How Do Casinos Use Facial Recognition Technology?

Big Brother is watching – and he knows exactly who you are. Facial recognition is real. It’s happening. It’s here. It’s now.

The surveillance society is evolving fast, and you are already too late; your biometric data is stored on a server somewhere.

Casinos use facial recognition technology (FRT) to identify problem gamblers, cheats, and high-value customers.

In this article we explore how FRT works, why it’s controvercial, and how casinos apply this biometric technology in 2025.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. It's Already Everywhere
3. FRT is a Gray Area
4. How Casinos Use Facial Recognition
5. Smile, You’re In Sin City
6. FRT Problems Down Under
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs
9. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. It's Already Everywhere
3. FRT is a Gray Area
Show Full Guide
4. How Casinos Use Facial Recognition
5. Smile, You’re In Sin City
6. FRT Problems Down Under
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs
9. References

It’s Already Everywhere

Surveillance cameras have been part of the urban infrastructure for decades; both on the high street and in shops, banks, and retail spaces.

Now ubiquitous, this unsolicited 24/7 monitoring was controversial when it was first introduced – an infringement on our civil rights and privacy.

Facial recognition is next. Biometric monitoring is creeping into our daily lives.

Many of us already use it to unlock our cell phones. Social media platforms can tag our images. Facial mapping is how websites identify our friends and family.

Airports, government buildings, and areas that require enhanced security, are all using facial recognition technology (FRT) on a daily basis.

Identity verification is now a requirement for many business transactions, especially at online gambling sites and transactions involving alcohol, finance, and travel.

You are required to upload photo ID, as well as a recent image, to prove you are who you claim to be.

FRT is a Gray Area

There are biometric data guidelines about the correct and proper usage of personal information; biometric data is considered ‘personal information’.

The lawful basis for fair use (consent excluded) is that the usage of the data must be considered ‘necessary’. It’s about as gray as it gets.

Earlier this year, UK-based government contractors Serco Leisure was ordered to stop using FRT to monitor worker’s attendance. It was deemed ‘not necessary’, when staff could already use ID cards or fobs.

According to a study by Georgetown University, half of American adults, more than 117 million people, already have their biometric data stored on a server; accessible by law enforcement agencies.

The data has been gathered primarily by scanning driver’s licenses.

Governments and businesses must walk the line between civil liberties and keeping citizens safe and secure. The same argument was used when surveillance cameras were first introduced.

For businesses, the development of facial recognition systems is both a valuable security tool and a business opportunity.

It not only informs them who they need to keep out. It also allows them to focus on high value players/consumers/customers they want to keep in.

If FRT at a casino, for example, picks up a potential whale, the concierge should be running over with an armful of comps.

Like every developing technology, FRT is still far from perfect. People’s faces change as they get older; women, and people with darker skin tones, are less likely to give an accurate result.

Facial hair, blurred imagery, the environmental setting; all these factors can affect the overall accuracy of the outcome.

How Casinos Use Facial Recognition

In the gambling business, innovation has been a constant factor in its evolution.

Online payment processing and advanced encryption technologies were both driven by top online casinos and online sportsbooks.

Today, compliance is a huge issue for the sector; ensuring that problem gambling is monitored and avoided. Facial recognition is a quick and efficient way to pinpoint both problem gamblers and underage players.

The rapid improvement in AI is increasing the efficacy of facial recognition.

It is no longer the dystopian science fiction of movies like Minority Report and Total Recall. It’s real and it’s looking right at you.

The FRT Pioneers

There are more than 20 companies exploiting the new technology, including Cognitec, iProov, NtechLab, FaceFirst, Sensory, Clarifai, DigiPass, and TrueKey by McAfee.

Casinos are the perfect environment to exploit and use facial recognition software.

Security is paramount at every casino. There are cameras covering every square inch of the building; looking for cheats, hustlers, thieves, and trouble.

By using facial recognition, casinos can quickly spot cheats and banned players. The data can be shared with other casinos using FRT.

Genting Casinos UK Limited is currently using Live Facial Recognition Technology at its Palm Beach Casino, in London, and Resorts World Casino in Birmingham.

The company stresses that it compares visitor’s unique facial features against a database of ‘people of interest’; banned players or people who have opted for self-exclusion.

A Genting spokesperson said: “We do not make use of LFRT for any other purpose, nor will it be used to identify people outside of these groups.

“We do not use data from other sources or from third party databases, such as commercially or publicly available databases or social media websites.”

Smile, You’re In Sin City

Las Vegas-based software company eConnect is focused uniquely on casinos, offering a range of security-driven software products that deal with identity management; both for employees and guests.

The company’s facial recognition software is part of an identity management package which uses biometrics to instantly identify both ‘problematic patrons’ and high-value customers.

You’re sending in either the security team or the VIP hosts.

The package is also integrated with anti-money laundering forensics to give compliance agents better visibility. ID scanning on entry automatically adds customers to the database.

They can also pre-register before arrival, at a casino, to self-exclude or sign up for offers and the loyalty program.

FRT Problems Down Under

In Australia, bars and clubs that have real money slots are already using cameras to identify problem gamblers.

The cameras scan anyone playing slots (‘pokies’) in the venue and alert staff if a player is on the prohibited list.

There is, however, a conflict between privacy advocates and Clubs Australia, the organization responsible for more than 100 gaming venues and social clubs in South Australia.

Clubs Australia wants to store the biometric data and keep it on file, but new legislation is set to ban the practice of ‘one to many’ matching; where a large database is searched to find a handful of problematic individuals.

Lizzie O’Shea, the chair of Digital Rights Watch, told The Guardian in an interview that: “The use of biometric information, including facial recognition technology, is controversial for a reason.

“It has problems with accuracy and the data required to use it is obviously highly sensitive.”

The Bottom Line

Striking the balance between the protection of personal data and the protection of vulnerable gamblers is proving difficult.

In Australia, the Human Rights Commission has even called for a moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology due to ‘privacy concerns, misidentification, data misuse and lack of independent oversight.’

Globally, nearly 200 civil rights organizations are calling on governments to stop the use of facial recognition surveillance.

This conflict between data protection and automated surveillance technology promises to be a 21st century issue. The answer will probably revolve around consent.

Will you be hiding from robots, with retinal scanners, like Tom Cruise in Minority Report? Or will you embrace this new technology?

Watch this space and know that someone is probably watching you.

FAQs