Facial recognition requirements are the latest recommendation by partypoker partner Rob Yong to boost customer confidence while curbing prohibited software use in real money games.
A recent Twitter poll created by partypoker collaborator and key decision maker Rob Yong has engaged the site’s social media fans and resulted in diverse feedback from poker players who participate in real money games on the UKGC sub-licensed site.
On January 29th, Yong polled Twitter users to gauge their reaction to planned facial recognition requirements that the Dusk Till Dawn poker room owner believes will halt a number of practices used by malicious online poker players to gain an unfair advantage over competitors.
I am going to ask @partypoker to implement Facial Recognition on Sign in [+ randomly when ITM/Final Tables + Higher Stakes Cash Games to 1) stop cheaters/bots opening/buying new accounts 2) stop multi – accounting 3] Stop ghosting – Do you support this ?
— Rob Yong (@rob_yong_) January 30, 2020
More than 5,000 votes were received within the allotted time period, with roughly eighty-five percent supporting the idea.
Twitter Users Discuss Poker Site Facial Recognition (Feedback)
Despite the positive one-click reaction from partypoker players who follow Rob Yong’s Twitter feed, several posts were critical of forcing players to comply with facial recognition checks while competing on the site.
Much of the criticism revolves around partypoker’s software malfunctions that have become a persistent nuisance for players over the past year.
We are aware that the site has issues, and they are working on it right now, we will post an update as soon as we know more. Sorry for the inconvenience
— partypoker (@partypoker) January 30, 2020
https://twitter.com/dan21681/status/1222988121064845315
Veteran live/online poker player Dylan Linde and others have also expressed concerns that such a requirement might result in further inconveniences for players with little to no benefit for those who frequently play on the site.
Yes, I use same tech in another business and it’s more reliable that signing in manually
— Rob Yong (@rob_yong_) January 30, 2020
If it's as reliable as the current laptops and phones then doing this at a final table sounds like a disaster. You are going to need manual password entry as backup for a long long time
— H (@hpoker) January 30, 2020
What if I don’t have a webcam on my laptop/pc? Now I can’t play? What about that logistical issue?
— Don Peitro (@NvrBeenBlocked) January 30, 2020
Twitter account holder Randy Mawson commented that subjecting low stakes players on partypoker to facial recognition checks would represent a meaningful burden to “the masses.” However, Yong countered that small stakes players are already familiar with the feature because they use it to log-on the bank apps.
Small stakes players are doing this to log onto their bank apps etc it’s pretty standard
— Rob Yong (@rob_yong_) January 30, 2020
Twitter user VinnyCout argued that facial recognition would be a needless addition to partypoker’s security controls, and that Yong should instead reconsider the mid-2019 decision to remove HUDs along with the ability for players to locally download their own hand histories. However, Yong stood firm on the notion that detecting prohibited HUD use and player ID checks are two unrelated topics.
Nope. You’re wrong here. Bots caught – opens new account / buys account – f all to do with HUD’s or detection.
— Rob Yong (@rob_yong_) January 30, 2020
Rob Yong would subsequently clarify that he is anticipating immediately losing players who participate online via older PCs, which may not be equipped with a webcam — but also stated that he believes those who play poker online from more modern devices would gladly comply with the added layer of security.
100% phones + laptops have camera. I would bet that we lose some players who have PC with no web cam but gain more who want to play in safer environment so + EV IMO
— Rob Yong (@rob_yong_) January 30, 2020
The suggestion was likewise shared to the long-form TwoPlusTwo News, Views, and Gossip board, with online poker security analyst Michael Josem opining that facial recognition is “just another dumb idea” hatched by the partypoker decision maker.
partypoker Facial Recognition Requirements (Observations)
* All observations belong solely to the author unless otherwise specified.
It is this author’s opinion that — as Michael Josem implies — partypoker facial recognition requirements would not present any meaningful hurdle for seasoned “bot” users who are already known (thanks to multiple YouTube videos along with a separate 2+2 thread located within the Internet Poker forum) to operate prohibited software while physically seated in front of their computer(s).
However, such a requirement could be useful as a marketing tool to attract mobile device users who may appreciate the feature and feel more secure playing on the site as a result.
Still… such a change (if it does occur) would hopefully be “trialed” and “troubleshot” well in advance to get ahead of potential issues that might result in players being unfairly blocked from the site while they are competing for real money.
* This article is directly funded by Part Time Poker.
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