Japan looking at facial recognition to restrict gambling addicts from gambling venues

The government of Japan plans to ask gambling venue operators to consider using facial recognition systems to restrict admission of gambling addicts, The Japan Times reports.

The adoption of facial recognition systems is part of a basic plan to combat gambling addiction as the government drafted to pave the way for opening casinos in the nation. Last March the government revealed it was looking at implementing biometric identification technology to verify the identity of locals entering casino resorts.

Following public consultation, the government plans to adopt the plan next month. The plan will be reviewed every three years and will cover racetracks, pachinko parlors, bicycle and speedboat racing. Admission restrictions on gambling addicts based on requests by family members will be introduced for pachinko parlors during fiscal 2019.

Last year the Japanese Racing Association introduced contactless palm vein biometric technology at cashless kiosks developed jointly by Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Frontech Limited to enable customers to securely place cashless bets and authenticate their identity to collect winnings.

Article Topics

access management  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  gambling  |  Japan