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MeReal Biometrics Combines Biometrics and NFC Technologies for New Card Solution
The company, based in France and Hong Kong, is selling an ID card for the hospitality industry that leverages Near Field Communication, as well as biometrics and acoustic signals, to vary the level of security for access control, payments and VIP services.
Several hospitality companies are deploying or trialing a new biometrics- and Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID-enabled card from MeReal Biometrics that leverages the combination of technologies to ensure the companies meet regulatory standards for privacy, while also providing a variety of access-control, VIP treatment and payment options for those with the cards.
MeReal is also partnering with French access-control and security technology company EuroStation, which will resell the cards to its clients in the hotel, casino and television production industries. The card was released in 2017 and has since been used by casinos and hotels in trials or full deployments.
In La Ciotat France, for instance, Casino Pleinair is using the technology to provide its employees with access to its specific restricted areas. Casino Pleinair is the first French casino built for outdoor use, to enable guests to smoke while still complying with France’s indoor smoking ban. Players and other guests can roam outdoors in the facility’s gaming area, restaurants, and pool. The resort, in the long term, intends to provide guests with the MeReal Biometrics card to they can make payments, receive VIP services and gain access to authorized areas. Initially, however, the card is being used only by staff members.
In Nice, the Palais de Mediterranée is utilizing the cards to provide its employees with access control specific to their work requirements. In Macau, meanwhile, a hotel and casino (which has asked to remain unnamed) has begun piloting the card for use by its VIP customers. Regular customers have the card (approximately 1,000 will participate in the pilot by mid-year) and are using the technology to gain VIP access to the resort.
In the future, the company says, the plan is to use the system (the MeReal card with apps, Websites and customer hotlines) for payments and other services. The card has also been trialed in France for online gaming. To provide proof of authenticity, a gamer can simply tap his or her card on an NFC-enabled smartphone to log on to the gaming site or app. If NFC is unavailable, the card’s audio signature can be used: the gamer holds his or her card to the microphone of a PC, a laptop or a tablet to log into the game.
MeReal was cofounded in 2009 by Patrick Partouche, a casino and hotel group owner and operator, and Philippe Blot, whose background is in the “powered card” manufacturing industry, and before that in cyphering technology. The company says its goal is to disrupt the standard access-control card industry and digital-payments market, by providing the hospitality industry—among others—with a security and access-control solution that uses multiple technologies.
The card is intended to provide more than just access control, Blot says. The battery-powered biometric system-on-card, which features built-in fingerprint biometric capability, an acoustic signature emitter and an NFC chip, is being marketed for VIP and loyalty service, as well as for payments and security. It can be loaded with funds and be used for physical and online access, or make payments in a closed or open network. It comes with a portable charger and can transmit data via NFC or sound if a reader or microphone is available. With the NFC functionality, the device can also be used with an NFC-enabled smartphone or tablet.
When the company was founded, its goal was to create a card that would meet the requirements of European regulators. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), established in 2016, dictates how personal identification, as of May 2018, can be required, while protecting and simplifying the authentication process for citizens. While biometrics can ensure the authenticity of a person entering a facility or making a payment, EU regulations mandate that companies cannot require biometric data from people under all conditions.
For instance, at certain public doors and during specified times of the day, the companies must allow access without requiring a fingerprint. It’s more than just a matter of privacy, Blot explains—it’s a question of civil rights. How many times, he notes, can a company require an individual to stop and present his or her fingerprint in order to access a building or to gamble, for instance?
Hong Kong, where MeReal Biometrics is headquartered, is presently looking into similar protections as more companies are asking citizens to present ID cards or ID numbers to access basic needs, says Kate Davies, MeReal Biometrics’ head of marketing.
Using simply NFC on traditional cards spares an individual from having to provide a fingerprint, Blot says, though the technology has limits as well. “It comes down to the level of identification—who I am versus who I say I am,” he explains. Although an NFC card can authenticate the card itself, it cannot guarantee that the person holding the card is the same individual who owns that card’s account. “This can be quite important,” he says, especially in the gaming industry, in which online gaming is becoming popular and makesauthentication considerably more challenging than it would be for a casino employee standing face to face with a player.
MeReal wanted a card that would work for physical or virtual access, gaming, payments and other applications, with a variety of use cases depending on a user’s needs. The card’s biometrics sensor can read and authenticate a user’s fingerprint in less than one second before transmitting its unique ID number to an NFC reader, thereby ensuring the card’s authenticity, and that the card user is who he or she claims to be.
Because the biometrics data is stored directly on the card and not in the issuer’s database that could be hacked, Blot adds, it provides greater security for the card user. So a user can simply place a thumb or finger against the sensor on the card in order to unlock the NFCfunction, then tap the card against the NFC reader. The system also enabled multiple fingers to be enrolled so that one fingerprint (from an index finger, for example) could have different privileges or accomplish different functions than another (from a thumb, for instance).
Such flexibility is one of the card’s strengths, Davies says. The system can be set up so that it allows a cardholder to enter through a general doorway using only the NFC RFID chip in the card, without requiring the fingerprint sensor. However, the fingerprint sensor could be used, or required, to enter a card holder’s guest room. “Our card is dynamic enough to comply with the regulations that won’t allow biometric data to be used at [for example] the front door or entrance of a hotel.”
The card is expected to cost less than $20 when purchased in high volume, Blot reports. The card pays for itself with the functionality it provides to users, he adds. “You’re putting a device into the hand of a customer that makes them far more loyal to the brand,” Blot states. MeReal provides apps for users if so requested, while many companies are expected to utilize the card with their own existing apps and IT systems.
Source:RFID Journal
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Expanse Studios (GMGI) Secures ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Certification
Expanse Studios, the iGaming division of Golden Matrix Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: GMGI), proudly announces its recent certification to the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard, which demonstrates globally leading data security standards.
This globally recognized certification reinforces the Group’s dedication to safeguarding confidential information, client trust, and strengthening its competitive position in the iGaming industry.
The ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard establishes a rigorous framework for managing and protecting information security across all operations. By attaining this certification, Expanse Studios has implemented a comprehensive Information Security Management System (ISMS) that ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data. This certification goes beyond compliance and assures our clients and partners of our stringent security protocols, protecting against cyber threats and unauthorized access.
“Achieving the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification marks a significant milestone in Expanse Studios’ journey. This certification not only reinforces our security framework but also highlights our commitment to upholding the highest standards of trust and integrity for our clients and players worldwide.”, said Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios.
In an industry where information security is paramount, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification demonstrates Expanse Studios’ proactive stance on cyber risk management and adherence to international best practices. The certification process included comprehensive evaluations, audits, and stringent checks, all contributing to a secure environment that benefits our clients, players, and business partners.
ISO certification assures the clients that Expanse Studios operates with top-tier security mechanisms, solidifying the role of the GMGI entity as one of the most trusted and compliant partners in the iGaming sector.
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Almedia Hires 17 New Staff Fuelling Exponential Growth
– Powering the next generation of rewarded user acquisition –
Almedia, the data-driven platform engineering the future of mobile gaming user acquisition – today proudly announces a major hiring wave which includes over 17 people from leading global tech and gaming brands. The new hires are essential to Almedia’s ambitious strategy for achieving exponential growth across Europe and Northern America over the next 12 months.
The new team members will join an already established team, based in Berlin, with a current headcount of 80, supporting a global client base of mobile game developers and publishers. The expanded team joins established departments including product development, marketing, account management, fraud, and talent acquisition. The 17 new hires will drive Almedia’s core mission: elevating user acquisition to new heights and engineering the future of intelligent engagement.
Moritz Holländer, Chief Executive Officer and Founder at Almedia, commented: “Since 2020, we’ve been at the forefront of rewarded user acquisition, and our services and results are being embraced by the global mobile gaming industry, by companies such as Playtika, SuperPlay, Plarium, and Monopoly Go. Team Almedia is witnessing real-time exponential demand for its rewarded UA services, hence we have a robust scaleup roadmap in place to help us manage demand.”
He added: “What we’ve proudly achieved in four years is quite remarkable. With zero funding, a highly profitable organisation, we are humbled to be assembling a true dream team for the global mobile gaming industry. We are thrilled to welcome the latest waves of new hires to the team, which will help us to further establish our brand as the most credible, data-driven rewarded user acquisition company in the world.”
The new hires include
- Andrey Shilin, Lead Product Manager
- Holly Pickerell, Workplace and Culture Manager
- Sabina Halilovic, Fraud Analyst
- Alexander Rasch, Senior Finance Manager
- Alisson Paschoal Hausmann, Senior Mobile Developer
- Anthony Clement, SEO Manager
- April Chen, Senior Customer Success Manager;
- Benedikt Roth, Lead User Acquisition Google Ads Manager
- Caroline Sobkow, Talent Acquisition Partner
- Federica Stiscia, Senior Gaming Partnership Manager
- Marc Hammes, SEO Manager
- Mapa Vega, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner
- Pablo Herranz, Senior Talent Acquisition Partne
- Ravisankar Chinnam, Senior Frontend Developer
- Kutay Akalin, Data Scientist
- Aleksei Smagin, Junior Affiliate Specialist UA
- Neil Laverty, Senior Customer Success Manager
Almedia currently has a range of positions open across operations, talent, product, marketing and more. To learn more about careers at Almedia, visit the jobs section on the website.
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Huge Jackpot at King Billy Casino: C$3,658,306!
King Billy Casino, launched in 2017, has had some impressive players wins during the “reign of King Billy”. A few of them include Live Game winnings of €135,223, daily winnings from 2 or more slots of $164,000, and €250,000 won on a single spin. However, the latest win by a King Billy Casino player dwarfs every big win that has come before this. Actually, it’s bigger than all previous big wins combined for the operator!
Because, we are talking about C$3,658,306.
This amazing six-digit number was the result of a player going on a safari in her (and millions of other players) beloved Mega Moolah progressive slot from Games Global. In an autumn, the player stepped into eternal summer by wagering a small C$6,25 bet and winning 562.816 times her bet! This is the power of Mega Moolah, as evidenced at King Billy.
King Billy people had only warm words for the occasion. A representative of the casino has stated: “We are elated, for this huge big win. We can never forget that our first big win, many years back, was more than 200,000 Canadian dollars, so we have special ties with the region. And it’s now amazing to see our VIP-player making such a cashback and echoing that big win! Congratulations to our player”.
A few words about Mega Moolah. It was an Internet sensation when it was launched with its beautiful graphics and sounds, and immersive gameplay and it is a sensation today, still going strong after almost 20 years. The slot, which has spawned more than 20 variations, and has given millions in cash to players all over the world (including 5 millionaires in 2024 alone) features 4 types of jackpots that make it stand out from the competition.
About Games Global
Games Global is a supplier of the online gaming industry delivering force and direction to gaming with more than 1,300 top class games. The company has made a commitment to deliver the industry’s more disruptive ideas and compelling data-driven gaming experiences. Games Global features a total of 40+ partnered and in-house studios, services 600+ branded websites and boasts record-breaking jackpots with its worldwide network.
About King Billy Casino
Established on St Patrick’s Day in 2017, King Billy is a renowned new generation casino with more than 26 awards and accolades. The casino is available in English, German, French and Finnish, and created a unique user experience, building on the theme of King Billy and his Kingdom. King Billy ensures that all its players, “Citizens” in the casino language, receive the care and attention they deserve.
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