Visitors and employees at the newly opened Pleinair Casino in Marseilles, France will soon be given a biometric smart card equipped with a fingerprint sensor that will enable them to gain access to privileged areas and make payments across the venue.

The casino — situated on the water’s edge in the town of La Ciotat — is one of 43 casinos and hotels in the Groupe Partouche portfolio and is the first of three properties to launch the MeReal Biometrics V2 smart cards this year.

“The MeReal Biometrics smart card will initially be used by employees to grant them access to private back-of-house and privileged areas, as well as provide record-keeping for time and attendance,” says MeReal Biometrics. “The group hopes to add more applications — both access and payments — for employees and for its one million VIP players who currently carry a Fairplayer loyalty card.

“The MeReal Biometrics card — manufactured in France — also features the standard technology that everyday access and payment cards carry such as RFID, NFC and EMV chip technology. Combined with MeReal Biometrics fingerprint sensor, acoustic one-time password and battery power, these cards have unlimited applications 24 hours a day.”

Adding value

“We are excited to launch our V2 card at the opening of the Pleinair Casino — the hotel and hospitality industry is a world in which our card can add unlimited values,” says MeReal Biometrics’ Kate Davies.

“Employees, guests and even suppliers can move around properties and within the brand’s footprint to gain access, make or receive payments and redeem loyalty rewards without the hassle of typing logins, passwords or showing identification documents but never compromising on security.”

Plans to test the biometric smart cards at Groupe Partouche venues were announced in November 2016.

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