How AI Video Analytics Improves Security and Business Operations in Casinos

The opportunities of AI technologies seem endless as well as their use cases for different businesses. The gambling industry is not standing on the sidelines. More and more casinos are now recognizing the benefits of leveraging AI technologies and start incorporating smart solutions in their video surveillance systems. AI helps casinos increase their overall efficiency in a wide variety of applications. To name a few, they implement AI to deter crimes, better monitor players, provide more secure gameplay and even curb gambling addiction. With AI analytics, casino owners also expect to enhance customer experience and attract more players.

The basis of any successful gambling facility is their ability to create a safe and secure environment for players, deter illegal activities and encourage visitors to return again and again. AI video analytics could work for the right advantage here. With AI technologies, casinos are better equipped to implement effective monitoring, analyze player behavior and increase the customer experience. Let’s go more in depth and have a look at how integrating AI solutions with cameras and VMS allows casinos to address their operational and security challenges and what additional value they get from AI video analytics.

Streamline access control

Integrating AI-powered video analytics into casinos has a significant impact on improving access control systems, resulting in a more seamless and customer-friendly experience for casino visitors. By utilizing advanced facial recognition algorithms, these systems offer a fast and accurate method of verifying identities, eliminating the need for manual identification checks and reducing wait times. This enhances the overall efficiency of access control.

The technology enables employees, contractors, and authorized individuals to access the building effortlessly through dedicated entrances. Moreover, for VIP guests, the technology enables instant recognition, allowing staff to personalize services and create a more tailored and exclusive experience.

Access control solutions are crucial in preventing unauthorized entry into "employee only" areas and high-security environments like bank vaults, data centers, and server rooms. If intruders attempt to breach the entry point, the system immediately alerts security personnel in real-time.

Crime prevention

Every casino faces the risk of fraud, theft and cheating. So, cameras are used to keep an eye on players all the time to capture the signs of fraudulent behavior. Timely identification of casino adversaries is critical to deter such crimes and protects individuals who simply want to enjoy their visits to the casino. AI video analytics can provide an effective tool to curb this issue. Due to the ability of AI to analyze a huge amount of data, it has become possible to analyze videos collected in casinos over time to understand how legitimate guests behave and what actions are typical of thieves and cheats. Based on these behavior patterns, AI algorithms can then analyze the gambling activity of individual players and immediately flag up guests whose actions look unusual and fraudulent.

Additionally, thanks to cameras integrated with facial recognition solutions, casinos worldwide easily identify fraudsters or blacklisted persons banned from visiting land-based casinos. In South Australia alone, more than 230 establishments with such technology banned players were detected over 1,700 times after 50 million scanned faces.

Protecting gaming floors and perimeter

With the power of video analytics, casinos can effortlessly monitor not just player tables, but also cashier areas in real-time, keeping a close watch on guests as they cash in chips and exchange money. The use of face recognition technology ensures that players are authenticated before they cash out. Additionally, smart video surveillance enables the detection of any employee misconduct.

Casinos are also interested in AI-powered video monitoring for protecting casino floors, securing the perimeter and the parking lot area. Watching numerous cameras for threatening behavior is a daunting task for human operators. With AI-powered solutions, it is much faster and more effective. Security guards don’t need to watch all cameras simultaneously and carry out constant patrols. The system will do that 24/7 and notify security guards as soon as inappropriate behavior or any other threat is detected. So, they can take action timely to deescalate the situation. Thanks to video analytics, security officers can also quickly search for specific objects, people or events of interest.

Having a completely equipped monitoring center with the best AI surveillance solutions including gun and intrusion detection is also important for gaming facilities to provide immediate response in case of robberies that are rather common events in casinos. AI-powered gun detection technology will help to detect weapons in real-time and alert casino security of potential danger so that they can assess the situation and gain control.

Problem gambling

Problem gamblers are another problem which AI can help casinos deal with. Those are people who play casino games excessively. Casinos have to monitor such players and create a safe environment for them. Otherwise, they can be fined or lose their licenses. AI technology can help detect gambling addiction by identifying players with corresponding symptoms and sending an alert to gambling operators so that they can focus their attention on players with unhealthy patterns before they become a problem.

In case of self-identified problem gamblers, AI is used to help them keep away from gambling in periods when they are at most risk and can’t control themselves. In such situations facial recognition is used to identify banned individuals automatically, and let the casino staff take appropriate action to ensure that a barred person is not allowed to gamble.

Enhancing customer experience

Beyond security enhancements, the integration of AI-powered video analytics with casino management systems enables data-driven insights, including visitor demographics and peak entry times. This information aids in optimizing operational processes, refining resource allocation, and contributing to an overall improvement in the casino's operational efficiency.

Due to AI capability to analyze vast amounts of data collected on each customer casinos can better understand their guests’ needs, identify their specific preferences and habits and use these insights to provide more responsive customer service, tailor loyalty programs and bonuses.

Many casinos deploy facial recognition systems for player identification, easier customer check-in and enhanced VIP experience. For example, when a VIP customer is recognized, an alert can be sent to the casino managers so that they can greet them personally and provide a higher level of service.

Applying AI-powered traffic flow monitoring in other important departments in casinos, such as hotel, food and services or automatic number plate recognition in the parking area enables to streamline processes and contributes to better customer experience in these areas.

Marketing optimization

AI video analytics has a great potential for marketing optimization. Data collected from Traffic flow analysis of players' behavior, their routes throughout the entire casino facility is used to create heat maps and identify the high traffic areas and bottlenecks. Analysis of the time spent on certain games helps to identify which of them are most popular. This valuable information allows casino managers to understand trends and make better decisions on space optimization. For example, determine which areas are best to place tables and slot machines to maximize profits.

What is more, gathering, analysing and understanding how casino visitors move and behave, what preferences they have help plan marketing activities, improve customer experiences and improve revenues.

Streamline video investigations

Video analytics is an indispensable tool for conducting post-event investigations on suspicious individuals captured on cameras that are not actively connected to the system. With this technology, hours of offline video footage from various sources such as CCTV cameras, iPhone videos, and body-worn cameras can be analyzed within seconds. This allows for the quick identification of persons of interest, enabling a more comprehensive investigation to be carried out in a shorter period of time.