Betting on BIOMETRICS

Jul 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By KATE HENRY

Not all the gambling revenue in Las Vegas flows from the pockets of tourists into the coffers of the Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, the MGM Grand and other mega-casinos; many locals like to throw the dice, too. When Vegas residents head out for a night of gambling, entertainment and plentiful food and drink, they sometimes avoid the glitzy strip and head for closer local joints, such as Station Casinos Inc.'s many properties.

Director of information technology David Krause oversees all manner of technology for three of Station's casinos — Sunset Station Hotel & Casino, Barley's Casino & Brewing Co., and the Green Valley Ranch, which is under construction. He describes Station Casinos as Vegas' number one local casino, pointing out, however, that local does not mean low-key. Sunset Casino, for example, includes 448 guest rooms, several movie theaters, eight restaurants and an amphitheater as well as a full complement of slot machines and table games.

VIRTUAL KEYS

A self-described gadgets geek, Krause says that one of the most challenging and enjoyable aspects of his job is keeping pace with evolving technology.

“Things change very quickly,” he points out, “and we want to be the first with any new technology.”

Although there is security at each casino, Krause recently determined that the company could increase security of its IT function, and he decided on a biometric fingerprint identification system. “We want to better control entry into secured areas such as the count room, the cage area, the PBX room, and the IT offices,” he explains.

Apart from tracking revenue, Krause explains that his department is involved in virtually every aspect of the casinos' operation — from tracking play at table games to regulating food and beverage services.

Krause decided to forgo card and reader-type systems altogether and implement V20 fingerprint readers powered by BioAce software from Identix. The system grants access to authorized personnel only based on a recognized fingerprint match — and a person's fingerprint is one of the most unique human identifiers. The readers at all three locations run on one common server.

Department managers enroll the fingerprint templates of team members in the system, giving team members various levels of access. The data is then stored on both the server and the readers themselves to ensure seamless operation of the system in the event of a server crash or glitch. A member of Krause's IT team administers the system. To access secured areas, users must enter a security code to activate the system, which then scans their fingerprint to ensure the user is who he or she claims to be.

The Identix V20 system converts a user's fingerprint image to minutiae points — the unique patterns in which the ridges on a person's finger pad meet — which are then encrypted as a template, which is used to verify user identity.

VIRTUAL INTELLIGENCE

Though the access function of the system has been operational for only 30 days, Krause says, it offers a host of other intelligent potential features.

“We can run reports of who is trying to get in without access, we can set up timers so if, for example, the count teams are out on the floor taking the money out of the slot machines and someone doesn't log back in by the time they are supposed to, the system can let security know that there may be a problem,” he explains. Krause adds that a feature that detects a propped-open door offers similar security value.

Currently, the system is not integrated with surveillance functions such as CCTV, but Krause says that at Station Casinos, security and IT are not territorial. “Stations Casinos is very team-oriented and all about seeing the big picture,” Krause says. “It's not about ‘Hey, I'm in IT, I can't talk to anyone else.’ The goal is to deliver whatever is best for the company.”

IT and security also share the common goal of ensuring all systems that secure the casinos' assets are efficient and foolproof. “First, this system is not labor-intensive. With CCTV or any kind of buzz-in system, you need the manpower of someone sitting there, monitoring it,” he points out. “This system works without that, and also, you can't fake it out. I've tried to bust through it many times unsuccessfully.” He acknowledges that though programmable threshold levels can make the system more or less secure, the only errors resulting from the system appear to be user — not technological - errors.

VIRTUAL STORAGE

Krause acknowledges that the biggest challenge in implementing the system has been that very fear. “I think that most people are simply a little scared of technology,” he says. “At first, some people hated the system, but they have really grown to love it and now respond to it very positively.”

Krause is looking forward to installing the readers at Green Valley Ranch because “we will have tested all the operations by then, and the software will no longer be new to us.” He adds that the readers will also be used at another of Station's properties, Texas Station.

FOR THE RECORD

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Henry is an Atlanta-based writer and regular contributor to Access Control & Security Systems Integration.

ABOUT THE COMPANIES

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