Sydney’s Star Casino to deploy facial recognition technology as part of expensive security and surveillance upgrade
The Star Casino in Sydney, the city’s only full-blown gaming facility, has decided to deploy facial recognition technology as part of an ongoing A$10 million upgrade of the property’s security equipment.
The move is announced after a croupier at the casino was caught stealing a chip worth A$5,000 while on shift. A CCTV footage from the cameras right above the stealing croupier obtained by local media outlet The Daily Telegraph showed the casino staffer snatching one of the chips positioned at the table before him and casually slipping it into his sock.
The Daily Telegraph reported that new facial recognition cameras will be deployed in high risk areas across the casino floor in the coming months. The new technology will be able to match people’s faces to those held in a database of previous offenders.
As part of its security and surveillance upgrade, The Star Casino will also get new door alarms, infra-red night vision cameras, motion sensors, and ID scanners, among other things.
As mentioned above, The Star is Sydney’s only full-scale Las Vegas-style casino at present. Owned by Australian casino and hospitality operator The Star Entertainment Group, the property is the nation’s second largest casino after Crown Casino in Melbourne. The gaming and hospitality company has partnered Hong Kong-based multi-faceted investors Chow Tai Fook and Far East Consortium to invest more than A$500 million into the expansion of the existing complex and the addition of a new hotel and residences tower that will include new resort amenities, enhanced food and beverage options, and a neighborhood center, among other facilities.
New Facial Recognition Technology Used to Enhance Customer Experience
The Star plans to use facial recognition technology to enhance the experience of visitors while on the casino floor, it also became known. Catherine Clark, surveillance chief at the property, told The Daily Telegraph that they will incorporate the advanced technology in customer service.
Facial recognition will enable the casino to recognize its frequent customers and welcome them back with a personalized touch, “telling them their favourite drink is waiting at the bar.”
Ms. Clark further pointed out that she has probably got her best surveillance ideas from movies like Ocean’s Eleven.
The surveillance chief assured that security and surveillance are a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation at The Star. On a busy weekend out, there are 150 people working in the surveillance and security teams, Ms. Clark added.
It has remained unknown how the stealing croupier caught on CCTV would be punished by its employer.
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