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STORIES
Casino Chips May Pave Way For Tagged Bank Notes
New casino chips with built-in radio identification tags may pave the
way for traceable banknotes, boosting efforts to beat fraud.
A radio frequency identification tag (RFID) in the chips will enable
casinos to spot counterfeits and monitor the behavior of gamblers,
allowing them to check that big winners are not cheating the house.
The tags broadcast a unique identification code when triggered by a
reader device and can work over distances of up to a few dozen meters.
If the technology can be transferred to notes, banks and stores will
easily be able to check that money is not counterfeit.
Last year there was speculation that the European Central Bank was
planning to fit radio tags in euro banknotes to combat fraud. But the
idea met with strong opposition from privacy advocates who objected to
the possibility that individuals' spending could be tracked.
Will Smoke-Free Casino Succeed?
If you want to gamble in Maine, leave your smokes at the door. A new
state law that goes into effect Jan. 1 will mandate that a proposed
$650 million casino, like virtually all buildings open to the public,
be smoke-free, unlike most other casinos.
Some say a total smoking ban would hurt business and generate less
revenue for the state. Others maintain that consumers are demanding
more non-smoking facilities and that smokers are conditioned to
stepping outside to light up.
Erin Lehane, spokeswoman for Think About It, which is backing the
ballot proposal to create the casino in Sanford, said many Maine
restaurateurs predicted business would suffer when smoking was banned
in restaurants in 1999.
But John Michael of Auburn, a former state legislator who is leading a
petition drive to overturn the state's new smoking law, said a
nonsmoking casino in Maine is destined to fail. Voters will decide
early November whether to allow the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Indian
tribes to build the casino and resort.
Michael said his campaign will be at the polls on Election Day
collecting signatures to force a referendum to overturn the new
smoking law. If his group, the Maine Freedom Coalition, collects at
least 50,519 voter signatures by February 2, the question will be on
the November 2004 ballot.
As for a casino, some say a gambling hall without smoking is like a
movie theater without popcorn. Surveys show 35 percent to 40 percent
of casino customers smoke, compared with roughly 20 percent of the
general population, said Wayne Mehl, a consultant with the American
Gaming Association.
At one time, a ‘nonsmoking’ section at a casino consisted of a single
nonsmoking seat at a blackjack table where others could smoke, he
noted.
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NEWS |
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A 30-year-old single mother of two won $5.1 million in a $1
progressive slot machine at a casino on February, one of Northern
California's largest slot payoffs. |
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HUMOR |
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Dear John, I have been unable to sleep since I
broke off our engagement. Won't you forgive and forget? |
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KENO FAQ |
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Keno is easy to learn and fun to play. It is one of the oldest
games played in modern casinos and almost certainly the one that
has undergone the least |
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