Much talked about facial recognition systems which were to be installed at British Columbia casinos to keep criminals and gambling addicts out of casinos are not yet ready, reports CTV news.
The British Columbia Lottery had been promising social groups and the public at large that they would keep criminals and gambling addicts away from casinos by using advanced AI-based facial recognition technology.
Mike Larsen of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association said in an interview that “These systems are complicated. It was overpromised in the first place. Surveillance is something that is selling a sense of security and a sense of control. And that’s always partial. It’s always incomplete.”
The tests conducted by the BC Lottery Commission have not been satisfactory, and as such, these systems cannot be installed as of now. However, the gambling regulator is not giving up on its promises.
Also, there is a group of privacy advocates who have raised concerns with the AI based facial recognition systems and claim that it would be a violation of the right to privacy.
One former gambler, Nik Galego, said he signed up for the self-exclusion program, believing that it had facial recognition which could help detect him. He said he was very disappointed that he was allowed into a casino without being detected.
Moreover, it has been reported that casinos use facial recognition technology to predict losing customers. A recent and much talked about Bloomberg report revealed that casino operators in Macau “are starting to deploy hidden cameras, facial recognition technology, digitally-enabled poker chips and baccarat tables to track which of their millions of customers are likely to lose the most money.”
However, Macau’s gambling regulator rubbished the report and said that the use of facial recognition systems at Macau casinos is limited to security purposes only.
Artificial Intelligence British Columbia British Columbia Lottery Corporation Facial Recognition Systems
