Smart Engines delivers OCR for biometric age checks, Novomatic adds ID reader to casino system

Jun 25, 2020, 2:09 pm EDT | Luana Pascu

identity document and smartphone

UK-based age verification platform VerifyMyAge has chosen Smart Engines’ document capture system with computer vision to confirm the age of eBay customers, the company announced.

The law requires retailers in many countries to sell age-restricted products such as alcohol and tobacco products, online games, as well as adult print and video materials to buyers who are of legal age. VerifyMyAge is used by companies who use platforms such as eBay and Shopify to sell these types of products.

ID Engine uses a passport, ID card or driver’s license, along with biometrics, to verify a buyer’s date of birth. It also looks to detect forgery attempts. The software does not transfer images to third parties, nor does it store information, ensuring GDPR compliance, according to the company. The feature is available in the UK, Canada, U.S., Germany, Sweden and South Africa.

“Our mission is to ensure that 100 percent of genuine end-users frictionlessly and securely authenticate their personal identity attributes,” Ryan Shaw, CEO of VerifyMyAge, said in a prepared statement. “As a team of ex- and current e-commerce merchants, we are best positioned in the market to achieve this and know due to potential revenue loss that anything less is unacceptable.”

“VerifyMyAge allows customers to confirm their age in several ways, and ID Engine provides the fastest, most accurate and the least resource-intensive one,” Vladimir Arlazarov Ph.D., CEO of Smart Engines, said in a prepared statement. “Unlike other verification methods, ID document capture allows to verify age of all age categories (18+, 21+, 25+) and is thus the most universal. The fact that the age verification process is fully automated, it benefits the seller-buyer relationships by increasing user experience and customer loyalty, thus contributing to the conversion.”

Smart Engines has released a system update for its Smart IDReader, which now comes with advanced OCR accuracy, optimized Russian passport and registration recognition, faster Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) scanning, and enhanced barcode scanning.

In addition, it supports IDs from Angola, Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania), Benin, Brunei Darussalam, Bhutan, Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Palestine, Syria. It supports driver’s licenses from China, Cabo Verde, Hong Kong, French Polynesia, Tunisia and Dominica Republic residence permits. Other documents it supports are passports from Timor-Leste, Chile, Cabo Verde, Kazakhstan, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Cayman Islands, USA vehicle registration cards.

myACP casino management system integrates Atom ID reader from Access-IS

ID document reader developer Access-IS has partnered with Novomatic to integrate the modular myACP casino management system with its Atom document reader to meet casino operator requirements and ensure compliance with gaming regulations and legislation, the company announced.

Access-IS-Product-ATOM-Dock

“We were looking for a reliable ID reader that also allows us to read the MSR and Chip data of our player cards,” Alexander Saam, Novomatic Casino Management Information Systems, said in a prepared statement. “Atom satisfied both of these requirements in a small and stylish package.”

myACP processes player data registration which includes member card issuance, optional ticket vouchers for entrance to and activities within the casino, member categorization and an attendance report.

Users place their ID on the glass, different light sources are used to read it, and the data retrieved is passed through myACP.

The Atom readers are provided by Ineltro. They use light wavelengths to capture identity documents’ images and collect data from the MRZ through OCR. Then electronic identity document validation technology will verify the document’s authenticity. The device’s API leverages NFC to access the RFID chips on e-passports and eIDs for digital personal data, biometric image and security checks. They include an expansion dock for contact card and MSR reading to access information on the player’s card.

myACP has already been rolled out in 1,200 gaming locations in over 25 countries. It uses a secure data transfer protocol, secure firewall and encryption, it has information backup and offers automated storage.