We don’t gamble but can definitely hit the jackpot when it comes to casino surveillance.
Getting ready for game night means a flurry of activity for casinos; slot machines firing at all cylinders, Roulette and Blackjack tables pulsating with excitement, and poker rooms filled with long waiting lines of patrons and impatient onlookers
If you work at a casino company, be it in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Monaco, Macau or just about anywhere else, you know that the security stakes couldn’t get any higher. After all, casinos are a fertile ground for scams by confidence artists, inside men/women, and players with counterfeit currency. Just a couple of years back, an “Ocean’s Eleven” like scene unfolded in Sydney, Australia where a high-roller guest managed to bribe a staff member thereby, cheating $32 million out of the venue.
It’s not just the sleek high rollers you need to watch out for. With thousands of websites elaborately teaching you how to pull a fast one on the house, even beginners can be expected to have a few tricks up their sleeves. For instance, this video showing you how to make a card appear/disappear real fast. It’s actually quite easy to get this trick right after a few attempts.
The gaming industry obviously needs sophisticated surveillance solutions to stay one step ahead of innovative frauds and cheats. Accordingly, we have listed seven useful camera-based surveillance and video analytics techniques, with a brief explanation on how each one of them would stack up against an upcoming “Ocean’s Eleven Crew”.
1. 4k camera: Primarily designed for the entertainment industry, 4k offers high resolution (3840 x 2160) compared to the most advanced HD viewing standards available today (1080p). This spells out a difference of 6 million pixels, viz. 8.3 megapixels vs 2.1 megapixels, translating into richer colors, greater vibrancy, additional depth and comfortable viewing even at closer distances.
2. High efficiency encoders: 4k is the kind of camera needed to closely monitor every interaction on the floor. However, they essentially need HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding) to preserve the network bandwidth and high quality encoders at higher resolutions. These encoders also help provide high color fidelity to ensure recognition of cards and chips/tokens.
3. PTZ camera: The casino industry is always in the need of ground-breaking IP cameras that can perform Pan, Tilt and Zoom endlessly for up to 360 degrees. This is where the PTZ camera perfectly fits the bill, as it helps cover a large area at a reduced cost. They also enable functionalities like guard tour, motion detection, privacy masking as well as work-based analytics.
4. Low light camera: Unlit areas in casinos are at the highest risk of fraud. This is where you need infra-red night vision cameras that can provide improved visibility and object detection. Technically, they use infra-red rays, which are classified as light within the frequency range of 700 to 1300 nm, just below the human eye visibility spectrum. With enhanced image quality and greater sensitivity in low light conditions, infra-red based low light cameras give you the highest possible security assurance.
5. Customized Video Management Systems (VMS): A standard, completely-off-the-shelf VMS solution can be typically designed for general surveillance. Object detection, gesture recognition, predictive alerts and location-based tracking are key components of a customized VMS solution making them highly suited for casino surveillance. Furthermore, it is important to have edge analytics (Analytics on camera) as well as analytics for the cloud. This calls for VMS integration with non-standard, specialized cameras.
6. Reactive analytics: Reactive video analytics help in establishing valid cause post event detection. They incorporates video search, video evidence, forensics etc. Although a lot of effort is being put in place to migrate analytics from reactive to predictive to ensure action is taken before the incident happens in the first place.
7. Predictive analytics: Predictive analytics enable the possibility of an event based on certain predefined rules and events. Examples include facial gesture recognition, average motion change in FoV, lost and found prediction etc. Some of the features in predictive analytics include people counting, object-specific detection, card counting, behavior monitoring for card counters, facial recognition, crowd control, gesture recognition, license plate recognition for parking etc.
By utilizing image processing algorithms and running some rules on the video, VMS systems can help detect strange activities and scour for suspicious individuals, alerting operators in time to ensure the security of the premises and people’s safety. This can help prevent an unfavorable event before it happens.
eInfochips has designed various camera-based surveillance solutions for a number of industries, including edge devices like 4k surveillance cameras, night vision cameras integrated with custom VMS products and smart analytics. We undertake the design of a complete range of surveillance products ranging from custom cameras, NVR/DVR/HVR, custom VMS solutions and advanced video Analytics.
eInfochips assists surveillance camera OEMs to study other company products & features that play a key role in the success of business strategy planning & implementation. Drop us a line at marketing@einfochips.com to know more.
