France’s Groupe Partouche, one of the leading casino and hotel operators in the country with a total of 42 properties recently announced that it had entered into a partnership with MeReal Biometrics that will allow the group to experiment with secure biometrics card technology. The casino plans to roll-out this innovative and groundbreaking technology throughout all of its properties but will first do a trial at two properties on the French Riviera.

Casino Juan Les Pins in Antibes is currently going through a makeover process and will be used as one of the trial properties. The second casino ‘Casino La Ciotat’ is currently being constructed on the Riviera and will be the group’s first ever open air casino. The trial has already commenced and MeReal Biometrics patented fingerprint card is being tested as employees get to use it at secured areas. The immediate focus of the group is to implement electronic access control which will allow only employees who have the fingerprint card access to the property.

Should the trial prove to be successful, the Partouche group will go ahead with a closed loop system that will require all 4,500 employees and guests to use MeReal Biometrics cards to access the casinos and hotels. The card will not only allow guests to gain access but also to complete a number of payments functions using the card.

In a statement, Fabrice Paire, Chairman of the Board, Group Partouche said “The fingerprint sensor brings trust and security to the Groupe Partouche experience, a key component to our core values. The identity of our employees is paramount and top customer service is key to our success. Once tested and deployed, we hope to add more services to the MeReal Biometrics card in order to make our hotel and casino VIPs’ experiences with us as safe and carefree as possible.”

The MeReal Biometrics card comprises a fingerprint sensor, a rechargeable battery, and an acoustic sensor all placed within the confines of a typical wallet size card that will allow guests to use it with a number of different mobile applications. Guests will be able to use the card to book and pay for their hotel via the Group’s mobile app, they no longer have to wait to check into the hotel as they can go directly gain access to their room via the card and pay for multiple services across as pools, spas, casino floors, the gymnasium and even rental cars.

By implementing this new biometrics card technology, the group will improve its cyber security, reduce the possibility of banking and card fraud and improve overall communication as their properties as the card is compatible with smartphone apps, IVR systems, USB readers, card readers, customer service hotlines and existing point of sale readers. MeReal Biometrics Limited is based out of Hong Kong and focuses on inventing and developing biometric solutions.