Gun Lake Casino ended a 7-year partnership with MPM Enterprises (Station Casinos) and now independently operates the gaming operation.
Gun Lake Casino, a tribal gaming resort in Michigan, plans to install facial recognition technology in order to increase security and collect data on visitors. The facial recognition technology was developed by VSBLTY (Visibility), a California tech firm.
VSBLTY management said the Gun Lake Casino installation is a pilot program designed to test the state-of-the-art facial recognition software. Jay Hutton, VSBLTY’s chief executive officer, said the new surveillance system will enchance the casino goer’s experience and boost security.
Jay Hutton said, “This software is designed to not only enhance the guest experience, but to create a virtual perimeter around the casino floor to analyze player behaviors, further gamify player engagement, all while augmenting security operations to make Gun Lake even safer.”
The augmentation of security measures is a big marketing point for VSBLTY when it speaks to casino operators.
Security is not the only reason casinos invest in facial recognition technology, but VSBLTY’s chief executive officer focused on that when approached about the Gun Lake Casino program.
Identifies Assault Weapons
When asked how the VSBLTY software would increase security at the Gun Lake resort, Hutton said, his systems provide “object recognition that identifies assault weapons and objects of interest that, if detected, can notify security.”
In the wake of the Mandalay Bay shooting in October 2017 and the eSports tournament shooting in Jacksonville earlier this year, a growing number of gaming-related notables have called for increases in casino security. Casino management resist installing intrusive security devices like magnetic scans and offputting procedures like searches of luggage, because they think it would offend some customers and intrude upon a pleasant holiday with reminders of gun danger.
A security system enhanced with facial recognition technology is an unobtrustive way to provide casino guests with the protect some demand. To the average casino visitors, the cameras above look no different than the security cams which have dotted casino gaming floors for decades.
Advanced Digital Signage Technology
The software is designed for more than security. Jay Hutton says his technology helps casino management enchance the gaming experience for guests, spotting the kind of games they like. Such “advanced digital signage technology” could help a casino manager tailor comps packages for special guests.
To do so, the VSBLTY systems “capture consumer information at the point of consideration,” according to the company CEO. Hutton believes facial recognition technology and biometric data will be standard issue in the casinos of the future.”
VisionCaptore Software
The VSBLTY website touted the new installation, stating, “Gun Lake is using marketing messages to keep guests informed of offers, including more ways to win, while providing management information from sentiment to security, all in one application.”
The company press release continued, “Our VisionCaptor software allows marketers and casino operators to tailor messages delivered to the display depending on who is looking at them—all in real-time.”
Spotting Card Counters
It almost goes without saying that the VisionCaptor software which “analyze[s] player behavior” would help casino management spot casino cheats or card counters. Though most of the famous casino cheating schemes have been countered by better dealer training and more security cameras, cheaters get caught occasionally, which is evidence that successful cheating still happens in casinos. Technology that reads a card cheat’s facial expressions and body language could help cut down on any cheating that does happen.
Spotting card counters is another area where facial recognition technology could help casino owners. While card counting is not cheating, casinos do maintain the right to allow or disallow any customer to play at their tables. Casinos do not like card counters, because they gain an effective advantage over the casino.
For decades, casinos have build a blackbook of card counters and card cheats. Not only would facial recognition technology be better at spotting such people through whatever rough disguises they might use, but software also could be designed to spot intentions on the part of card counters. That is not a part of the public spiel by casino operators or VSBLTY’s executives.
About Gun Lake Casino
Gun Lake Casino is a tribal casino in Wayland, Michigan (between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo) with 156,000 square foot of gaming space. The Gun Lake gaming area include 47 gaming tables, 2,000 gaming machines, and 4 on-site restaurants.
In February 2017, Gun Lake Casino became fully independent. For the previous seven years, the Gun Lake Casino was managed by MPM Enterprises, a joint venture co-owned by investors from Mount Pleasant and a subdivision of Station Casinos, a Las Vegas casino company.
Federal law allows for such arrangements to help tribal authorities learn the business, but the same federal law requires such arrangements to last only 7 years. The tribe immediately began a $76 million expansion of the casino, which was completed in May 2018.
