It is a subject that can divide a lot of people, however over in Macau a handful of the casinos there are currently testing facial recognition technology, which may one day real soon become a legal requirement for entry into any such venue.
Such technology will need full government approval before it is launched throughout Macau, but on all accounts that isn’t going to be too far away, with the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, the body tasked with overseeing the regulation of Macau casinos saying that they are awaiting results of the testing of that technology in the venues it is currently being tested in.
There are of course benefits for casino operators and regulators of using facial recognition technology, one of which is being able to immediately spot anyone trying to gain access to a casino they may be banned for entering, and also to help spot those who have requested self-exclusion.
However, there are many people who are gravely concerned about data protection laws, and how any information gained from seeing who is walking into casinos is going to be used by the casino operators and possibly the government too.
If not handled correctly then people may think twice about entering a land based casino, much more so if their gambling activities are then used in a way which isn’t covered by data protection law, and no casino operator would ever want to lose the trust of their customers.
The names of the casinos that are currently testing out facial recognition technology in Macau are being kept a closely guarded secretly currently, and sooner rather than later the outcome of those tests will be known, and a decision will be made as to whether to roll it across as a legal requirement in all Macau based casinos.
