Abstract:
Disclosed is a casino security system for a gaming table comprising at least one video camera for providing video images of the gaming table and a video recorder for recording the video images of the gaming table. Events during playing of the game are detected and used to control the resolution of the video images of the gaming table appropriately and to superimpose information on the recorded video images.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This is a continuation of international application PCT/GB01/00282 filed Jan. 24, 2001, incorporated by reference herein, published in English under PCT Article 21(2) on Jul. 26, 2001 as international publication WO 01/52957 A1, and claiming priority of British application 0001591.7 filed Jan. 24, 2000, which is incorporated by reference herein. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention generally relates to a casino video security system for monitoring a gaming table. 
   Cheating by gamblers in casinos is a major problem for casino operators. One of the most common forms of cheating at the gaming table involves placing one&#39;s stake—or increasing the size of one&#39;s initial stake—after the outcome of the game is known. This can be carried out in many ways, including placing chips in a winning number or associated region, or placing additional chips on top of existing chips. 
   The problem is well known to casino operators, and croupiers are expected to observe the players to detect such behavior. However, because the croupiers have other tasks to perform, they cannot always be vigilant, particularly with a large number of players at the gaming table. It is therefore common practice to use security cameras to provide video images of gaming tables to be centralized control room for monitoring purposes. The problem with this is that there are a large number of gaming tables to observe. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a casino security system which takes it easier to detect cheating at a gaming table. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide a casino security system which facilitates the rapid resolution of betting disputes. 
   A first aspect of the present invention provides a casino security system in which events occurring in the game played on a gaming table are automatically detected. Video images of the gaming table are produced, and in response to detected events during the game, higher resolution images of regions of the gaming table are automatically generated, for example, by zooming in on the betting area of a gaming table. This automatically provides for more information for the remote monitoring and later review of the behavior at the gaming table after events. 
   This aspect of the present invention is particularly suited, but not limited, to use with a roulette table. Events monitored during the roulette game include the automatic detection of the point at which no more bets should be placed, and the automatic detection of the winning number. Also, the start of the game can be detected, e.g., when a ball is placed in the rim of the roulette wheel. When a signal indicating “no more bets” is obtained, such as by detecting when the ball is about to leave the rim of the roulette wheel for example, a high resolution image of the betting area is generated in an embodiment of the present invention to enable the easiest detection of late bets. 
   In another aspect of the present invention, a casino security system comprises a video camera to provide a wide angle view of the gaming table. When an indication is given that no more bets should be made—e.g., either manually by the croupier or automatically—the video camera zooms in on the betting area to provide a high resolution image. Also, motion is monitored within the betting area, and if motion is detected after the point at which no more bets should be placed, a warning is generated. 
   In a further aspect of the present invention, a casino security system includes a detection means for detecting events during a game. Video images of the gaming table are produced, and event notifications are superimposed on the video images based on the detected events. The events can, for example, comprise winning information, and an indication of a late bet. This provides a wealth of information for security purposes and for dispute resolution. 
   A further aspect of the present invention provides a casino security system in which game events are detected and video images of the gaming table are recorded. In order to aid retrieval of video images when necessary for security purposes or dispute resolution, the video images are indexed with regard to the detected events. Thus selected sections of the recorded video images can easily be retrieved by their index. In one embodiment, the start of each game on the gaming table can be detected and each game can be sequentially indexed. In this way, the video recording of a game can be easily retrieved by reference to its position in the sequence. In a more specific embodiment, for example for a roulette table, indexing can be performed using winning numbers detected from the roulette wheel. The sequence can thus comprise the winning number sequence. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of monitoring components at a roulette table; 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a casino security system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of the motion detector in the embodiment of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of the roulette video security controller to the embodiment of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a flow diagram illustrating the method of operation of the system of  FIG. 2 ; and 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of a casino security system of the second embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1  illustrates the positioning of components for monitoring a roulette game at a roulette table. The roulette table includes a roulette wheel  3  and a betting area  5  on which bets can be placed. In order to detect events occurring during the game, a detection head  4  is provided on the rim of the roulette wheel  3 . The detection head is of a form commonly in use in casinos and can, for example, comprise the detection head as disclosed in WO 95/28996. In the preferred embodiment, however, use is made of the improved detection head disclosed in international application number PCT/GB01/00276, international filing date Jan. 24, 2001, international publication number WO 01/55988, published on Aug. 2, 2001, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The detection head  4  is able to detect the passing of the ball around the rim and thus identify when a ball is in play, i.e., to generate a “game start” signal. It can also measure the speed of the ball passing underneath it around the rim to thereby predict when the ball is about to drop towards the pockets, thereby producing a “no more bets” signal. Further, the detection head  4  is able to identify the pocket in which the ball lands, thus generating a “winning number” signal. These signals are used for various video controls and will be described in more detail hereinafter. 
   Two video cameras  1  and  2  are provided at a location giving a view of the roulette wheel  3  and the betting area  5 . The first camera  2  comprises a static camera, which produces a static field of view which includes the betting area  5  and at least a part of the roulette wheel  3 . The second video camera  1  is capable of panning, tilting and zooming and is commonly termed a PTZ camera. This camera can provide a wide angle field of view of the roulette table, including the roulette wheel  3  and the betting area  5  as well as the surrounding area of the table encompassing the players and the croupier. The PTZ camera  1  is able to zoom in on the betting area  5  and also further zoom in on any specific areas within the betting area, i.e., the payout areas when there is a winning number. For example, when the ball falls in pocket number  3 , the PTZ camera will zoom in on the number  3  area of the betting area  5 , and will provide an image of that square and its neighboring squares because of adjacent bets. The PTZ camera  1  can also be made to view the associated payout areas, e.g., the “ODD” square, the “1-18” square, the “black” square, the “1 st  12” square and the middle column “2 to 1” square. Thus, the sequence of video images of the payout areas associated with the winning number can be obtained. Preferably, the sequence is carried out starting at the periphery of the betting area and ending up at the winning number square, because the croupier will first clear chips and payout winnings for the peripheral regions of the betting area. This ensures that the images of the payout areas are not disturbed by the croupier. 
   High resolution images of the payout area or areas are recorded to enable the number of chips placed in the payout area or areas to be easily identified and disputes regarding payouts to be easily resolved. This therefore enables the detection of cheating when chips are added to a stack of chips in the payout area. 
   The structure of the casino security system will now be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
   The casino security system comprises the detector head  4  arranged on the rim of the roulette wheel  3 . This is controlled by a controller unit  10  which can receive instructions by a keypad  12 . The controller  10  also controls a table display  11  which provides for the display of information to the players such as “Game Start”, “No More Bets”, “Winning Number” and “Game Over”. The “Game Start”, “No More Bets” and “Winning Number” information is obtained from signals output from the detector head. This information is output by the controller  10  over a network  13  within the casino. The network  13  may network many other roulette tables and is managed by a server  27 . The server  27  can also provide for conventional management functions and analysis. 
   Connected to the network  13  there is provided a roulette video security controller  14 . The roulette video security controller  14  receives analog video signals from the PTZ camera  1  and outputs PTZ controller instructions to the PTZ camera  1  to control its pan, tilt and zoom operation. The roulette video security controller  14  also receives an analog video input from the static camera  2 . The static camera  2  outputs analog video data to a motion detector  15 . The motion detector  15  detects motion within a designated area of the image and outputs a motion signal to the roulette video security controller  14 . 
   The designated area for which motion detection is carried out by the motion detector  15  is designated by an operator using a configuration PC  16 . The configuration PC  16  is able to download a single image frame from the motion detector  15 . Within the image frame, the user can manually designate a region in which motion detection is to be carried out. The coordinates of this region are then input to the motion detector  15  to be used in the motion detection process as will be described in more detail hereinafter. 
   The roulette video security controller  14  thus receives the static video input, the PTZ video input, a motion signal, and the event signals over the network  13 . The roulette video security controller  14  thus operates, as will be described in more detail hereinafter, to superimpose text on the video images in dependence upon the detected events and the motion signal. For example, in the roulette game, the roulette video security controller  14  can superimpose a “Game Start” notification when the game starts. When the “no more bets” signal is received, the text message “No More Bets” can be superimposed on the video. If motion is detected after the “no more bets” signal is received, a warning message can be superimposed on the video. When the “game over” signal is received, a “Game Over” message can be superimposed on the video. Thus, the roulette video security controller  14  outputs the PTZ video with text superimposed and the static video with text superimposed. These video signals are received by respective video recorders  21  and  22  and by a matrix  17 . The matrix  17  acts as a switch to interconnect the video recorders  21  and  22  with respective monitors  19  and  20 . Also, as is conventional in casino video security systems, text overlay devices can be provided before the video recorders  21  and  22  in order to add information identifying the gaming tables, for example. The switching function of the matrix  17  is controllable by a matrix controller  18 . The matrix controller  18  is also able to generate PTZ control signals which are output by the matrix  17  to the roulette video security controller  14 . The PTZ control signals received by the roulette video security control  14  are output to the PTZ camera  1 , in combination with any PTZ control signals generated by the roulette video security controller  14 , in order to control the operation of the PTZ camera  1 , e.g., when it is required to zoom in on the betting area automatically. 
   In this embodiment of the present invention, the casino security system is also provided with a local video playback capability. A local monitor  23  is provided at the roulette table for play back of video recordings of previous roulette games in order to allow a croupier to resolve disputes with players. A local video recorder  24  is provided to allow the croupier to selectively play back recorded video with overlaid text on the local monitor  23 . A keypad  25  is provided for entering controls by the croupier. The keypad  25  sends the input instructions to the roulette video security controller  14 . Roulette video security controller  14  generates control messages in response to the local video recorder and to a switch  26  provided between the local video recorder  24  and the local monitor  23 . There is also a video feed of the analog video signal from the static camera  2  with overlaid text provided to the local video recorder  24 . 
   In this embodiment, spare processing capability within the roulette video security controller  14  is utilized, and it is for this reason that the keypad instructions are sent to the roulette video security controller  14  and control instructions are returned to the local video recorder  24  and the switch  26 . The switch  26  prevents the video from being displayed on the local monitor  23 , except when the croupier requests video playback from the local video recorder  24 . This enables a croupier to deal with disputes with players quickly at the roulette table without having to involve the control room, which can result in a significant delay in play proceeding on the table. 
   Details of the motion detector  15  will now be described in more detail with reference to FIG.  3 . 
   A video digitizer  151  receives the analog video from the static camera. The digitized video generated by the video digitizer  151  is then input into a video comparator  152 . The video comparator compares designated pixels in a frame with subsequent frames to detect motion in those pixels. Storage device  153  stores a reference alarm field provided by the configuration PC  16 . The reference alarm field comprises pixel coordinates to be used for frame comparison by the video comparator  152 . In this embodiment of the present invention, in order to detect objects such as chips or player&#39;s hands moving into the betting area  5  after the “more bets” signal has been generated, a cordon is provided around the betting area in the side on which the players are situated, i.e., on the left hand side of the betting area  5  in FIG.  1 . The cordon comprises a band of pixels (e.g., at least 10) surrounding the outer edge of the betting area  5  on the sides facing the players. Thus, the frame comparison carried out by the video comparator  152  comprises a simple comparison of a line of pixels from frame to frame. If motion is detected between frames, the video comparator  152  outputs the motion signal. 
   The motion detector  15  also passes through the analog video from the static camera  2 . 
   Details of the structure of the roulette video security controller  14  will now be described in more detail with reference to FIG.  4 . 
   A first central processing unit (CPU)  41  has a control input for receiving a motion signal. It is also provided with a connection to the network  13 . Thus the first CPU  41  will receive the detected event signals and the motion signals. The first CPU  41  operates under the control of program code stored in on board flash memory, which also stores text messages which are to be superimposed on the video signal in response to detected events. Thus, the first CPU  41  receives the detected event signals from the network  13  and the motion signal, and generates appropriate text messages which are output to a first video processor  43 . The first video processor  43  operates to generate a video signal in sync with the static video signal by receiving a sync signal from the first sync separator  45 . The first video processor  43  uses first video random access memory (RAM)  44  as working memory for the video processing operation. The first video processor  43  thus generates a text video signal. The text video signal is output to a first mixer  46  which also receives the analog video signal from the static camera  2 . The first mixer  46  thus mixes the analog text video signal with the analog video signal from the static camera. 
   The first CPU  41  also generates an alarm output on a control output. The alarm output is generated if the motion signal is detected after having received a “no more bets” signal over the network  13 . Further, the first CPU  41  is provided with a serial connection  47  to a second CPU  48 . The first CPU  41  passes on the event detection signals and an alarm signal, if generated. 
   The second CPU  48  implements program code read from on board flash memory, which also stores text to be superimposed on the video output of the PTZ camera  1 . Thus, the second CPU  48  generates appropriate text message in dependence upon the event detection signals and the alarm signal received over the serial line  47 . The text is input to a second video processor  50 . The second video processor  50  generates analog video signals for text using a second video RAM  51  as a working memory, and by taking a synchronizing signal from a second sync separator  52 . The text video signal output from the second video processor  50  is input to a second mixer  53 . The input analog video signal from the PTZ camera  1  is input to the second sync separator  42  for synchronization of the generation of the text video signal by the second video processor  50 . Also, the analog video from the PTZ camera  1  is input to the second mixer  53  for mixing with the analog text video signal from the second video processor  50 . Thus the second mixer  53  generates a video signal with superimposed text. 
   The second CPU  48  is also provided with a serial line  54  for the output of PTZ control data to the PTZ camera  1 , to control the panning, tilting and zooming of the PTZ camera  1 , in order to zoom in on the betting area  5  when the “no more bets” signal is received, and to zoom in on the payout area when the “winning number” signal is received. Because the matrix controller  18  also requires the ability to control the PTZ camera  1 , a PTZ combiner  55  is provided to combine the PTZ control signal generated by the second CPU  48  and the PTZ control signal received from the matrix  17 . 
   The PTZ controls generated by the second CPU  48  simply comprise position numbers. For example, winning number  1  comprises position  1 , winning number  2  comprises position  2 , winning number  0  comprises position  37 , zoom in to the betting area  5  comprises position  38 , and wide angle mode comprises position  39 . The PTZ camera  1  can be configured using a joy stick provided on the matrix controller  18 . The PTZ camera  1  can be moved manually using the joy stick to provide the required image. The matrix controller  18  can then allow that position to be encoded. This process can be repeated for all of the necessary images, and thus when the roulette video security controller  14  is required to control the PTZ camera  1  to the necessary zoom level and position, all that is required is to output a position number. 
   The second CPU  48  also receives the input from the key pad  25 . The second CPU  48  thus carries out processor operations to generate the local video recorder control data and the switch control data. 
   The operation of this embodiment of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the flow diagram of FIG.  5 . 
   In step S 1  the process starts, and in step S 2  the detector head  4  detects whether the ball has been spun. The process waits until the ball has been detected as being spun in step S 2 , and then in step S 3  the “game start” signal is generated, causing “Game Started” to be displayed on the table display  11 , on the two displays  19  and  20  in the control room, and on the local display  23 . Also the PTZ camera  1  is set in wide angle mode to generate video images of the roulette table and surrounding area. 
   The process then waits until the detector head  4  detects that the ball has slowed to a predetermined speed in step S 4 . When this occurs, in step S 5  “Final Bets” is displayed on the table display, on both displays in the control room, and on the local display  23 . “Final Bets” is displayed for a predetermined period by waiting for the period to expire in step S 6 . Once this period has expired, in step S 7  “No More Bets” is displayed on the table display  11 , on the two displays  19  and  20  in the control room, and on the local display  23 . The PTZ camera  1  also zooms in on the betting area  5  and motion detection in the betting detection area is started. If motion is detected in step S 8 , in step S 9  the alarm signal is generated and “Alarm—Possible Late Bet” is displayed on the two displays  19  and  20  in the control room and on the local display  23 . Once a winning number is detected in step S 10 , in step S 11  the winning number and “Game Over” is displayed on the table display  11 , on the two displays  19  and  20  in the control room, and on the local display  23 . Also, the PTZ camera  1  zooms in on the winning number region (pay out region) in the betting area  5 . This zooming in can either take the form of simply looking at the winning number square or looking at any of the pay out areas associated with the winning number. 
   After a period of time has elapsed (step S 12 ) in step S 13 , motion detection in the betting area  5  is stopped and the PTZ camera  1  is returned to the wide angle mode. The process then returns to the start (step S 1 ). 
   Because detected event signals are available, in this embodiment of the present invention, event information can be sent to the video recorders  21  and  22  for indexing of the recorded video. For example, when each “game started” event occurs, a game number can be associated with the video as an index, allowing the easy retrieval of the video associated with the game simply by using the game index. Alternatively, or in addition, the game can be indexed by the sequence of winning numbers. 
   A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to  FIG. 6 , which is a schematic diagram of the components of a casino security system. 
   A detector head  100  generates game event information as hereinbefore described with reference to the first embodiment. A controller  120  controls the detector head  100  and receives control requests from a keypad  130 . The controller  120  also controls a table display at the table  110  for displaying event information. Components  100 ,  110 ,  120 ,  130  are the same as components  4 ,  11 ,  10  and  12  in the embodiment of FIG.  2 . Thus the output of the controller  120  to an overlay controller  140  comprises event information such as “Game Started”, “No More Bets”, and “Winning Number”. A video camera  150  provides a video image of the roulette table. This video image is input to the overlay controller  140  which generates a video signal in which text is overlaid on the video images. The principles of operation of the overlay controller  140  are similar to those described in the first embodiment with reference to  FIG. 4. A  video recorder  160  is provided to receive the overlaid video signals, and a display  170  is provided for the display of the overlaid video signals. The video recorder  160  is controlled by the keypad  180 . 
   In this embodiment of the present invention, a casino security system is provided in which event information is automatically detected during the roulette game, and information about the events is overlaid on the recorded video for the roulette table. This provides the casino managers with useful information on the progress of the game which has been automatically detected, rather than relying upon a visual inspection of the video images to identify the status of the game. This additional information can greatly aid analysis of the video images and the detection of cheating or payout errors. 
   Although the embodiments described hereinabove have been described with reference to the roulette table, aspects of the present invention are applicable to any gaming table in which events can be automatically detected during the game. 
   Further, although in the first embodiment a video motion detection system is used, the present invention is not limited to such a motion detection system. For example, the gaming table can be provided with appropriate sensors to detect motion. 
   The event detection implemented in accordance with aspects of the present invention can include event detection during any game. For example, the start of the game of poker could be detected by detecting the dealing of cards. 
   Although in the embodiments described hereinabove, a higher resolution image of the betting area or the payout areas is achieved by increasing the magnification, i.e., zooming in, the present invention covers any technique for obtaining a higher resolution video images to enable cheating and payout errors to be resolved in the images. 
   Although the present invention has been described hereinabove with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to a skilled person in the art that modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention.