A major French casino and hotel operator is testing out biometric access control in a program that could dramatically expand in scope if initial tests prove successful.

The company, Group Partouche, is currently working with MeReal Biometrics to leverage the latter’s smart card technology. In addition to containing the standard identity information associated with smart cards for access control, MeReal’s cards also feature embedded FPC fingerprint sensors that allow them to link biometric profiles. The cards are now being used to authenticate Group Partouche employees at the latter’s Paris headquarters, with plans to bring them to two casinos in Q1 of next year: Casino La Ciotat on the French Riviera, and Casino Juan Les Pins in Antibes.

If these pilot projects prove successful, the companies plan to extend the use of MeReal biometric smart cards not only to all employees at Group Partouche’s many locations, but also to casino and hotel guests, who will be able to use the cards to access services and for payments.

The plan offers some indication of why other major biometrics companies like Fingerprint Cards see a major opportunity in the smart cards market, and of why the biometrics market in general continues to generate excitement.

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November 8, 2016 – by Alex Perala