New South Wales to Install Facial Recognition Slot Machines in 2023 to Combat Gambling Addiction

The new plan is to use a Multi-Venue Self-Exclusion scheme to prevent problem gamblers from accessing gaming areas. Facial recognition technology will pick up on the images of individuals that are not supposed to enter the area, and the property will be alerted.

The technology uses strict privacy protections, with the product only being used to enforce self-exclusion in the gaming areas of a facility. The addition of facial recognition technology comes after a recent survey found that 85% of self-excluded problem gamblers showed support of such technology to assist in identifying self-excluded persons.

Josh Landis, the CEO of ClubsNSW, stated that facial recognition technology is already in place across several clubs and has proven to be an effective way to prevent patrons who are self-excluded from accessing gaming. Landis pointed out that almost 100 clubs are already using the technology.

How Does the Technology Work?

The facial technology allows the venues to accurately identify an individual who has self-excluded. Once detected, the individual is stopped from entering the premises. Once an excluded person enters a venue, their face is scanned.

The facial scan will then compare the individual to the faces of people who are in the system for self-exclusion. If a match his made, an alert is sent to the casino. Staff members can then intervene and stop the individual from gambling.

Treatment and counseling services are also alerted so that assistance can be provided to the individual. Once the system is implemented, it will be offered state-wide for the very first time. The system does not allow people to self-exclude from a pub or club and then play in another area of NSW.

The system will detect an individual across New South Wales and stop the self-exclusion person from playing casino games at any venue. A full rollout is expected for the software by 2023. Venues will also put signs in place to alert patrons of the software being used for detection.