Summary:
- An Oklahoma casino has become the pioneer venue to install a gun-detection system that uses AI
- The system will not be allowed in Nevada casinos because of regulations banning third-party monitoring.
- The RTC in Nevada has, however, embraced the system.
A tribal casino in Oklahoma has become the first in the US to install ZeroEyes, an innovative gun-detection system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor its surveillance cameras.
However, this cutting-edge system wouldn’t be permitted in Nevada casinos due to gaming regulations, which prohibit third-party monitoring of casino security camera footage. The latter is an essential feature of the ZeroEyes technology.
Hospital Shooting “Kind of Opened Our Eyes”
The Muscogee Nation Gaming Enterprise’s director of compliance in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Travis Thompson, explained the decision to implement the ZeroEyes technology was directly influenced by a nearby shooting incident at a hospital.
The “close to home” hit took place at a local hospital in Tulsa, “where an active shooter started in the parking lot and then moved inside… it really kind of opened our eyes”, Thompson explained.
After the tragic mass shooting at Mandalay Bay during the Route 91 Harvest Festival seven years ago, the Muscogee Nation sought a proactive solution to prevent similar incidents, without resorting to metal detectors at casino entrances.
“ZeroEyes at the time kind of fit our bill of what we were looking for”, said Thompson. The system uses AI-based software to detect firearms, analyzing camera feeds, and sending alerts to a central AI server.
Casino Security Experts, “Impressed with the Technology”
The system’s reliance on remote monitoring is not aligned with Nevada’s strict regulations, according to Rick Vonfeldt, president of the Las Vegas Security Chiefs Association and VP of security at Caesars Palace.
“I was impressed with the technology”, Vonfeldt said after a demonstration for 80 members of the association, though he confirmed the system couldn’t be used in Nevada.
Despite these restrictions in the casino industry, ZeroEyes has found other applications.
The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) in Nevada has installed the system to monitor for firearms at transit centers. The RTC chief executive officer MJ Maynard
Tens of thousands of people depend on our transit system every day, and we continually look for ways to improve their safety and security
While ZeroEyes does come with a few limitations, such as difficulty detecting smaller firearms or those at certain angles, it does provide significant advantages over human monitoring, as noted by retired Las Vegas police officer Joel Kisner.
Without being a foolproof system, Thompson and the Muscogee Nation are satisfied with its performance, using it primarily to protect against potential threats at their casino.
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