Hikvision monitors high-rollers at Morocco casino

Network megapixel cameras and IP-addressable speed domes from Hikvision are being used at a casino within the five-star Atlantic Palace Hotel in Agadir, one of Morocco's premium gambling resorts. The Casino Agadir Atlantic Palace offers slot machines, roulette and many forms of poker.

Local installers CST required integration of network megapixel cameras with IP-addressable speed domes. They also insisted both camera types should be compatible with the Aimetis Symphony intelligent video surveillance software that had been chosen to provide video management and analytics. The casino is using network cameras from Hikvision which offer 1.3 megapixel data, vandal-resistance as well as video preview and support for Power over Ethernet (POE.) Speed dome cameras have long been a staple in casino installations and this venue is deploying Hikvision's IP-addressable speed domes which offer 360º pan range, 400º/s pan preset speed and 160º/s tilt preset speed. Casinos demand exceptional optical performance with varying fields of view needed from cameras operating under divergent lighting conditions across card tables, roulette wheels and gaming machines. Footage must be of a quality that will satisfy evidential demands.   

The Atlantic Palace is benefiting from instant playback at high resolution which is vital for prompt resolution of disputes and revenue protection. Casinos must assess many aspects of visitor behaviour, guarding against sleight of hand, substitution of dice, theft of chips and inappropriate card counting. The system was implemented by Moroccan integrator CST Centre Sécurité et Traitement who employ 150 staff at offices in the country's principal cities. Contracts include CCTV surveillance at Total petroleum stations, electricity generation grids and production plants owned by Proctor & Gamble Co. 

The Hikvision network megapixel cameras support dual compression streaming, network intercom functions, sensor alarm input and motion detection. The speed domes are similarly feature-rich, and compact dimensions contribute to covert surveillance. The need to cover all 17 of the Atlantic Palace gaming tables at high frame rates throughout operational hours produces enormous RAID demands and the dome units optimise storage requirements by employing Hikvision's H.264 dual stream real-time compression.

A platform that can support multi-screen preview and playback as a high-definition preview is crucial in gaming environments where pit bosses strive to keep play continuous and resolve disputes promptly. An IP network which could function with minimal transmission delay using IP keyboards was high on the client's requirements together with smooth pan/tilt/zoom functionality that was free of time lag.

Like any company operating a gambling venue, management here must detect subtle behaviour from would-be fraudsters such as programming of slot machines using hand-held devices, palming of chips and card switching. Movement associated with this activity can be barely discernible to the human eye, and transmission delay or degradation of image through limitations in equipment performance is not acceptable.

Managers needed to ensure the installation could receive data from legacy third-party analogue cameras, a task that was achieved using Hikvision's DS-4016HCIcompression boards which exploit H.264 and variable bitrate coding to provide high compression ratios while preserving image quality. Security staff at the casino have commented on longer recording times, system reliability and reduced maintenance costs since the optimising of RAID usage. Comments from pit bosses suggest return on investment (ROI) has been immediate. A table is usually shut down while management reviews disputes, so disruption associated with examining footage must be minimised, with search, playback and analysis being streamlined.