AI-powered surveillance is increasingly common across the U.S., especially when on the lookout for firearms in public spaces. Schools, colleges, sports stadiums, and places of business throughout the U.S. have installed the tech.
Just this week, Oklahoma’s Tribal Creek Nation Casino announced that it believes it is, so far, the only casino property in the country to work with ZeroEyes, the leading provider of gun-detecting software.
In Nevada, the Regional Transportation Commission began using the tech in early 2024, providing additional surveillance and security capability across public transit systems in the Las Vegas Valley.
You would think Las Vegas casinos might also be interested in this. But so far, there has been little to no sign of that happening. That’s not for lack of trying by ZeroEyes, which has been speaking to Sin City casino operators.
“I was impressed with the technology,” said Rick Vonfeldt, head of the Las Vegas Security Chiefs Association and former chief security officer at Caesars Palace.
“ZeroEyes performed a demonstration for our association a few weeks ago at the Horseshoe, and about 80 of our members got a chance to see it operate.”
But as the system currently runs, it faces several hurdles before it could become viable at Sin City casinos. Even if the city is facing a security recruitment problem.
The Problem
For one thing, some casino security consultants and advisors aren’t completely sold on the technology. There are certain situations in which a human camera operator would be far more effective at recognizing a firearm.
The system also can sometimes take up to a minute to calculate exactly what type of gun was caught on camera before contacting security or police, which can lead to delays in volatile situations.
However, it isn’t technical problems that are keeping ZeroEyes from Las Vegas casino floors, even if some are concerned. The real stumbling block is gambling regulations.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board has a specific rule that third parties are not allowed to monitor casino security footage. Also, the fact that ZeroEyes’ AI server is located outside of Nevada may mean use of the software by casinos would break NGCB rules on data transfers outside of state.
ZeroEyes has reportedly told casinos that it believes it would be allowed to monitor all areas of the property for firearm activity except the casino floor. But so far, no Las Vegas casinos have take the risk and jumped in.
A Solution
Meanwhile, the Muscogee Nation, owners of the Creek Nation Casino near Tulsa, Oklahoma, said the technology had been on their mind for a while before they installed it in 2023. The casino business was shaken by the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, where a gunman killed 60 people shooting from the Mandalay Bay casino resort tower down into the crowd at the nearby Harvest Festival.
Travis Thompson, director of compliance for the Muscogee Nation Gaming Enterprise, said it was around that time the casino started looking for solutions to potential firearms crises without intrusive metal detectors. At the time, there was nothing on the market. That’s until ZeroEyes, founded in 2018 after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Florida, entered the market.
Thompson says he’s happy with the performance so far, and can see it being rolled out across the casino business.
“Being in the entertainment industry, and with the things going on around the world, active shooter scenarios are more frequent, and that’s a bad thing,” Thompson said.
“ZeroEyes at the time kind of fit our bill of what we were looking for… the way our system is set up, the ZeroEyes operation center notifies our tribal police, our local 911 centers, and a mass notification goes out to employees and management that allows us to react faster.”
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.