Wow, a GPS computer accessory to assure border control!
Satellite security
For a national rollout of Nevada online casinos, several firms are touting the abilities of small GPS receivers.
Companies, including CyberLocator.com, have begun demonstrating how these inexpensive, easy-to-install USB devices can pinpoint the location of any equipped computer using measurements taken from satellite sensors.
CyberLocator Vice President Paul Siegel said the technology is so precise that it can determine on which corner of the desk a computer is sitting. Up to this point, Siegel said, his service has been used to ensure that data is coming from an exact location on oil pipelines and other transmission lines.
But Siegel, a former Bally's slot-machine sales representative, said his company has developed a practical method for attaching its equipment directly to central gaming servers such as those being considered by Nevada regulators.
When a gambler attempts to enter an online casino via the Web, CyberLocator's machine intercepts the transmission, authenticates the location from the GPS receiver, then permits qualified surfers to continue. Everybody else is denied access.
Beyond that, a reliable system to verify the age of players would have to be developed, according to the Nevada Legislature's charge to its gaming commission. Underage gaming is a huge potential problem for online casinos, Sandoval said.
"I will tell you that this is — at least from a public-policy standpoint — the No. 1 issue in the state of Nevada," Sandoval said.
It may be that a biometric device — perhaps a thumbprint detector that can match users with a database of authorized gamblers — will have to be deployed on home computers.
The first Nevada online casino won't be ready for licensing for more than a year, experts say. And stiff national opposition is expected to mount as the prospect nears reality. |
