Casinos And Security Cameras

By Author: Moshe Goldberg
Total Articles: 4762
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If you've seen movies like Casino and the Ocean's Eleven franchise, you're already familiar with Hollywood's take on casino security systems. In Ocean's Thirteen, the casino run by Al Pacino's character boasts a massive, bleeding-edge, and downright Orwellian surveillance, system capable of automatically logging every facet of activity on the floor, right down to each gamer's mood. This level of all-encompassing and intense surveillance makes a great obstacle for the heroes of a heist thriller but how close is it to reality? Pretty darn close, as it turns out.

When you operate a business that mixes gambling, booze, and wild excess in the same place where a fortune in cash changes hands daily, you're obviously going to need the most efficient and reliable level of security possible. Casinos never close, and so there is never one moment of respite from the threat of thieves, con artists, card counters, or even crooked employees. As a result, modern casinos continue to implement increasingly sophisticated means by which to protect their assets at all times.

The trick is how to maintain flawless security surveillance ...
... without disrupting the enjoyment of the countless law-abiding guests who are just trying to have a good time. After all, nobody wants to spend their vacation at a casino that feels like it's operated by Big Brother. As a result, the goal of a casino security camera system is twofold: maximize protection of the casino while minimizing interference with the guests.

For most casinos, the frontline of security camera surveillance is held by the array of fixed cameras stationed above every gaming table, combined with the assortment of tracking cameras positioned at key points on the ceiling. These are almost always concealed under domes of black two-way glass.

From these units alone, security agents stationed at rows of video monitors can easily track any individual from the moment they arrive through the front door through every game they play or interaction they have on the casino floor. At the first hint of an suspicious activity picked up by the cameras, an agent will be dispatched to the floor for live surveillance, while others continue to monitor the on-camera activity.

Since the surveillance cameras also feed into a digital video recorder and instantly archive the footage, security personal can quickly access and replay any suspicious moments on the floor, employing slow motion and freeze frame technology to ascertain the likelihood of wrongdoing. For example, a gamer might be seen to casually add more chips to a bet after already receiving their cards. The DVR allows security to quickly examine the event in highly rendered detail, looking at cues such as body language, expressions, and mood in order to determine if the gamer is actively trying to cheat the casino, or if they're just not too clear on the rules which could be the difference between immediate ejection from the premises and a quick, friendly lecture.

Thanks to new technology, many casinos can now crackdown on criminals by investing in security cameras capable of automating much of the exhaustive process described above. Cameras compatible with server-based facial recognition software can go a long way in picking out the troublemakers from the simply confused or tipsy gamers.

Facial recognition systems employ a process called biometrics which enables a security camera to center on an individual's eyes and take an impression of their face converted into a numerical code. The camera then transmits this code to a database on the server, where it is compared against the faces of known scammers and criminals. The people on the database come from several sources. Law enforcement agencies provide the information for convicted lawbreakers, while casinos often keep their own database of suspicious or previously ejected individuals. There are also third-party security companies that sell databases consisting on the combined records of multiple casinos. If a match is made, the system will instantly bring up a record of the cheater's past transgressions as well as pictures of all known associates or past accomplices.

In the low-tech days of old, card counters and criminals could thrive under anonymity for years. But thanks to increasingly sophisticated security cameras and DVR-based surveillance systems, it's going to keep getting harder for the bad guys to beat the house.
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