Casino and gaming

IP cameras take casino to next-level experience.

Organization: Interblock

Location: Slovenia

Customer need: Customer experience

Slovenia, 2020

Modern technology and remote tables provide a faster and more convenient way to run a casino.

Mission

For as long as casinos have existed, they’ve looked for ways to offer their customers a better experience. They have to keep up with the modern, fast pace age and give customers more than ever before. As an integrator, Technix began collaborating with Interblock in 2014, and since then they’ve developed a number of gaming machines. A recent development allows players to play more games at the same time through touchscreens and digital visualization. Unfortunately, this means less enjoyment for gamers, so Interblock sought a solution: live video feeds directly from the gaming tables.

Solution

The entire solution was built on Axis IP cameras, specifically the modular AXIS F41 Network Camera with remote sensor units. Testing was first conducted with cameras on loan from Axis, and it soon became clear that this was the right path to go. In close collaboration with Technix, Interblock were able to develop new gaming machines with discreet sensors and custom IR lights that provide a stable and high frame-rate feed to the player’s digital table. Superstitious players want a live view of the action on the gaming table.

Result

The resounding success of the first prototypes soon escalated to mass production and marked the beginning of a new age in the casino industry. To date, over 500 gaming machines have been fitted with IP cameras, and there are many more to come. Most recently, there have been plans to install AXIS FA54 Main Units in new gaming machines to allow for a higher frame rate live video feed to the player’s table. Customers can now play multiple games at the same time from a single place and with all the discretion they need.

We started by testing different camera models with different gaming machines to find the best camera view angle and test the image quality in demanding light conditions.

Mitja Zabavnik

System Engineer from Technix.

Casino gaming industry had to change

Since their advent, casinos have always been very popular. The prospect of getting rich fast and relying on faith or mathematics probability are at the core of every casino. Roulette and card games are among the most popular and are signatures of a good casino. In today’s fast-paced world, many players lack the time to sit at one table and want to be able play multiple tables at the same time, much like having multiple browser windows opened in online casinos. So, casinos need to adapt in order to survive.

Customers are not interested in the digital visualisation of roulette, since they can have the same thing in the comfort of home, not to mention the card games that dominate the internet gaming industry. When they go to a casino, they want to feel that they’re getting something they can’t have at home. And that’s where IP cameras come in. Unlike bulky analogue cameras or many other IP solutions, Axis came up with a discreet and modular system.

Modularity and discretion are key

Modularity and discretion are key Typically used in small shops or for discreet camera placement, AXIS F41 and AXIS F34 main units with a wide variety of sensors were ideal for the built-in design used on gaming stations. “We started by testing different camera models with different gaming machines to find the best camera view angle and test the image quality in demanding light conditions,” says Mitja Zabavnik System Engineer from Technix.

The dim light conditions required the installation of IR lights with custom light sources from the engineers at Interblock. They also had to address the bandwidth necessary to convey a high FPS video feed to the customer’s station with no delay. For that purpose, Technix developed a custom .DLL component, which also helps Interblock’s software developers integrate the cameras into their user game interface. They had to install a better network background to support multicast streaming.

The final challenge was to build special camera sensor housings and mounts that visually matched the design of the gaming machines. Currently, over 500 Interblock machines have been fitted with IP cameras. In addition, camera models such as AXIS P1214-E, AXIS P1224-E, and AXIS Q3505-V dome cameras are also being installed. All of the cameras are used exclusively for this purpose and don’t serve for surveillance. The live feed from them can also be displayed on large wall monitors.

Modern casino in a nutshell

With all this research and development dedicated to a new set of gaming machines, customers now get live streams from many different gaming tables on one touch screen. They see in real life what is happening at several different locations in the casino and enjoy a more exciting experience. They don’t have to move from one table to the next, and all bets are placed electronically. Customers get more enjoyment out of the games with a real ball rolling on the roulette wheel and real cards being shuffled by a real dealer as opposed to a computer code.

New models of cameras have also already been tested and will be installed in some future gaming machines: AXIS FA54 main unit with AXIS FA1105 and AXIS FA4115 sensor units. The choice of AXIS FA54 Series was based on producing higher frame rates (50/60), which are especially necessary with automated gaming machines where there’s lots of movement and the live video is much smoother.

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