IndigoVision has been awarded a prestigious multi-million dollar contract to upgrade two casinos to a fully digital CCTV operation using the company's complete end-to-end IP video solution. The Casino del Sol and Casino of the Sun in Tucson, Arizona, which are operated by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, will have their current analogue/VCR CCTV systems completely upgraded. The system will be deployed in full compliance with local Gaming Board regulations. IndigoVision believes this to be only the second casino operation in the US to go fully digital, the first being the Mardi Gras Racetrack and Gaming Center, in Florida, another IndigoVision installation.
The two systems, totaling over 1100 cameras, will be installed in less than three months by IndigoVision's local partner Southwest Surveillance Systems. The flexibility of IndigoVision's IP Video technology means that the migration to digital can be phased so the casinos remain open and any downtime is kept to a minimum. All of the original cameras will be re-used, but the analogue matrix, VCRs and video cabling will be replaced. The overall footprint of the CCTV system in the equipment room will be reduced by 70%, thereby releasing valuable space for future system expansion.
The two casinos, which are located approximately one mile apart, will be connected via a fibre link that allows monitoring of both casinos from one location. However, each casino will have its own security control room, where operators will use 'Control Center', IndigoVision's video and alarm management software to view live and recorded video from any of the cameras in the system. The ageing VCR system will be replaced with IndigoVision's Network Video Recorders (NVRs), which provide fast access to recorded footage - vitally important to resolve gaming disputes quickly.
"IndigoVision's technology was chosen following extensive trials of competing systems and visits to existing casino installations," said Mateo Flores, Director of Surveillance for the Pascua Yaqui Gaming Enterprise Division. "We were particularly impressed with the video quality, the functionality of the ‘Control Center' software and the efficient use of NVR storage."
This project, which is IndigoVision's largest US order to date, demonstrates that IP Video technology is a mature platform for the demanding CCTV requirements of casino operations, which need high resolution video images and fast analysis of recorded footage. IP Video provides significant benefits compared with traditional analogue CCTV systems, such as scalability, real-time camera-based analytics and fault tolerant configurations.
