Casino rolls out improvements

(Halifax, Nova Scotia)-Halifax site now has 720 VLTs, eight-table poker room and new restaurant

Security cameras using facial recognition technology will soon scan everyone coming through the doors of the newly renovated Casino Nova Scotia.

A digital security system and facial recognition technology, costing $3 million, are just part of $20 million in renovations being conducted at the Halifax casino by Great Canadian Gaming Corp., a casino and horse-racing company.

"It’s so good that you can wear a disguise and it (still) looks at the features of your face." Howard Blank, the company’s vice-president of media and entertainment, said Thursday.

"Basically, what it does is it protects those people that have nothing to worry about that are in our facility. It deters people who would be perhaps of ill-repute or those undesirables that we wouldn’t want on our property." The publicly traded company, which bought the province’s two casinos last year from Caesar’s Entertainment Inc. for $92.8 million, is also pumping about $3 million into renovations into the Sydney casino.

Facial recognition technology is still in the process of being implemented in Halifax, said Mr. Blank, who showed off the new games and entertainment options at the casino during a news conference and tour.

"We are putting (the technology) through all our properties," he said..

"(It can identify) someone who has self-excluded themselves from the property or someone who is not to enter. . . . As you walk in, it immediately scans you and if someone on there is considered at risk or is not permitted on the property, we can immediately contact authorities or handle it through our security," he said.

The cameras feed back to a surveillance room, Mr. Blank said.

"Everything is digital now," he said. "It is stored in perpetuity. It enables government or the Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. to pull anything at any time."

The facility, which Rideau Construction has been renovating for seven months, now has more open space, Mr. Blank said

"When we came in here we said, ‘We’ve got to get our hands dirty,’ " he said. "There were a lot of things we had to get fixed."

The casino now has 720 video lottery machines, down from the previous 750, but about half of those machines are new. Instead of eating and spitting out coins, the machines have a "ticket in and ticket out" technology. If a patron wins, the ticket may be redeemed at a cash station. Some penny and two-cent machines have also been added.

A new eight-table poker room is proving to be highly popular among patrons, he said.

The company has closed the restaurant TGIF and opened its new signature restaurant, Trapeze, and added Java Jazz, a 24-hour cafe. Live music and entertainment are available all day at the casino’s lounge, and Mr. Blank said entertainment is expected to be a big drawing card.

"A combined number of different entertainment factors all rolled into one is a positive," he said. "The consumer appreciates that and expects it, and that is something we feel we are hitting on the mark that perhaps was not being addressed by the old owners."

Founded 24 years ago, the Great Canadian Gaming Corp. has headquarters in Richmond B.C., and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange

Besides the Nova Scotia properties, it also owns four casinos, three race tracks, and a bingo and entertainment centre in B.C.; two race tracks in Ontario; and four casinos in Washington state, he said.

Dean Gamblewest is the general manager of the casino.

In order to tap into the summer tourist market, the company has linked up with several hotels in the area to offer "stay and play" packages.

"We are really excited about how it will work through the summer now that we can showcase our finished product." Mr. Blank said.

Since October, the Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. has been operating a responsible gambling resource centre within the Casino, staffed by a counsellor.

Great Canadian Gaming Corp.’s first-quarter profit dropped to $1.4 million from $9.3 million a year ago, due to restructuring costs.

Late Thursday afternoon, the stock was trading at $12.80, up 45 cents.

By CLARE MELLOR

News Added: 02 June, 2006

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