Facial Recognition of Excluded Gamblers in NSW Hotels, and Clubs by 2023

The news made headlines as it seems to be very polarizing. On the one side sits the affirmation that facial recognition technology can help gamblers, and on the other concern about privacy and effectiveness.

Innovative Technology at Scale

The Australian Hotels Association NSW (AHA NSW) and ClubsNSW announced their plans to have a state-of-the-art facial recognition system installed across all pubs, clubs and hotels within the next year. The machines will be aimed to aid in keeping self-excluded players away from gambling stations across NSW’s entertainment venues.

According to the media release, available on AHA’s website, there are approximately 100 clubs that are already using the technology and the decision to move forward taking into account how positive the feedback from the limited rollout was. According to ClubsNSW CEO Josh Landis, the machines were effective and facial recognition technology is going to drive the multi-venue self-exclusion program in its future development.

AHA NSW CEO John Whelan clarified that facial recognition trials were conducted in six NSW hotels, which itself was following the footsteps of a similar trend across approximately 300 venues in South Australia. This is indicative that the industry has been slowly testing out whether this will be effective and probing for reception and feedback.

A key feature of the facial recognition system is that its database can be extended to cover the entire state, which hasn’t been done yet, so the success of limiting self-excluded persons in these isolated tests naturally gave grounds to move forward with state-wide implementation. This makes sense not only from a technological standpoint but also in extending the usefulness of the technology for self-excluded individuals.

Not Everyone is Convinced

Not everyone has been receiving the news positively, however, with critics pointing out that the facial recognition approach is too passive. The Greens are calling for a much stricter approach, for example, recommending an AU$1 spin limit, a curfew on gaming stations between midnight and noon, and time and spend limits for individual players.

Critics of facial recognition technology also point out that they think it’s unreliable, some even considering it invasive, and put into question not only its effectiveness but the motivation behind it. The common thread with the criticism of the move seems to be the assumption that installing these machines has to come at the expense of other measures.

Although this hasn’t been officially commented on by authorities, it’s safe to assume that if implemented as part of a broader approach to help limit the effects of problem gambling and support those suffering from it, this is absolutely a step in the right direction. Approximately 1% of Australia’s adults are reported to be problem gamblers, according to data from AHA NSW, and the new facial recognition technology should prove helpful to those who are actively trying to get better.

The facial recognition system will be able to notify the venue within seconds if a self-excluded person enters the grounds, with a notification being sent to treatment providers and counselling services. This will allow the on-premises staff to intervene quickly and prevent gambling, and also sets in motion a process for interaction with professionally trained help.