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AED for Casinos
  • Industry guide · Casinos and gaming

Best AED for casinos 2026: where the evidence was born.

Gaming floor · Hotel tower · Security response
Public-access defibrillation earned its reputation on a gaming floor: the landmark NEJM study armed casino security officers with AEDs and recorded 74% survival when the shock landed within 3 minutes of a witnessed collapse. Casinos still hold the two structural advantages that produced that number, surveillance that sees everything and security that is already mobile. This guide turns both into a zone plan, a cart protocol, and a fleet budget.
74%
Survival when security shocked within 3 min of witnessed collapse
59%
Survival across witnessed VF arrests in the casino study
8-15
Units per property, multi-zone planning estimate
3 min
The collapse-to-shock window the study proved
  • Direct answer

The best AED for most casino properties is the Philips HeartStart FRx, $2,099 at 2026 US list: IP55-rated and drop-tested for security-cart life, the mobile-response model the casino evidence validated. Gaming-floor fixed units should compare the touchscreen ZOLL AED 3; tower and back-of-house anchors, the self-testing Powerheart G5.

  • 🏆 Top 3 Picks

Which AED fits which zone of the property?

Casino fleets mix mobile and fixed units by zone. Prices are 2026 US list at authorized distributors; every model is FDA-approved via PMA.
Philips HeartStart FRx AED 861304 Product
🏆 Editor's Pick
Philips

Philips HeartStart FRx

Decision shortcut The Philips HeartStart FRx ($2,099, 2026 US list) covers adults and children on

SKU

861304

FDA PMA

P180028

Manufacturer

Philips Healthcare

From

$2,099.00
Shop →
Cardiac Science Powerheart G5 AED Product
Fully Auto
Cardiac Science

Powerheart G5 AED

Powerheart G5 AED Features Semi- or Fully Automatic Shock Delivery This device comes in both

SKU

G5A-80A-P

FDA PMA

P160033

Manufacturer

Cardiac Science

From

$2,157.00
Shop →
ZOLL AED 3 Product
CPR Feedback
Zoll

ZOLL AED 3

Decision shortcut The ZOLL AED 3 ($2,399, 2026 US list) fixes two things the AED

SKU

8900-000980-01

FDA PMA

PMA P160015

Manufacturer

ZOLL Medical

From

$2,399.00
Shop →
Not sure which AED? · 60-second match · FDA PMA

Match your facility to the right FDA-approved AED.

Every setting has a different best pick: pediatric capability for schools, real-time CPR feedback for gyms, a video screen for public lobbies. Answer a few questions and get a matched, FDA-approved (PMA) recommendation with 2026 pricing.

FDA PMA approvedMatched to your setting2026 pricingNo sales pressure
Free Tool · 30 seconds
Not sure which AED is right for your space?
Answer 4 quick questions and we'll match you to one of 14 FDA-approved AEDs — independently reviewed, MD-approved.
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⚡ Quantity planning

How many AEDs does your facility need?

The AHA program target is simple: a responder retrieves the AED and returns to the victim in about 3 minutes, proven with a stopwatch, not a formula. The AHA publishes no square-feet-per-AED coefficient, so treat every calculator output, ours included, as a planning estimate you validate with a timed walking drill on your actual floor plan.

Survival drops with every minute of delay before defibrillation, which is why placement beats brand choice in almost every deployment.

Find Your Perfect AED

5 questions about your environment, training, and budget. Matched to a specific model with the reasoning shown.

Take the 60-second quiz →

AED Quantity Calculator

Floors, detached buildings, and risk zones in, planning estimate out. Then validate with a walking drill.

Plan your coverage →

AED Cost Calculator

Device, pads, batteries, and cabinet over a multi-year horizon, with 2026 pricing and visible math.

Estimate total cost →
Replacing pads and batteries on schedule is where most programs quietly fail. The pads and batteries guide covers expiry cycles by model, and new buyers should start at the complete buyer’s guide or the basics in what is an AED.
  • Casino AED rules

Are casinos required to have AEDs?

The old version of this page claimed “12+ jurisdictions require gaming-floor AEDs” with no source. Retired. The honest rules layer:
Gaming-board layer

Licensing + internal controls

Regulators fold emergency-response expectations into licensing and internal-controls submissions in several jurisdictions, but requirements vary by state and are not a countable national mandate. One call to your board settles yours.

Start with the state tracker

Assembly venues

NY PHL Art. 30 pattern

Casino showrooms and arenas at 1,000+ occupancy can trigger public-assembly AED provisions where they exist. The gaming floor itself usually is not the trigger; the theater is.

Read Article 30

The evidence standard

NEJM casino study, 2000

Whatever the board requires, the survival case was proven on your floor plan: 74% at 3 minutes, 59% across witnessed VF, delivered by security officers[3].

Read the study

Good Samaritan cover

All 50 states

Good-faith rescuers are protected everywhere, and many states extend protections to the deploying business[6]. Insurers at casino scale expect the program either way.

State protections

Or browse the full map with every verdict side by side on the AED Industries hub.
  • Budget reality

What does a casino fleet actually cost over 5 years?

An 8-to-15-unit property fleet lands between roughly $19,000 and $36,000 over 5 years at list (estimate), less than one slot machine. Per unit with cabinet or cart mount, 2026 US list for devices, typical street pricing for consumables (labeled estimates):

 

Cost line Philips FRx ZOLL AED 3 Powerheart G5
Device · 2026 US list $2,099 $2,399 $2,157
Pads over 5 yrs (est.) ~$150 · 2x SMART Pads II ~$199 · 1x Uni-Padz (5-yr life) ~$210 · 2x Intellisense pads
Battery over 5 yrs (est.) ~$89 · 1x M5070A (4-yr) ~$199 · 1x 5-yr battery ~$399 · 1x Intellisense battery
Cabinet or cart mount (est.) ~$199 ~$199 ~$199
5-year total per unit (est.) ~$2,380 ~$2,835 ~$2,965

Consumable and mount figures are typical 2026 US street pricing at authorized distributors and vary by package; device prices are 2026 US list. Browse all pads and batteries, run your zone map in the Cost Calculator, and quote the property as a fleet, never per unit.

  • Free tool · 60 seconds · no email

Still between two models? Let the quiz decide.

Answer a few questions about your building, your staff, and your budget and get one specific model with the reasoning shown, weighted by the same four features this page taught you. Multi-location chains should take the fleet path instead.
Find your perfect AED
Multi-location quote (5+ units)
  • Weighted by the 4 features
  • FDA-approved models only
  • 2026 pricing shown
  • Reasoning explained
  • Program checklist

The security director's 10-point AED checklist

Confirm your gaming board's emergency-response expectations and file the program in your internal controls (state layer).
Equip every security response cart with an AED; the mobile layer is the one the evidence validated.
Fix cabinets at pit podiums and zone boundaries; drill the farthest slot bank against the 3-minute window.
Write the surveillance-dispatch handoff into the response protocol: camera → dispatch → nearest officer → pads on.
Train every security shift in CPR plus AED together (why both). Shift-based sessions at CPR1.
Cover the tower, F&B, pool, and sportsbook by their own playbooks (hotels · restaurants).
Log daily readiness on cart units at shift briefing; fixed units ride the engineering PM schedule.
Calendar all pad and battery expiries in one fleet sheet (pads guide); 15 units means 15 dates, not chaos.
Drill the full chain quarterly per shift and file logs for the board audit and the carrier.
Multi-property operators: one fleet dashboard, one device mix standard, one training deck across properties.
  • Buyer questions

Casino AED questions, answered straight

No countable national mandate, and we retired the old “12+ jurisdictions” claim for lack of a source. The real layers: board licensing and internal-controls expectations that vary by jurisdiction, assembly provisions for 1,000+ showrooms[7], and insurer expectations at property scale. Verify with your board and the tracker.

Because the landmark study happened there: security officers with AEDs produced 74% survival at shocks within 3 minutes and 59% across witnessed VF[3]. Surveillance spots the collapse and mobile security delivers the shock, a chain no other venue replicates as well.

Plan 8 to 15 across floor zones, carts, tower, and amenities (planning estimates), then let the 3-minute drill from the farthest slot bank and the top tower floor set the real number[2]. Start with the Quantity Calculator.

Both, weighted toward carts: the mobile layer made the study’s numbers, the fixed layer covers when carts are engaged. The FRx rides the carts; the AED 3 and G5 hold the walls.

Per unit over 5 years: roughly $2,380 to $2,965 with mounts (estimates, math above); an 8-to-15-unit fleet runs about $19,000 to $36,000 at list before fleet pricing. Quote as a fleet through the Cost Calculator numbers, never per unit.

Security owns response and cart units; facilities owns fixed-unit maintenance on the PM schedule; one named program owner files drills and readiness for the board. New to the device class? Start with what an AED is and the buyer’s guide.

  • Why public-access AEDs work

The evidence behind every claim on this page.

AED Best Brands is an editorial AED-review publication, independent of every AED manufacturer. No manufacturer pays for placement or sees a verdict early. Every number below links to its primary source.

10,000

Workplace arrests yearly

OSHA's count across US workplaces

74%

Survival at 3 minutes

Public-access shocks within 3 min of collapse

60%

Shockable in public

Witnessed public arrests with VF/VT vs 35% at home

2-3x

Survival multiplier

Immediate CPR while the AED arrives

Read Full Methodology
Meet our advisory board

References · primary sources

  1. ClinicalAmerican Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, annual update. Circulation. heart.org statistics
  2. ProgramAmerican Heart Association. Implementing an AED Program, 2023 guide. cpr.heart.org AED guide (PDF)
  3. ClinicalValenzuela TD, et al. Outcomes of rapid defibrillation by security officers after cardiac arrest in casinos. NEJM. 2000;343:1206-1209. nejm.org
  4. ClinicalWeisfeldt ML, et al. Ventricular tachyarrhythmias after cardiac arrest in public versus at home. NEJM. 2011;364:313-321. nejm.org
  5. ClinicalAmerican Heart Association. CPR Facts and Stats. cpr.heart.org facts
  6. LegalCDC. Public Access Defibrillation State Law Fact Sheet. cdc.gov PAD fact sheet
  7. StatuteNew York Public Health Law, Article 30: public-assembly AED provisions. nysenate.gov Article 30
Updated · July 2026 Review methodology Medical Advisory Board AED Laws by State All 22 Industries AED Resource Library
Key takeaways
  • •Match the AED to who will use it: most settings need a unit an untrained bystander can operate with clear voice prompts, like the Philips OnSite or ZOLL AED Plus.
  • •Plan for a shock within about three minutes: that response-time goal drives how many units you need and where they go, more than floor area does.
  • •Budget for the full life, and consider recertified: pads and battery add to the cost, and a recertified unit can cost well below new. Use our Find your perfect AED quiz or see best refurbished AEDs.
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