Facial recognition is a technology that uses advanced software to recognize faces. Many establishments have been using technology for security purposes for many years.
The technology is now creeping into New Zealand casinos, airports as well as some of the biggest retailers. Reports show that the controversial technology is already in use in many casinos such as SkyCity casinos. It is also present at retail shops such as The Warehouse. An insider from the security sector stated that he is getting from 3 to 4 times as many inquiries regarding facial recognition technology when compared to the last two years. Also, the NZ police have asked for the help of Dataworks Plus, which is an American Company. They will help with the design of a new facial recognition system that will be ready for use during 2020.
SkyCity New Zealand Casino Utilizes Facial Recognition Technology
SkyCity is one of the biggest casinos in New Zealand. So far, the casino company is using facial recognition in its premises in Queenstown, Hamilton, and Auckland. Michael Ahearne, SkyCity’s COO, stated that they started using the system late in 2019. It is also available in the casinos in Adelaide. He added that the facial recognition technology helps them with their responsibility, which is the host’s responsibility.
The company has images of players who voluntarily self-excluded themselves because of a gambling problem. There are also many images of players who the casinos identified as problem gamblers because of their gaming patterns and decided to add them to the exclusion list. The system is by Torutek, a Kiwi Company. It went live back in November after numerous trials, and the COO stated that it worked well, with very few false results.
How Does the System Work at NZ Casinos?
The facial recognition was only active at the two surveillance cameras at each entrance. It was not active in the thousands of other cameras in the casinos, some of which can zoom so closely on the gamblers’ cards. The system has been working well, and it helps the casinos identify players on the exclusion lists. Of course, the system is not perfect, as it has a few false positions, so the technology is proving itself.
A system like that has been active at Christchurch Casino for two years now. The Chief Executive of the casinos, Brett Anderson, stated that they use it to detect excluded players due to gambling problems. That is not all, as they also use it to identify anyone else that the casino has any concern about, such as people who are trespassing.
