Facilities Management Customer Perspective Boom Times Hit the Gaming Industry Zetron Resellers Grab a Piece of the Action

Paging is also essential for the day-to-day operations of a large resort. Inexpensive alphanumeric pagers allow management to silently and efficiently direct housekeeping, maintenance, security, fire, and other vital services, without the high cost and intrusiveness of portable radios or cellular telephones. For all these paging applications, Zetron’s 2000 Series Paging Terminals are practically an industry standard, with installations in major casinos in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and in scores of regional casinos. For smaller casinos, the mid- range Model 640 is a perfect fit.

Above: Caesar's Palace in Atlantic City Quality Communications is a major player in the Right: IntegratorRD in use at casino gaming market. Back in the nineties, the the Mohegan Sun Lakewood New Jersey company was one of the As the US economy shows signs of a sluggish rebound from first to recognize and commit resources to the booming recession, at least one industry is already booming: casino casino gaming market. Being located so close to Atlantic gaming. While many businesses feel lucky just to stay City and Connecticut may have stacked the deck in their afloat, established gaming empires in Las Vegas and favor, but Quality Communications’ reputation for Atlantic City continue to grow and expand, vying with one excellence has helped them win many contracts in the another to hold the title of biggest and best. Meanwhile, country’s major gaming capitols, as well as casinos even native American-owned casinos—comparative newcomers further afield. to the scene—are mushrooming in states all across the In the east coast gaming hub, Atlantic City, the list of nation. casinos currently running Zetron paging terminals supplied For many financially ailing communities, the sudden influx and installed by Quality Communications reads like a who’s of money that a new casino brings with it can produce a who of the industry: sudden and dramatic turnaround. Along with much-needed ■ Harrahs (Model 2200) jobs and a boon for the local building industry, many two- ■ Atlantic City Hilton (Model 2200) way resellers and integrators are capitalizing on these opportunities. ■ Trump Marina (2 Model 2100s) Paging is an integral part of many casinos’ operations, ■ Trump Taj Mahal (Model 2200) thanks to the advent of special software such as Emergin ■ Trump Plaza (Model 2200) Office. This software program ties casino slot machines into an in-house paging system so floor ■ Showboat (Model 2200) managers, maintenance personnel, and casino officials ■ Bally’s (Model 2200) receive alphanumeric messages on their pagers informing them of slot payouts, malfunctions, and attempted ■ Claridge (Model 640) tampering. The alphanumeric text messages provide precise ■ Resorts (Model 2200) information such as the number and location of the slot machine (important information in today’s vast casinos) ■ Caesar’s (Model 2200) facilitating a speedy response. Quality Communications is winning big in other parts of the biggest and brightest stars in the gaming constellation, country, as Sales Manager, Marc Cohn explains: including the Mohegan Sun Casino, The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa, and the Borgata Casino and Hotel “We performed an installation at the Silver Star Indian in Atlantic City. If that wasn’t enough, each of the casinos Casino in Philadelphia, Mississippi. They’re running CDS employs a different trunking protocol, so Zetron was an software with a Model 640 Paging Terminal. We also did the easy choice because of its almost universal compatibility. Grand Casino in Biloxi, the Grand Casino in Gulfport, Mississippi, and the Sheridan Casino in Tunica, Mississippi.” The Mohegan Sun also rises: Located in Uncasville, Connecticut, Mohegan Sun originally Casino communications in the 21st Century: opened in 1996 as a $300 million casino, dining and With acres of parking lot, thousands of square feet of entertainment complex. Over the next five-and-a-half years, gaming floor, and hundreds of rooms on dozens of floors, Mohegan Sun underwent a billion-dollar expansion to today’s hotel and casinos present a complex include a second casino, additional shops and restaurants, communications puzzle. Even a small casino will have a and a 34-story hotel. Today, Mohegan Sun ranks as one of dozen or more talkgroups, the largest casinos in the ranging from housekeeping world. to security. Moreover, in major resort cities such as “We were tasked with Tunica, Las Vegas, and providing them with some Atlantic City, casinos are wireless solutions,” explains tightly clustered together, Richard Schubiger, President putting the squeeze on of Quality Communications. channel availability. For this “Our company installed a reason, many casinos employ Tait MPT 1327 trunked radio state-of-the-art trunked system which is now radio systems using a variety operating on 18 channels. of trunking protocols. This is the largest known 900 MHz radio system in the To coordinate country operating on the communications between all MPT 1327 protocol.” the disparate work groups, most Casinos have a The MPT 1327 system is communications center interfaced to a Zetron 4000 (often incorporated as part Series radio console. of the fire/security “We have a Series 4000 command center). While a console in our fire/pubic few still rely on a desktop safety department,” explains cluttered with mobile radios, Jay Spellmeyer, a most have embraced the Communications Technician increased efficiency and with the casino. “We have reliability offered by a radio console system. Once again, another two consoles inside the casino. These are the Zetron equipment is the popular choice of many casinos, IntegratorRD workstations with touch screens. Right now largely because the company offers scalable solutions we have twelve talk groups on them. For security reasons, I ranging from the compact and affordable Model 4010 can’t tell you exactly what they all are, but they cover (available as a desktop or rackmount) to the economical everything from security to housekeeping.” Series 4000 button console, all the way to the state-of-art IntegratorRD workstations complete with video screen Between a place and a Hard Rock: displays. Quality Communications also installed IntegratorRD workstations at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Non-proprietary a safe bet: Tampa, Florida. This casino is so brand new the hotel isn’t What’s more, Zetron radio consoles are often recommended even open yet. The opening is planned to take place over by integrators because they offer a non-proprietary two phases: 30% of the casino will be opened in Phase 1, solution—including interfaces compatible with a wide with the remaining 70% opening in Phase II. In addition variety of trunking protocols: LTR®, iDEN®, EDACS® and even to the casino, the Seminole Hard Rock will feature a 250- MPT 1327. room hotel plus a public space. Over the last few years, Quality Communications has Quality Communications installed a five-channel, UHF LTR installed Zetron radio console systems in some of the at the Seminole Hard Rock complete with Kenwood radios, and Zetron Model 459 LTR Trunking New player hits the boardwalk: Controllers. When it came time to spec the radio console Located in Atlantic City’s Marian District, the Borgata is the that would be used to control the trunking system, Quality first new casino in 10 years. The Borgata uses the Nextel Communications once again chose Zetron, installing a network for all operations except security—a total of 500 single position IntegratorRD workstation in the security iDEN units and 150 SmartNet units are currently in service. department. Quality Communications installed an iDEN transmit/receive “Trunking is great in our industry,” explains Jim O’Connell, system on the casino roof with a fiber optic distribution Director of Security at the Seminole Hard Rock. system that runs throughout the complex. The Security “Communications is key because we have a lot of Department uses its own freestanding 800 MHz SmartNet departments that need to talk to each other and trunking is system. Quality Communications installed a single position an excellent way to do it. We probably have 20 talk groups, Model 4024 Radio Console that operates both systems using which includes security, food and beverage and iDEN direct interface channel cards for the Nextel system surveillance. We use the console to dispatch from our and tone cards with control stations for the SmartNet command center. Here we control everything from security system. According to Quality Communications’ Dick Cottrel, cameras to our fire safety system.” a second Series 4000 console position is planned for the near future. “We look to Zetron for all our Custom solutions: Quality Communications has made a commitment to serving dispatch and paging needs in the communications needs of the fast-growing casino industry, and plans to offer Zetron products as part of its both the gaming industry and full-service approach to customer satisfaction. our extensive public safety “We look to Zetron for all our dispatch and paging needs in customer base.” both the gaming industry and our extensive Public Safety customer base,” says Dick Cottrell of Quality Communications. “The ability that Zetron products gave us For esthetic reasons, Quality Communications provided a to interface multiple protocols within the same system panel-mount monitor which was installed in a rack that allows Quality Communications to offer our customers a holds a bank of surveillance monitors. The flexibility of the solution that is truly customized to their needs.” IntegratorRD allows the operator to control the console via And that is truly a winning combination, for everyone mouse or footswitch. involved.

Zetron USA Zetron UK Zetron Australasia PO Box 97004 27-29 Campbell Court PO Box 3045 Reprinted from Zetron's monthly newsletter, Redmond Bramley TADLEY Stafford Mail Centre the Advantage, February 2004. WA 98073-9704 Basingstoke RG26 5EG Stafford QLD 4053 All trademarks are the property of their USA UK Australia respective owners. Phone: (425) 820-6363 Phone: +44 (0)1256 880663 Phone: +61 7 3856 4888 Fax: (425) 820-7031 Fax: +44 (0)1256 880491 Fax: +61 7 3356 6877 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] 005-7390A April 2004 www.zetron.com