Since it began operating in 2006 as Pennsylvania's first slots casino, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs has offered a little bit of everything. Spread across 300,000 square feet, the 24-hour gaming and entertainment complex boasts 2,500 slot machines, electronic blackjack and roulette, and live harness racing, along with upscale restaurants, a food court and an expansive shopping area. Securing a complex facility like Mohegan is no simple feat, however, and requires careful planning and consideration. Mohegan turned to security integrator North American Video for a solution, and today the facility serves as a good blueprint for installing an IP-ready security and surveillance system that meets current needs and provides room for future growth.
The situation:
In 2005, Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun - one of the largest U.S. casinos - purchased the Pocono Downs Racetrack in Plains Township, Pa. and renamed it Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The organisation sought to convert the property to a casino complex and significantly expand it.
Mohegan officials wanted a system that would protect current investments while offering enhanced technological benefits that could easily expand with the facility. They also sought a way to simplify security and surveillance operations by tying together video subsystems spread across the facility. To accomplish this, the organisation selected advanced video management technology from Honeywell designed to tie both analogue and IP feeds back to a central location.
The new system had a tall order to fill in the form of helping Mohegan meet stringent gaming regulations. "Because Pennsylvania is a new gaming market, regulatory requirements are very strict compared to mature markets," said Dave Zarn, surveillance technical manager for Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
Among those regulations is the requirement that gaming operations use cameras that can zoom in on, record and read all electronic gaming devices, slot machines and credit meters within a facility. The Mohegan facility's high ceilings, coupled with its 2,500 slot machines, made meeting this requirement a daunting task.
The solution:
| A mix of Honeywell security products including analogue dome cameras were installed at Mohegan Sun casino |
After observing installations at other casinos, the team chose a mix of products from Honeywell including analogue dome cameras on a CAT5 and fibre backbone that's IP ready for expansion. ACUIX™ PTZ domes monitor the casino floor as well as the parking structure, racetrack and clubhouse. Enterprise-level digital network video recorders (NVRs) store the captured footage.
Honeywell's MAXPRO-Net server leverages the analogue video matrix and supports video subsystems, including the digital NVR systems throughout the facility, and has the capacity to support other security technology, including access control, fire, building management, intercom and perimeter systems. Operators easily access live or recorded video from 12 workstations spread across the property, based on specific permissions assigned for each station. MAXPRO-Net also integrates both analogue and IP video cameras in a single display, ensuring Mohegan will be able to easily incorporate IP technology as the system expands in the future.
The benefits:
Mohegan implemented technology that ties together data from point-of-sales systems, slot machines and cash counters, and integrates with the broader video management system. Honeywell's IDM (Integrated Data Manager) uses data monitoring and mining technology to capture cash-handling information from casino registers and machines and integrate that data with video. As a result of this integration, Mohegan officials can review cash handling.