source: pixabay.comThe hotly discussed topic of using facial recognition technology to help combat problem gambling once again came to the fore of New Zealand’s Pokies news this week.
The Gaming Machine Association, the organisation representing pokie machine owners in New Zealand, repeated calls for the New Zealand Government to fund facial recognition software in gambling venues to help prevent some people with gambling problems from playing pokies.
At the end of last year in Australia, the Tasmanian parliament tabled legislation to bring in facial recognition to help prevent problem gamblers from playing.
Peter Dengate Thrush, chairman of the Gaming Machine Association said the cameras installed in pokies venues were “mostly funded” already. However, the software used by the cameras “has high licensing fees”. Thrush wants that the Ministry of Health disburse some of the money it collects from the problem gambling levy on pokies, back to their operators, to pay for the software licensing.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Health’s has so far, refused to allow problem gambling funds to be spent on the software. Thrust said that this was “disrupting the self-determination efforts of problem gamblers”.
“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,”
A spokeswoman for the Ministry said that it was already working with the association on facial recognition software.
“As part of this service we fund a database that has the capability to securely store photos to support facial recognition systems, making it easier for venues to incorporate these into their systems,”
“Venues receive a commission payment of up to 16 per cent of gaming machine profits to meet the operational costs of hosting gambling. This includes the costs associated with meeting harm minimisation requirements,”
