resort's gaming operation, is also the largest casino in San Juan. The surveillance system has been deployed in the casino, which as with any gaming business is a demanding 24/7 security environment, having to meet the potential challenges of cheating, theft, fraud and ensuring the safety of staff and customers.
"We recognized early on in the design process that building an advanced surveillance solution would require a digital IP network platform," Powell said. "Following a year-long evaluation we chose IndigoVision for its superb video quality, excellent compression and its intuitive security management software. IndigoVision's track record of casino installations throughout North America also helped with our decision."
The Casino's control room operators use workstations running control center, IndigoVision's security management software, to view live and recorded video. Full frame-rate video from all of the cameras is continuously archived for 14 days to a video server running IndigoVision's NVR software. Evidential quality video can be exported for the police in the event of an incident.
"The IndigoVision system has allowed us to implement a comprehensive surveillance operation with minimum manpower," said Powell. "Features in the control center allow a few operators to efficiently monitor all areas of the casino. The high-quality video enables easy face recognition and detail on the gaming tables. All of this and analysis tools leads to fast dispute resolution, which is good for our patrons and the casino."
The casino's access control system and panic alarms are also integrated into the IP video system, providing operators with a tool for incident response. For example, if an alarm is raised from an illegal door entry, the video operators are immediately notified on their control center workstation. Video from the nearest camera is automatically displayed, together with it's location on an interactive map, allowing an instant response. PTZ cameras can also be panned to a preset position on an alarm. This allows the operators to concentrate on the more important gaming environment.