A South Australia organization called Duty of Care wants the government to require electronic identity cards for all casino visitors.

The Independent Gambling Authority is looking into the use of biometric or smart card technology to stop compulsive gamblers from entering gaming venues.

Sue Pinkerton of Duty of Care says it would not cost the SkyCity Adelaide casino much to initiate such a system.

“If people had to swipe a card to get in, if the card contained a photo ID, it’s going to cost them maybe A$6,000 because they’ve got two entrances and they would be able to detect barred gamblers quite quickly,” she said in an ABC News report.

Pinkerton said that barred gamblers will go to great lengths to get back into a casino.

“We’ve had women who’ve dressed as men, men who’ve dressed as women, women and men who’ve worn wigs and colored contact lenses to get into a venue.”

Casino spokesman Andrew Lamb says the cost would be much more than A$6,000.

“It’s been tried in one casino,” said Lamb, “and at that casino revenue dropped by 30 percent.

“If our revenue dropped by 30 percent we’d close down and send 1,100 people home without jobs.”

SkyCity wants more flexibility in problem gaming countermeasures, saying that the current penalties could lead to unfair results and even jeopardize its license. The company also urges the lifting of a minimum three-month ban on problem gamblers.

Hotels in the state also offer slot machine gaming. The Australian Hotels Association said that a security card system like the one described would be “gross overkill.”

By GGB Staff

Staff writers for Global Gaming Business magazine. Las Vegas, Nevada.