Washington State Casino Sharpens Surveillance With IP Cameras

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

“It is important that our surveillance operators clearly see the indexes of the cards,” said Miguel Grijalva, director of surveillance for the 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.”

After installation on a test server of two Arecont Vision megapixel cameras, the AV2100 and the AV5100, for a two-week evaluation, the Lucky Eagle Casino purchased Arecont Vision AV2100M 2-megapixel cameras to upgrade the existing system, supplementing analog cameras.

According to Grijalva, the Arecont Vision cameras deliver highly detailed images of jackpot hands, as well as increased accuracy in chip activity at the roulette tables.

Arecont Vision AV2100M 2-megapixel cameras have a frame rate of 24 fps (frames per second) with a resolution of 1,600 x 1,200 and a minimum illumination of 0.1 lux @ F1.4.

To help ensure image clarity, the AV2100M delivers full-motion HDTV progressive scan resolution and features PoE capability.

The HD resolution of the cameras allows wider shots, enabling the casino’s surveillance staff to achieve comprehensive coverage using a single dedicated camera for each table.

“The frame shot is the same as the analog camera frame shot, but the clarity is several times better,” Grijalva said. “If a guest had a full flush, we can go back and readily confirm it because the picture quality is so excellent.”

The camera also features a built-in electronic PTZ function. In addition to the improved clarity, the casino surveillance operators found that the digital zoom was highly beneficial in live monitoring or reviewing footage. These investigative digital capabilities help the casino spot unusual activity or instances of suspicious behavior or cheating, as well as help ensure employee procedure compliance.

According to Grijalva, his team was particularly impressed with the quality of the images produced by Arecont Vision AV2100M 2-megapixel IP cameras when viewing details on the roulette wheel and for identifying stacks of chips.

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