Konami Gaming has licensed its facial recognition technology available to New South Wales-based manufacturer Independent Gaming.
Titled Synk Vision, the tech enables players to sign into the Synkros player loyalty system at EGMs and table games simply by sitting down in front of such an offering versus having to use a traditional magnetic player card for access.
The gaming manufacturer, which provides equipment, jackpot systems and technical services, maintains over 5,000 gaming machines across the state.
Lawrence Shepherd, Managing Director at Independent Gaming, commented: “Independent Gaming are pleased to have reached an agreement with a great company such as Konami.
“Our IP agreement for facial recognition use in all our NextNet gaming systems continues the advancement in our technology.
“The benefits of biometrics within our player systems produces many possibilities for player functions and operators, ensures our gaming customers have decisive access to key facial recognition solutions.”
Konami, which has hailed the agreement amid a concerted effort to make its tech available to more properties worldwide, debuted the facial recognition add-on module to Synkros at G2E 2019.
“As Konami continues to invest in future innovation, we are excited for the opportunity to make our facial recognition intellectual property available to operators across diverse global markets in different forms,” said Tom Jingoli, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at Konami Gaming.
“We appreciate the shared collaboration with Independent Gaming on this agreement.”
The conversation surrounding pokies in Australia has been swirling over recent weeks, with New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet last month rolling-out what was labelled as “one of the biggest gambling reforms ever undertaken in Australia” under “historic changes” as part of a five-year plan.
This would see the NSW Liberal and Nationals government make every such gaming machine across the state cashless by December 31, 2028, in response to numerous reports of money laundering in electronic gaming machines. The cashless shift would also include a number of features to curb problem gambling.
