Germany‘s Most Modern Casino – Also Right Up-to-date in Security Technology

The City Palais in Duisburg has been one of the lighthouse projects in the modernized city center since opening in 2007. As well as a very varied choice of gastronomy and shopping, a top class casino attracts visitors to Duisburg. The Westspiel Group is the operator and, not only in the Casino Duisburg, has demanded the highest quality of furnishing and design but also the best gaming technology and security equipment. Video surveillance, building management, alarm management and fire protection are all combined in a contemporary security concept.

Seven Casinos, Three Branches, 1.5 Million Visitors Annually
The Westspiel Group provides the framework for gaming and culinary delight in seven casinos countrywide as well as at three branches located in Aachen, Berlin, Bremen, Bad Oeynhausen, Dortmund-Hohensyburg, Duisburg and Erfurt. The Casino Duisburg is a hyper modern gaming house with 18 tables for American Roulette, eight Blackjack tables, four Poker tables and 24 multi-roulette clients that draw many visitors from the local community and further afield as well as from abroad. With c. 700,000 visitors annually, it is the busiest casino in the group and is also leading the way in security technology. The concepts that have been proven here are being successively introduced at other company locations.

The newly-formed Security Unit is responsible for the integrated security concept that combines all the aspects of security, alarms and building services. Naturally all security measures serve in the first instance to protect the company and visitors from attacks and fraud. The rapid and quiet settling of disputes at the gaming tables is just as important for the Westspiel Group as the positive image effect from their pro-active approach and their transparent communication on the subject of security. "We want to be market-leader in matters of security", is the motto here.

Video Surveillance Forms the Basis
As in every gaming house, video surveillance cameras provide the backbone of the security concept also in the Casino Duisburg. Guests play at 30 tables and 354 gambling machines in the rooms of the casino that cover a total of 8,100m². A comprehensive system was required to cover this area that covers the gaming areas as well as the administrative floors.

It was no easy task for the Panasonic Premier Integrator ACC always to install the cameras so that they could fulfill their duty without negatively affecting the exclusive internal architecture. As the casino works closely together with the local police it was also necessary to ensure that they would have the optimum opportunity for investigation and could obtain conclusive recordings.

In general, cameras are used in the slot machine casino on the first floor for surveillance of each of the 354 machines. In the classical gaming room on the second floor two cameras cover each gaming table. Some dome cameras add to the surveillance of the whole area. A particular challenge in every casino is the requirement for very high quality image material.

Very high quality pictures are particularly important at the nerve points. High definition Panasonic WV-SP306 IP cameras from the new Ipro series are used for quick and unequivocal settling of disputes at the gaming tables and at the cash desks. The correct location of the cameras is absolutely vital here: on the video recording the casino administration must be able to check every chip spent because there are many different chips, each with a different Euro value. A detailed documentation of the playing cards is also critical at the poker table.

Regulations dictate that the cameras must be mounted absolutely vertically and may not be angled so that irregularities may be efficiently monitored without showing the faces of the guests. Accurate color reproduction and HD resolution were the deciding factors for the choice of Panasonic Ipro cameras because the value of a chip can be checked and confirmed in the recorded material - for example if a player is of the opinion that he bet a different amount than that used by the Croupier to calculate the winnings. The high definition of some slightly offset cameras meanwhile also permits the height of a pile of chips and therefore also the number of chips played to be established and documented.

The surveillance system must also provide an overview of the entrance area, due to the prohibition of the use of biometric readers, to be able to control access of the casino‘s customers. The reception and the entrances to the gaming machine casino and classical games are observed so as to enable security personnel can immediately recognize suspicious behavior.

Flexible Solution from High Quality Infrastructure
A great deal of importance was placed on an up-to-date data transmission system and a flexible memory solution right from the beginning. In the original proposition, ACC specified a total of 242 analog cameras. In the meantime, the most critical points have been equipped with the latest IP cameras and all cameras incorporated into a complete hybrid solution. Barox, a company specialized in cabling services, installed the optical fiber based signal transmission system that will also be able to handle increased bandwidth demands in future. A total of 61 WJ-HD716 digital video recorders from Panasonic were specified to record video signals in the initial installation that would enable the casino management to save the recorded material for the legally required minimum of up to seven days. This has since been enhanced by 23 IP-capable WJ-ND400 Panasonic network recorders.

In the Control Room: Everything Under Control
The operators of the Casino Duisburg are particularly proud of the highly modern control room in which all security-related data come together and from where up to four people can watch what‘s happening around the clock: not only the data from the video surveillance but also the signals from the access control system, the building management and any alarms (manually triggered alarm switches, fire alarms or intruder alarms) arrive in this room.

Signal and data management takes place with the help of the Winguard software from Advancis. A big advantage here is the synchronization of the video images with other events within the building, such as the data from the access control system or any triggered alarms for example, which causes the image of the corresponding camera to immediately appear on the management system monitor. But from the point of view of the operators, the linking of the building‘s systems also brings direct commercial benefits. The reduction to just one system for management means less acquisition costs, lower operating costs, less space needed for monitors, PCs, servers or racks, and less training and work for the operators. With the help of the Winguard system, the content of each of the monitors can be individually adjusted and recently an optimization to reduce the transmission bandwidth has reduced the server CPU load.

All security-relevant information is shown in the control room on a large Eyevis wall and numerous Eizo monitors that are controlled by the Panasonic WV-CU650 system controller. The operating personnel has praised above all the easy and intuitive control and, because of the easy operation, can concentrate on their prime job of supervision.

The opinion of those responsible in the Security Unit at Westspiel is very positive. The powerful surveillance system guarantees that the Casino Duisburg can ensure security and fairness for its guests when playing and unrestricted enjoyment of the unique atmosphere. It is remarkable in these times of ‚best price offers‘ that the relationship between the customer, his installer and his suppliers has developed in the meantime to a real security partnership.