Casinos in Australia may be equipped with smartcard readers and biometric devices to keep gamblers under limits.
The Australian prime minister has announced a plan to put a cap on gamblers and solve the various problems revolving around the gaming industry in the country.
According to the Port Macquarie News, plastic ID cards enabled with smartcard and biometric technology will be used in conjunction with flash drives to monitor a gambler's progress on electronic poker machines, keeping them within legal limits.
To enhance the surveillance of gamblers, machines will be equipped with fingerprint scanners to verify identification.
Paul Barnett, CEO of the Mingara Leisure Group, told the news source the plan was unnecessary. According to Barnett, only a small fraction of poker players in clubs are actually problem gamblers.
"Will this … actually assist the 0.4 per cent of problem gamblers? We don’t believe so," he said
Response from a street poll in Port Macquarie, the part of Australia to be affected by the policy, citizens in general are happy with the plastic cards in the plan. Overall, the thought that smartcards can help gamblers stay within limits and control the financial loss from a potential addiction has been positively received. Fingerprinting, on the other hand, is not as popular, as people do not want gamblers to be thought of as criminals.
Related ID News:
- South Australia pushes for smartcards to deter gambling problems
- Jackpot machines in Australia to use smartcards
- Australia to use biometric authentication on students entering the country
- Australia and New Zealand to enhance security by sharing biometric data
- Australia university launches new smartcards
