Nevada Casino Regulators Urge Google Glass Ban
It would seem that casino patrons won’t have to worry too much about looking dorky while wearing their Google Glass, the new glasses that the Internet company is touting as the wave of the future.
Following in the footsteps of New Jersey, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has urged Silver State casinos to issue a ban on the device, citing cheating concerns.
New Jersey was first to issue ban
New Jersey was the first state to dictate that the twelve casinos located in Atlantic City implement a ban of the device, with the head of New Jersey’s Gaming Commission remarking last week, “If these eyeglasses were worn during a poker game, they could be used to broadcast a patron’s hand to a confederate or otherwise be used in a collusive manner.”
Some properties already forbidding use
While some Las Vegas casinos are already having employees ask any customer who is wearing the Google Glass to remove them, Nevada officials want the casinos to go a step further and outright ban the use of the eyeglasses on any casino floor. Of course, it is difficult to tell whether or not the glasses are being used for nefarious purposes, which is precisely why officials stress that an outright ban is the best approach.
A statement released by the board read, “While there is nothing specifically illegal regarding the possession and/or general use of these devices, the potential for inappropriate and/or illegal use in a casino does exist. For example, these devices could be used to share card information between players in poker and other table games.”
“Therefore, the Board encourages all nonrestricted gaming licensees to prohibit the wearing and use of Google Glass, or devices with similar capabilities, while on the gaming floor or while playing any gambling game,” the statement continued.
Google Glass can illegally record performances, too
Cheating concerns aside, the glasses can also be used as a recording device. As most casinos offer live shows and performances and already restrict the use of recording devices such as cameras and cell phones during these entertainments, a ban on the Google Glass as seen as a necessary step in protecting those assets.
“Whether you’re getting the information physically, electronically, spiritually — it doesn’t really make a difference how you get the information, it’s still going to show up in the play,” said George Joseph, who is a Las Vegas-based gambling expert who sometimes consults for the Pennsylvania gambling industry.
Officials there plan to ban Google Glass as well, as a part of its broader prohibition against the use of recording devices at Keystone State casino properties.
Ban is not limited to gambling establishments
Casinos aren’t the only businesses worried about the potential issues – privacy-related and otherwise – that can arise with the use of the device.
Some businesses have already established rules disallowing their use, including a bar in Washington. The Google Glass was even banned from Google’s own shareholder meeting.
