Cradlepoint. The company claims to be a "leader in cloud-delivered 4G and 5G wireless network edge solutions", and it has announced a partnership with Vix Vizion, itself a "leader in video analytics and facial recognition technology". The deal will provide wireless network solutions and remote cloud management for Vix Vizion's facial recognition devices. Deployed in over 80% of the gaming venues in South Australia, the new solution is "part of the state's gambling law reforms to protect the community from the potential harmful effects of gambling."

Fraser Larcombe, Product & Channel Manager, Vix Vizion said: "We had several critical capabilities that our wireless network solution must meet to support our facial recognition devices. It must be robust, bullet-proof secure, with the ability to access each machine from anywhere. We got it all from Cradlepoint and LTE."

The South Australian state government established a law reform to consolidate banned individuals lists into a single government-managed list. It enabled the government to mandate facial recognition technology in all gaming facilities, including pubs, clubs and casinos with more than 30 machines in a venue. The law reform aims to protect the community and groups within the community by identifying people at risk of gambling-related harm and intervening to help people at risk.

The facial recognition technology provided by Vix Vizion captures an image of people walking into a venue. It matches it to a digital database of banned and self-excluded individuals held by the South Australian government.

Larcombe added: "Through NetCloud, our back-office is connected to every one of our facial recognition devices that are fitted with a Cradlepoint router, enabling us to monitor the devices 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When a device or a whole venue loses its hardwired Internet connection, the Cradlepoint router automatically switches to 4G connectivity, enabling continual remote access to and management of the machines and ensuring that devices remain online without losing the ability to meet state regulatory requirements."

Previously, gaming venues had hard copy photographs obtained from various lists of banned people and relied on security staff to recognise these individuals and keep them from entering the venue.

Using Cradlepoint NetCloud and 4G-enabled routers, Vix Vizion says it "provides a distributed and connected facial recognition system that automates this process. Its software matches visitor images with the government-managed database. Since admitting banned individuals is an offense, identifying these individuals beforehand is paramount for gaming venues. The company's facial recognition technology, along with biometrics, can also pick up personal changes in people’s appearance, achieving detection rates of over 90%. If a blocked individual does find a way into a monitored location, the Vix Vizion software sends an alert flagging the need for security staff intervention."

Gavin Wilson, Managing Director APAC, Cradlepoint said: "We applaud the South Australian government's initiative to use technology to protect communities. As technology infuses every aspect of our lives, including gaming, it's important to leverage technology to help ensure the safety and support of people in need. Cradlepoint is proud to play a role in helping to curb gambling access for banned individuals across South Australia by providing secure and reliable wireless connectivity for Vix Vizion facial recognition machines across many sites."

Vix Vizion plans to roll out similar solutions in gaming venues across other states in Australia.