World Game Protection Conference to Cover Facial Recognition Software

During the upcoming World Game Protection Conference in Las Vegas, the topic of facial recognition software will be discussed.
From February 15-17, the Tropicana Las Vegas will play host to the World Game Protection Conference. During the event, discussions will be had involving facial recognition technology and how it can be used by casinos to keep patrons off the gaming floor. Overall, the facial recognition industry is expected to grow to $8.5 billion by 2025, with the casino industry part of the equation. With the tech, casinos could easily stop banned players from accessing gaming options or even detect the identity of criminals on-site.
Discussing Facial Recognition
During the conference, National Institute of Standards in Technology scientist Patrick Grother will be on hand to discuss the technology. He is part of the organization that is in charge of biometric-algorithm evaluation and testing standardization needs.
Grother oversees the Face Recognition Vendor Tests, which focuses on independent public tests of algorithms connected to facial recognition. The group then provides their findings to the public. Willy Allison, the managing director and founder of the conference, pointed out that the tech has been around for about 15 years, maybe even longer. The product never worked for casinos in the past due to lighting issues or camera technology.
In the beginning, there was no 4K or high definition. Now that camera technology has evolved, the software associated with facial recognition is more accurate and will work for casino venues. Just a decade ago, under 10% of casinos used the technology. That number has increased with around one-third of casinos and gaming facilities utilizing the option.
Allison sees the technology as the future for casinos. Over the years, more people are banned from casinos, and it is hard to keep track of everyone on the list. In some states, regulators can fine a casino for just allowing an individual to walk into the front doors. With this technology, the individual can be stopped early on and operators can avoid any regulation issues.
Criminals, Card Counters, and Self-Excluded Players
With the technology, casinos could enter in the names and images of people who are banned from the property. A casino can ban an individual for a variety of reasons such as criminal activity, self-exclusion or cheating. Once a name is on the list, that individual is not supposed to access the property. However, such individuals have been known to sneak past team members.
Some states have databases of banned individuals in the thousands. Its impossible to keep track of all the names. By creating a database and entering in an image of each person, the facial recognition software can detect if an individual should not be there and alert security personnel.
Recent improvements with artificial intelligence have helped to increase the capabilities of facial recognition software over the past few years. According to Allison, the new generation of algorithms used have the capacity to recognize images in environments and circumstances that could not be done a decade ago.
Of course right now, such technology would be inefficient as some players are wearing masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Limitations will be in place until patrons are able to enter a casino venue mask-free. The restrictions vary across the US, so in some areas where masks are not worn, this would not be an issue.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the conference fares and what exactly is on the table when it comes to facial recognition software and casinos across the United States. With the help of the technology, it seems operators would be better suited to deal with those who are on their banned lists.