www.avinteractive.com: DPA microphones are playing a critical role in a casino security system in the heart of Brussels in Belgium installed by security equipment specialist Sabelco.
Sabelco was tasked with installing 400 cameras, along with nearly 60 microphones, as it upgraded the existing security network from an analogue to an IP-based digital system at the full-service casino which has 375 slot machines, 39 gaming tables and a World Poker Tour room for 100 players.
4 comments:
After reading the headline and then the article, I was completely off in my idea of what the article would be. In my head, I was picturing the same concept as officials at NFL football games. I was picturing the dealers wearing microphones of some sort, but wasn't sure the reason. Is it to make announcements, talk to other dealers, or something completely different? The concept of using high end microphones for security purposes never crossed my mind. That being said it completely makes sense. Being able to recall what is said to the dealer and what is said by the dealer seems like it could make are break a case of cheating. While cameras my catch some form of slight of hand or even card counting, there are a lot of verbal clues to cheating as well that they do not pickup. This was an interesting article even though it was not what I was expecting.
Cheating must be a large problem if they are willing to invest in such expensive equipment. It sounds like the biggest challenge here is making sure that the audio and visual components don’t intrude into the space and although the players probably know they are being watched, it shouldn’t be so obvious that they are constantly thinking about it, especially because then you’re more likely to catch someone who is actually cheating. The one thing that the article didn’t talk about that would have been interesting (and this may have been for security reasons) is the way in which the footage is monitored. Is it exclusively to go back after the fact to see if someone is cheating or are there a bunch of operators looking for cheaters. Then the question is, how big an operation is needed to watch the various games. I’m sure it would be expensive to have one person per game, but they become less able to spot issues the more games they have to watch.
The first thing that this article made me think of was that old Las Vegas tv show with James Caan. I think that it’s interesting that in Belgium they require audio capture for casinos, and it makes me wonder what the regulations are for casinos in non-Vegas and Vegas spaces, and how many employ the use of audio if it’s not mandatory. There’s a lot of points in this article I liked and found overall very interesting and informative. It was cool to read information from specifications to painting the mics, and I wonder how big the role of audio capture for casinos is. It also makes me wonder how they monitor sound when there are roaming events on the casino floor that make a lot of sound. I wonder if they use any captioning programs to go with the DPA mics or any sort of transcription processes to help security as well, and if they are using software, how well these mics have helped with transcripts.
I recall watching a documentary about Las Vegas Casinos and how they are some of the most surveillance and secure places in the world. While I totally understand the rationale behind this, it also seems a bit silly. Perhaps only I think it is silly because of my hatred for gambling in any capacity and the manipulative and addictive nature of the game that feeds on the vulnerable. I do not remember this documentary mentioning anything about in table microphones to capture interaction between players and dealers, it does make sense. A casino would never work if their payout was higher than their income so catching cheating could potentially make or break the system. I know casinos can be loud so the particular microphone has to be chosen very purposefully in order to actually build a legitimate case against someone who is suspected of cheating. I do wonder about the legal ramification of recording audio and video of people without their knowledge but I suppose if you are willing to walk into a casino, you are also willing to comply with their security measures.
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