Walker Digital Table Systems CEO Stephen Moore provides insight into how casinos utilize facial recognition technology.
Facial recognition is a vast, intricate and highly technical field, encompassing various layers of functionality like detection, tracking, analysis, verification, linking and identification. Yet, when we think about facial recognition, we envision a system identifying individuals by name, like something from a futuristic movie.
Facial recognition applications, especially in places like casinos, are purpose-specific and less intrusive than identifying every passer-by. Instead, they optimize operations, enhance frictionless player experiences and support compliance needs without invading privacy.
Facial Identification: The misconception and the reality
When you hear the term “facial recognition”, it’s common to imagine a system that immediately identifies individuals in crowded places – airports, stadiums or city streets – pinpointing them by name and limiting their privacy for the common good. While this is a crucial public safety and security component, it’s not the whole story. Facial identification isn’t needed in a casino table-game environment as opposed to at the airport or integrated resort level, and it isn’t helpful to name every person who walks past a table game.
Instead, casinos focus on recognizing players who opt into loyalty programs, tracking large cash buy-ins for anti-money laundering (AML) compliance and identifying individuals enrolled in responsible gaming or self-exclusion programs.
Done correctly, privacy is not invaded
It’s less about knowing every “Tom, Dick and Harry” and more about enhancing the player experience and maintaining regulatory and privacy standards. A purpose-specific approach helps protect privacy by limiting facial recognition to defined and essential functions, avoiding broad surveillance of individuals. In many ways, thoughtful facial recognition does not invade privacy, and I have simplified it to practicing an opt-in approach, data minimization and purpose-specific uses. Only collect and store the minimum amount of information necessary for opted-in players, and only encode facial patterns that are meaningless data outside the system.
The building blocks of facial recognition
Facial recognition isn’t a singular action or one size fits all: it’s a series of coordinated purpose-specific steps. Each component has a distinct role, contributing to the technology’s overall functionality.
It all starts with facial detection. Here, the system scans an image or video feed and identifies whether a face is present – without attempting to verify or identify the individual. Table games involve more dynamic interactions than slot machines, where a player remains in one fixed position. In the chaotic environment of a casino table game, facial detection is critical for distinguishing between players, back-betters and railbirds.
Facial tracking: Continuous awareness
Once a face is detected, tracking comes into play. Facial tracking (and more broadly gesture and posture tracking) monitors a person’s movement in real time, helping to analyze interactions or, in more playful applications, to place a digital mask on your face during a video call. In casinos, this real-time tracking assists with associating specific actions – like placing a bet or showing excitement – with the correct player. It allows the system to follow players’ movements as they engage with the game, providing a more accurate assessment of in-game behavior. Tracking also contributes to player heat maps and movement patterns to correct player congestion and on-table optimizations that improve table game layouts (bet spot locations).
Facial analysis: More than meets the eye
Facial analysis takes it a step further. Rather than identifying the individual, it examines facial expressions, emotions and physical attributes like age, gender or whether someone is wearing glasses or a hat. This analysis is a goldmine for understanding anonymous and rated player engagement and satisfaction in a casino. Are they thrilled after winning a hand? Are they growing tired after a long session? This data can augment more precise transaction data and guide the casino in tailoring marketing efforts, adjusting the game mix and implementing responsible gaming strategies.
Facial verification: Enhancing the player experience
Facial verification is a one-to-one comparison, where a person’s face is matched against a pre-registered facial pattern to confirm their identity, like your mobile phone. For casino players who’ve opted into loyalty programs, this technology can streamline their play. It enables a frictionless experience of sitting at a table and automatically logging into the game without swiping a loyalty card. Facial verification can also facilitate other table and cage transactions, like issuing markers or promotional chips, making the entire gaming experience faster and more secure. Players appreciate the ease and casinos benefit from improved operational efficiency. And yes, it’s true that a faster game is a luckier game.
Facial linking: The invisible connector
Facial linking is a powerful tool that allows casinos to track player activities and behaviors without identifying them by name. This technique assigns a unique identifier to a facial pattern, anonymously linking it to future actions like buy-ins or game participation. For example, casinos can track anonymous player buy-ins for AML purposes, replacing the need for manual multiple transaction logs (MTL). This linking helps associate significant transactions with an individual without knowing their identity.
At some point, the player can associate their identity with their anonymously linked face. Maybe they join the loyalty membership program and choose to be automatically logged in when they play by using face verification, or they desire to have cash transactions over the aggregate reportable level and opt to fill out a cash transaction report. It’s the player’s choice to be verified by facial recognition.
Facial identification: A security priority
Finally, we arrive back at facial identification – the aspect most people associate with facial recognition. Identification is the one-to-many comparison where a system attempts to identify an unknown person by comparing their face to a database of known individuals. Integrated Resorts often use facial identification for security purposes. The system might flag a person as they enter the property if their face matches that of a known cheater or someone flagged by law enforcement. It’s essential for maintaining venue safety and compliance in a high-stakes environment but not a requirement on the table game.
Facial recognition is more than just a system that names every face it sees. It serves diverse functions in a casino, from enhancing player engagement and marketing efforts to ensuring compliance with AML regulations and providing an extra layer of security. While many think of facial recognition as a tool for identifying individuals, its true power lies in its ability to optimize experiences and improve operational efficiency while preserving privacy.
Several quality suppliers are doing incredible things with facial recognition, ensuring that the technology delivered to casinos will continue to expand and evolve. As the technology evolves and regulators adopt a purpose-specific framework, its role in casinos will undoubtedly expand, offering new ways to create frictionless, secure and personalized experiences. And remember, the next time you yell face or picture during a game, it might have another meaning!
