As technology continues to rapidly evolve, casinos are concerned that some of it could influence and encourage players to attempt to cheat in their establishments. One of the biggest new potential threats to casinos is the rise of smart glasses.
A lot of the casino industry believe that these devices should be banned from the floor because they could give players an unfair advantage. This is a very different world from players at home using platform selections from CasinosOnline, where wearing smart glasses is not going to make as much of a difference.
But why is there such a rising concern over the technology at land-based establishments? How can users potentially gain an unfair advantage with them, and will slipping on a pair get you into trouble?
What are Smart Glasses?
Smart glasses started to surge in sales towards the end of 2023. Smart glasses, for the large part, look like a pair of standard glasses and can be fitted with prescription lenses too. They can serve as viewing glasses or even just sunglasses, depending on what’s purchased.
But they go beyond the realm of what normal glasses do, because they incorporate AI, like the ones that famous brand Ray-Ban and technology giants Meta paired up to release last year. These smart glasses are packed with some fantastic features.
Thanks to the embedded AI, it means that the wearer can use their voice to control features, ask for information and read messages that are projected in front of them. Smart glasses can also be used for things like hands-free calls and playing music that can easily be controlled by an intuitive interface.
But the big concern for casinos is that the smart glasses can take photos, videos and livestream.
A Scenario of Concern
One concern is that a player could sit at a poker table in a land-based casino, for example, and run a live stream of their actual in-game perspective to any number of watchers. Those watchers, in turn, could provide feedback to the player about what their move should be, giving them a potential advantage in the game.
If one player at a casino table is gaining an advantage, then it means that the playing experiences of others at the same table are being negatively impacted. That’s something that could be very troubling to the industry.
Taking the concerns a level further, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that apps could be developed for smart glasses for something like card counting at a blackjack table, with live information relayed to the player. Apps that could make calculations in poker much quicker than the human brain, means that data-driven insights could take over from player skill.
Can Smart Glasses Be Spotted?
You can’t go into a casino and use any kind of technology to try and influence the outcome of a game. But smart glasses carry the potential of being able to do that, which means that casinos will probably have to fight back against them.
But the question is, how easily can smart glasses be spotted? With a passing glance, it’s not likely that you would notice that someone is wearing smart glasses. On the aforementioned Meta Ray-Bans, the camera in the corner of the frame is visible, which is the big giveaway.
It’s not something that’s going to be easily spotted by security cameras from a distance, however. Table dealers and floor casinos have a lot on their plate as it is, and so many faces to absorb throughout a session, that it is not unrealistic to expect the glasses to get by undetected.
There are videos on YouTube showing people wearing them in casinos and playing slot machines. Users on Reddit have told many tales about how they have worn pairs to casinos and nothing has happened to them.
Is It Worth The Risk?
But that doesn’t mean that wearing a pair isn’t going to get you called out by casino staff, or even other players at a table, which would be justifiable as everyone is there to compete on a level playing field.
There is the potential that casino security could step in and ask you to remove them, or even eject you if they feel strongly enough about it. It’s their house and their rules. It’s still a bit of a grey area at the moment, a real intersection between technology and gambling. Smart glasses may not be banned, but may still be frowned upon in a casino.
