More and more casinos are using facial recognition software to prevent banned players from using the games on offer. In Germany, facial recognition is now being tried out in some places, but this modern technology is not available in casinos. The trend is clear, however, because in various countries from Japan to China (Macau) to New Zealand there are already casinos in which the surveillance system is equipped with additional facial recognition.
Better player protection possible with face recognition
In every reputable casino, players who want to protect themselves have the option of setting up a block. In Germany, this block is checked in practice by each customer having to present an identity card or other official identification document. Thus, in practice, it is hardly possible to enter a casino as a blocked player even without facial recognition. But passport control is not common worldwide, also because the rules are not as strict everywhere as in Germany. For casinos without passport control, facial recognition is an important tool in order to be able to recognize players who are not authorized to participate in the games. In order for face recognition to work at all, video surveillance must already be in place. But this is the case in almost all casinos worldwide.
The large providers in particular invest a lot of money to enable seamless video surveillance. In the casinos without passport control and without facial recognition, player protection works mainly because the employees are required to recognize the problematic players and remove them from the casino. But especially with large providers with a large number of banned players on the list, this naturally does not work perfectly. Face recognition can therefore make an important contribution to protecting players from themselves. However, the extensive facial recognition in the casino is also a further step towards seamless monitoring in everyday life. There are various legal issues that, for example, would make it much more difficult to introduce facial recognition in casinos in Germany than in many other countries.
Not only the problem gamblers are monitored
It is an honorable claim to protect problem gamblers from themselves. But with face recognition, basically all people who are recorded by the video system are subjected to a face check. In addition, facial recognition is currently mainly carried out by private casino operators. This results in new problem areas which, in a constitutional state, should at least lead to very strong state control. Face recognition can also be flawed. It is entirely possible that the wrong people will be excluded from the casino. So far there are comparatively few casinos in which facial recognition is used. But the more face-to-face casinos there are, the more mistakes will be made.
It is an honorable claim to protect problem gamblers from themselves. But with face recognition, basically all people who are recorded by the video system are subjected to a face check. In addition, facial recognition is currently mainly carried out by private casino operators. This results in new problem areas which, in a constitutional state, should at least lead to very strong state control. Face recognition can also be flawed. It is entirely possible that the wrong people will be excluded from the casino. So far there are comparatively few casinos in which facial recognition is used. But the more face-to-face casinos there are, the more mistakes will be made.
The passport control, as it is carried out in German casinos, is completely sufficient in practice to prevent players who have blocked themselves from being excluded. With passport control, the casino can also ensure that unwanted players stay outside. For example, anyone who has already been noticed with a fraud in the casino can be effectively deterred by passport control. Passport control is much less of an encroachment on personal rights than face recognition. Every gambling fan understands that a casino with passport control ensures that only people who are authorized to use the casino games can enter.
Online casinos also use passport control instead of facial recognition
In theory, online casinos could also use facial recognition to lock out certain players or exclude minors. But the face recognition is far from perfect and the effort would be huge to implement a control in this way. In addition, many online gamers would probably be deterred by such a measure. In contrast, passport control has established itself in online gambling. Serious online casinos often require their customers to verify customer data with an official ID document before the first payout. A digital copy is sufficient, which will be checked by customer service. In recent years it has been shown that this measure is also well suited to effectively prevent banned players from playing in the respective online casino.
In theory, online casinos could also use facial recognition to lock out certain players or exclude minors. But the face recognition is far from perfect and the effort would be huge to implement a control in this way. In addition, many online gamers would probably be deterred by such a measure. In contrast, passport control has established itself in online gambling. Serious online casinos often require their customers to verify customer data with an official ID document before the first payout. A digital copy is sufficient, which will be checked by customer service. In recent years it has been shown that this measure is also well suited to effectively prevent banned players from playing in the respective online casino.
