WENTY LEAGUES RENOVATIONS INCLUDE FACIAL RECOGNITION SOFTWARE TO IDENTIFY SELF-EXCLUDED MEMBERS.
The delivery of Wenty Leagues’ redevelopment makes a remarkable statement about leadership and innovation. Glenn Kovacs, CEO, quickly makes it clear that one of the important outcomes for this project is to enhance the strong sense of belonging that members and the community feel about their club.
“Our idea was always to create a home away from home where members and guests feel welcome”, says Glenn.
The team at Wenty believes their “home away from home” promise holds much more than the provision of new facilities and beautiful design. Their leadership ethos extends to finding new ways to ensure their members, guests and community are looked after in a safe environment.
Illustrating this is the introduction of state-of-the-art facial recognition technology to help protect patrons who have self-excluded because at times they may struggle to control their gambling.
You may think that a problem gambler self-excluding is the end of the story, but it is not. The addiction plays tricks and convinces them that “just one session won’t hurt” or “I must have a bit of luck this time”, so re-entry by self-excluded people is a serious issue for venues but especially for those affected by this affliction.
“Yes, we understand the difficulties. It is a big challenge for the person affected, their families, the community and for our industry. This investment is specifically about caring for individuals who need our support and protection, we are intent on making sure we help them avoid further harm,” says Glenn.
Glenn stressed, “But it is important to understand this technology and its sophistication ensures there is no compromising the privacy of our members and guests.”
He went on to explain that the system does not store the facial images, it works by using a sophisticated mapping of features. What is stored is literally a secure encrypted set of codes.
Furthermore, the product is compliant with the stringent requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which protects the personal data of citizens. The GDPR is much more rigorous than the data privacy regulations than we have in Australia.
This innovative solution to the serious challenge of protecting self-excluded persons has been devised by Wenty Leagues with Exact Technologies and AnyVision who have partnered to deliver, install and activate the cutting-edge technology that supports the solution.
Once again Wenty is at the forefront of the club industry. For the sake of those needing protection let’s hope many of their peers follow their lead.
By Steve van Zwieten Jnr
Contact Steve for more information on 0410 607 069 or
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/innovating-protect-members-steve-van-zwieten-jnr/
