Saturday, April 13, 2013

Ever Hear of Google Glass? Casinos Surely Have!...

...And they're scared shit of it!

Google Glass Cheat?
With technology rapidly changing on an almost daily basis, casinos have to be aware of new products that might hurt their business. The “eye in the sky” and casino personnel are always on the lookout for certain electronics that could cause a detrimental swing against the house.

Many devices such as digital cameras and mobile camera phones are already banned from certain areas of Vegas casinos in order to avoid card counting or any other type of cheating. Try whipping out your smartphone to snap a pic during a game of craps or roulette and you’ll be instantly warned and/or kicked out of the gaming area very quickly.

The most recent item that may be added to the banned list at casinos in Las Vegas is Google Glass.

Google Glass is the newest invention by Google, and although innovative, it may be banned from the gaming floors of casinos in the state of Nevada according to a recent NBC report. The product itself is a type of eyewear that allows the wearer to do a number of things including take video as well as photos. This could potentially be used to cheat the casino and casino operators are strongly against the new product in their casinos.

NBC spoke with MGM Resorts International and they commented on the new product by stating:

“Picture-taking is frowned upon, and security officers on duty ask individuals not to take pictures for the privacy of others in the casino. This new product is nothing new in terms of a challenge for us, because for so many years, the very tiniest of portable lipstick and pinpoint cameras have been around.”

It is not uncommon for restrictions to be placed on certain forms of technology on the gaming floor, especially when it comes to poker tournament play. Google Glass would most certain fall under these restrictions.

While the new technology has yet to be released to the public as it is still in the testing phase but it is believed the product will be ready later on this year. In the meantime, we will have to wait and see if casinos in Las Vegas (and of course, abroad) decide to put a ban in place for the item.

My take: Well, if it isn't one thing the casinos are paronoid about these days, it's another. I really wouldn't be popping many bricks about Google Glass if I were a casino boss.