Summary

Sherwood Valley Rancheria Casino is a 9,000 sq. ft. Native Indian casino in California, United States. Tired of the limitations brought by their analog technology, the casino upgraded to the Security Center Omnicast™ IP video management system (VMS). Now, the team has the tools to quickly handle any incident.

Sherwood Valley Rancheria Casino (SVRC) is a Native American casino located in Mendocino County, California. With a vast gaming space, the casino is packed with 220 gaming machines, numerous card tables, and a favorite local restaurant by the name of Creekside Café. Employing over 260 people and with a total capacity of 1200 guests, SVRC draws in crowds of gaming enthusiasts looking to score the next big jackpot. In accordance with the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) standards, the casino relies on video surveillance technology to ensure the smooth operation of the cash-centric business.

The company

SVRC had an older VCR-based analog surveillance system. After 13 years in operation, the outdated technology was showing its limitations. The casino was accumulating a large amount of equipment and VCR tapes to keep recorded video footage. When incidents occurred, operators needed to retrieve and rewind the tape to search for the incident. This delayed investigations and slowed operator response to incidents. With plans to build a new facility spanning three times the size of the current casino, the team had bigger concerns: Could the old surveillance system evolve to meet future growth and keep up with gaming regulations? The answer was no.

The challenge

“The fact that Omnicast can manage analog equipment and still give us the ability to move comfortably into the future as we transition to IP is certainly a great advantage to have.”

Kani Neves, Executive Director, Sherwood Valley Gaming Commission

Results

SVRC uses the Omnicast IP video system of Security Center to manage 170 analog cameras and 25 newer cameras. According to Neves, “[Omnicast] has enhanced everything that we were trying to do.” Instead of rewinding tapes, operators can now quickly find video clips, see what happened, and communicate details to security personnel to speed up response. The team also receives alarms in sensitive areas, helping them investigate incidents faster.

The flexibility of the open-architecture platform has certainly been the most important benefit for SVRC. “We needed a system that would conform to our existing setup with analog and coax cables everywhere, give us the ease and flexibility of new technology, and also expand and adapt to our new casino,” states Neves. “Omnicast did that, and that is the reason why Genetec™ Security Center has been the best solution for us.”

The solution

Bandwidth and storage savings

When motion is detected in sensitive areas, the Omnicast system records video at a higher-quality resolution. This save significant amount of bandwidth and storage.

User-friendly control

Operators can either use a mouse or keyboard to control the PTZ cameras. If some operators are not comfortable with the new technology, they can still use the old joystick control as well.

Ease of remote access

The remote access feature allows commissioners and managers to access video from anywhere. This helps them approve jackpot wins over $10,000 or review incidents when foul play is suspected.

Ready for growth

With plans to build a new facility, SVRC will triple their number of cameras. “The Security Center solution has enabled us to grow and add new technology, and that is a big asset,” said Neves.

Security Center Omnicast