RADIO ID TAGS FOR CASINO CHIPS AND PAPER MONEY Public Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 2, January 11, 2004, Article 9
RADIO ID TAGS FOR CASINO CHIPS AND PAPER MONEY
A recent report in The New Scientist said: "If the gambling
industry reaps the benefits of electronically tagging its chips,
the world's central banks could follow with their banknotes."A gambling industry publication got the story all bollixed up
when it reported: "In a new research report published by the
New Scientist, casino chips which have embedded radio
frequency identification tags (RFID) could eventually replace
traditional paper currency or bank notes and cut down fraud."Plenty of currency substitutes have found their way into
general circulation over the years, but casino chips aren't likely
to appear any time soon. The gist of the report is that the
SAME TECHNOLOGY (i.e. radio frequency ID tags) that
could soon see use in casino chips might also one day be used
in paper currency. Later in the article the reporter seemed to
figure this out. The article correctly notes that "casinos and
companies are expected to face opposition from privacy
advocates and customers who don't want to be tracked for
everything they buy or do."
http://www.onlinecasinonews.com/ocnv2_1/article/article.asp?id=4614Another article in the U.K.'s Independent gave a balanced
treatment to the subject in its 8 January issue:"Technology that has been used to monitor the shopping habits
of supermarket customers is about to be introduced to casinos.An American company is making playing chips that will beam
an identification code to sensors in gaming houses. Although
they will be more expensive than other chips, they should
allow casino owners to reduce counterfeiting and theft and to
monitor gamblers more closely. Known as "RFID", Radio
Frequency Identification, the technology has already been used
in the UK by supermarkets, including Tesco and Marks &
Spencer, for tracking items such as razor blades and men's
suits from the warehouse to the store.""The new generation of chips is being made by Chipco
International in Raymond, Maine. The RFID system adds
about 20p to the price of each chip. But that cost could pale
in comparison with the potential savings ...""The tagged chips could also be a forerunner of new banknotes
being considered by the European Central Bank, which wants
to use RFID technology for high-denomination notes to reduce
counterfeiting."For the complete article, see:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=479058
- 2004-01-11
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