Harrah’s
Joiliet Casino is the latest hotel-ÂÂÂcasino to deploy the new face recognition
system using Viisage Technology.
The new
digital face recognition system will be used in Harrah’s Joliet’s
surveillance ÂÂÂapplications. It is manufactured by Bioetrica, a division of
Viisage Technology.
By
employing Viisage’s cutting-edge system, Harrah’s Joliet can recognize and
identify known cheats, potentially saving hundreds of thousands
of dollars annually.
The
technology can also be used to identify known terrorists who may be in the
casino, as terrorist databases are already available for use with the Viisage
face recognition system.
“We
wanted to deploy the most advanced security technology available in the
marketplace to prevent theft and to assure the integrity of the gaming
industry,” said Bill Doolin, surveillance manager at Harrah’s Joliet.
“We
have an extremely strong relationship with a number of Harrah’s hotels,”
said Bob Schmitt, executive vice president and general manager of Biometrica at
Viisage. “We are now pleased to be working with Harrah’s Joliet Casino
& Hotel. Choosing to implement face recognition technology here reinforces
the casino’s strong commitment to prevent the theft of potential jackpots from
those who play the games fairly and to make the casino a safer environment for
all patrons.”
Beginning
last March, Viisage has signed over a dozen contracts with casinos throughout
the U.S. since its acquisition of Biometrica.
The
patented face recognition technology, originally developed at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), uses “eigenfaces,” which map
characteristics of a person’s face into a multi-dimensional face space. The
information is then checked against a database.
“The
continued interest from the gaming industry in our digital recognition
technology is a true testament to the technology’s effectiveness,”
Schmitt said. “Casinos worldwide are deploying it because they know it
plays an important role in helping to prevent the loss of hundreds of thousands
of dollars each year.”