A global leader in intelligent software solutions that automate processes in the gaming and hospitality industries, eConnect has unveiled its newest technology in ID scanning.
Called the eClear ID Scanner, their devices help casinos quickly verify the ages and IDs when patrons buy alcohol, begin to gamble, or access lines of credit. It can even expedite ID scanning at an entrance.
It’s being used by casino night clubs like Hakkasan Nightclub at the MGM Grand, and it’s currently in use at a New York casino to scan patron IDs upon entry and verify they’re not on the self-excluded list. Additionally, the data is captured into the facial recognition system, along with the details on their driver’s licenses.
The Las Vegas-based company has long had a presence in the U.S. and Asia, with its software applications connected to more than 300,000 cameras in casinos, resorts, nightclubs, restaurants, stadiums and airports.
The eClear ID Scanner is a high-speed ID scanning device with the same embedded technology the TSA uses across the U.S, to validate information instantly and spot fake IDs, according to Dave McCormick, eConnect’s director of marketing. Their newest technology will be displayed at G2E in October.
The device, which connects to multiple major systems, is mountable to a stand that rolls in and out and requires little infrastructure. It’s integrated with all major gaming, hospitality and surveillance systems, providing AI, data and video analytics to improve business efficiency and profitability.
“Short of the FBI or DMV where they are cross referencing the ID against government records, this is the best system that exists,” McCormick said. “It conducts significant forensic tests, and it’s the best a civilian entity can do. It’s verifying any counterfeits and also using facial recognition to confirm the person in front of that camera is matching the biometric information that’s on the card itself. It can do it much better than a human could.”
The system looks through light spectrums and the software update captures what state driver’s licenses should look like, McCormick said. That’s important because most fines that an establishment receives for catering to an underage person, that person showed their ID.
“Some use them at a choke point where you have to enter the property, and some are using it for loyalty programs,” he explained. “If you have a choke point to where you have to enter the property, our differentiator is not the checking of the validity of the ID, but checking the existing database for banned patrons and self-excluded patrons.”
McCormick said eConnect is a facial recognition company at heart and is taking the data and enrolling it into the database.
“Faces are the new data source, and we’re collecting the face and data along with it,” he said. “It allows casinos to know their customers in ways they have never seen before and help protect them from anti-money laundering and fines that go along with AML compliance.”
The technology can be used for lost loyalty cards because people are verifying their face and ID. The system is grabbing such data as TITO tickets and point-of-sale data. It’s also synchronized with video.
ID scanners aren’t a new invention, but McCormick said that what’s exciting about this is enrolling people into databases. No one is collecting data like eConnect in this space, he noted.
“What this technology can help overcome is there are a ton of people walking into the casino every weekend, and we don’t know who they are,” McCormick said. “We know what their face looks like. You may not be a carded player, but we can see that you visited. Once you scan your ID, we can match the face with the data that goes along with it. Maybe you are a frequent player, and we would love to enroll you in a loyalty program.”
