New Zealand’s gaming industry’s 2018 adoption of a facial recognition system was prompted by the Gambling Act 2003. The technology was developed via collaboration between COMS Systems and Torutek Holdings Limited and was being implemented on a test basis across selected venues.
The objective of this innovation was to identify problem gamblers and subsequently prevent them from entering gaming rooms.
The gaming machine association (GMA) recently petitioned the government for funding for the technology, as the cost involved was proving to be a barrier in establishing gambling harm-minimisation measures.
The GMA’s chairman, Peter Dengate Thrush, recently announced that the national Ministry of Health had declined to contribute towards the cost of facial recognition software for gaming machines. For its part, the government concluded that funding software licenses for gambling venues would be an improper action by the Ministry of Health.
Thrush explained these systems would be effective in the fight against problem gambling as they would notify venue owners of the presence of at-risk gamblers who should not be there. While the tech has been installed at many venues, more funding is required to ensure that it is implemented countrywide.
Thrush stated, “There are 148 facial recognition systems already installed in venues across New Zealand. The class 4 industry, the societies spent $3.5m themselves because they don’t want problem gamblers in their venues.”
He went on to explain that Ministry’s refusal to direct problem gambling funds towards Facial Recognition systems is a hindrance to the self-determination efforts of the country’s casino operators. The organization requested that the Ministry of Health pledge its unspent $1.5m technology fund to funding for software licensing.
Counter-Argument
The Department of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Health advised via a Ministry spokesperson that it “would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Health to fund software licenses for gambling venues.”
The spokesperson elaborated, saying that the gaming venues had already received a commission payment of over 16% of gaming machine revenues to offset the operational costs of hosting gambling activities. She also said that this amount includes the price of meeting harm minimisation requirements.
The spokesperson added that the ministry has funded a database that stores photos securely in support of facial recognition systems, with venues allowed to access this data via their installed systems and stated that Pokie machine operators should cover the licensing software costs themselves.
Andree Froude, the Communications Director at the Problem Gambling Foundation supported this position, explaining that the pokie owners have a responsibility to their customers and, therefore, are obliged to absorb the cost of licensing.
Froude added, “The system at the moment often involves the person who is gambling providing a photo and then the venue making sure they are not entering the venue, so it is quite cumbersome.” She further cautioned that technology is too often seen as a cure-all for gambling problems.
