Exclusive: Las Vegas casino goes for RFID

The largest casino group in the world has told silicon.com it is currently running trials with controversial RFID tracking tags and believes at least one of its rivals is on the verge of an even bigger implementation.

But those who fear the influence of tracking tags on our lives should probably sit back down and have a nice drink – for now at least, because it is the staff at the Harrah's-owned properties who are being fitted with tags to ensure, among other things, that customers get served drinks within a set time frame.

Tim Stanley, CIO of Harrah's Entertainment, told silicon.com his company is now fitting waitresses with the tags on their name badges in order to ensure drinks get to customers more quickly and to ensure that areas of the casino don't go unserviced.

He said it's not been without its problems – most notably some opposition among the staff themselves – especially as anybody slacking on the job will be exposed far more quickly.

And Stanley told silicon.com that is exactly what happened almost on day one of the trial, with one employee caught "loafing" and disciplined accordingly.

"Now, that person we caught probably won't be happy about it, but their co-workers should be," said Stanley.

"If this enables us to staff the casino properly and realise when and where we're under-resourced, then our waitresses aren't killing themselves out on the floor and can earn more tips and our customers are happier."

It's likely RFID chips will play an increasing part in the casino business, according to Stanley, though he says Harrah's is not about to go down the route some may think inevitable of putting RFID tags in all the chips played on the casino floor.

"I think a lot of people might expect us to do that, but I don't really see the value," he said. In isolation the chips may prove useful on game tables – most likely blackjack – but across the whole casino it becomes logistically self-defeating.

While such a system would add further detection methods to the hunt for cheats, admitted Stanley, "the pick-up on these detectors is so limited that you'd have to have sensors every few feet all over the floor if it was to really work".

"And what are you really going to be able to do with the vast levels of data you are creating? How is this going to scale?" he asked.

However, one casino is already planning to do just that. The $2.7bn Wynn resort, which opens on the strip next week, has admitted it will put RFID tags on all its chips to help detect real ones from fakes.

But Harrah’s Stanley told silicon.com: "If this is true then it may be the case they are buying things for buying things' sake. I guess that’s how you end up spending $2.7bn."

Wynn declined to discuss its technology with silicon.com until after its launch on 28 April.