Panasonic System Solutions Europe: security for Casino Duisburg. Duisburg has been enjoying the fruits of energetic investment in its urban development for quite some years now. One of the showcase projects now embellishing the city centre is the CityPalais. The new multi-purpose centre houses a crowd puller all in a league of its own: Germany’s most modern casino. Casino developer WestSpiel has created a venue radiating style and class that can easily bear comparison with Las Vegas.

Exquisite Ambience and Exquisite Technique

In addition to its exquisite ambience, the casino also offers a fascinating range of gambling games that in the first year of operation alone, drew over 700,00 visitors to its tables. As is the rule in every casino, CCTV cameras are essential here to ensure that gambling proceeds in a correct and proper manner. No mean feat in Casino Duisburg: the cameras here needed to be installed so that they carried out the job to full effect but without distracting from the majestic interior – so Panasonic Premier Integrator (PPi) ACC were called to task winning the tender for the project.

The gaming halls of the casino occupy a floorspace of 8,100 square metres (87,188 square feet) featuring thirty live table games and 354 gaming machines. A comprehensive surveillance system was consequently required to accommodate security not only in this area but also in the office areas located in the upper storeys. With such a large surveillance area to cover, ACC specified a requirement of 61 Panasonic digital video recorders to allow casino management to store recordings for a period of seven days.

The CCTV system not only ensures the safety of staff and customers but is also to be used to clarify discrepancies at the tables. The quality of the recordings is of key importance, as the casino has chosen to work closely with the local police to ensure they have the best chance of prosecuting those who have acted unlawfully. A total of 242 cameras were specified by ACC, with cabling vendor Barox installing the fibre optic signal transmission system. Each area within the casino required different uses for the CCTV cameras. For example, due to the law which prohibits the use of biometric readers, the CCTV needed to provide an overview of the entrance as a tool for checking member access.

The security staff can check for suspicious behaviour and compare with any notes on that particular person’s membership. Cameras are also required at reception and at the entrances to both the slot machines and the classic live game tables. In the casino on the ground floor, cameras are needed to cover each of the 354 slot machines. Upstairs in the classic live games area on the first floor, two cameras are required above every table and are supported by additional dome cameras.

Vivid Colours and Customer Anonymity

For the live games, the placement of the WVCZ352 cameras above the tables was extremely important. As there are many different chip colours ranging widely in value, casino management needs to make sure it can double check every chip in the event of a discrepancy. In cases of doubt, this resolves conflicts. Under German law, the cameras had to be positioned directly downwards and not at an angle, so that irregular activity could be monitored effectively without recording customers’ faces.

The sharpness of the colour was a key contributing factor to the choice of the Panasonic cameras. This is because a way of checking the value of the chips, for instance in the event that players claim they bet a different amount to what the croupier has paid out, is to view the colour of the chips in the recordings. In addition to the main control room, Panasonic monitors have also been installed on the gaming floor so that casino management can quickly check for themselves any irregular activity, such as suspected cheating on the poker tables.

With its 18 American roulette tables, eight blackjack tables, four poker tables and 24 multiroulette clients, Duisburg Casino is a state-of-the-art gambling venue with many visitors from both the local area and overseas. With its high specification Panasonic CCTV system controlled by a WJ-SX650 matrix system, Casino Duisburg guarantees its guests not only a safe but also a fair environment to enjoy the top-class surroundings, atmosphere and excitement of this unique venue.

Contact:

Panasonic System Solutions Europe,
Bracknell, United Kingdom
Tel.: +44 1344 853 154
system.solutions@eu.panasonic.com
www.pss.panasonic.eu