Precommitment involves gamblers compulsorily signing up to a system which will, at a nominated limit, shut off their ability to play the pokies. It would involve the use of smart card technology, although not with fingerprint or biometric ID, that would either turn off the machine, or enable the player to keep playing without paying.It's becoming clear that this is all about politics and money and has little to do with helping problem gamblers and the privacy of Australians.
To be effective, the card would have to work at every machine in every club. The clubs hate the idea, say it will cost thousands of jobs and slash revenue, and are gearing up for a massive fight.
The most cost-effective way to help problem gamblers while respecting the privacy of non-problem gamblers would be the institution of an opt-in system for problem gamblers only. Such a system would provide little or no opportunity for identity theft.
It is our contention that backing up such a system with biometric identity management techniques would reduce fraud within the opt-in system to its lowest possible level at the least cost. Facial recognition would seem to be the preferred modality because for reasons both technical and cultural, it works well with non-habituated users in public areas.
Earlier Posts on this subject:
Biometrics shut out of Australian problem gambler program
Most Unfair biometrics article in a long time
Further information on security application categories and biometric deployments
