Atlantic City Casinos Ban Google Glass

Earlier this week, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement issued a directive which orders 12 casinos in Atlantic City to put a complete ban on Google glasses, as they fear that these devices can be manipulated to be used as cheating devices. Similar bans already exist in other gambling hotspots, including Las Vegas.

The Google Glass is a device mounted to eyeglasses which can be used to take photos, film videos and surf the internet. Regulators fear that allowing these devices onto their venues would allow players to gain an unfair advantage. David Rebuck, who is director of the division, wrote in a memo to the casinos that “they could be used to broadcast a patron’s hand to a confederate or otherwise be used in a collusive manner” when used by poker players. Naturally this is a crime, but as it is very difficult to prove that players have actually cheated using the glasses, Rebuck considered that a complete ban would be more appropriate.

As a result of the directive, all 12 Atlantic City casinos will be required to ask anyone wearing the glasses to take them off and they retain the right to remove players who don’t comply from their premises. However, none of this really comes as a surprise considering that any form of recording is forbidden without five days’ notice and approval.

It is anticipated that the ban on the Google Glass will soon spread to locations in the USA where casinos have not enforced it yet.