Bettie: Important for all Palms players

[Bettie]

Below is the text of a letter I wrote to Jeffrey Compton in response to an item in today's weekly "Player's Edge" column. If you have or are planning to get a player's card at the Palms, this info is extremely important for you to know:

"Per today's article:

'Here is a good idea that we hope catches on at other casinos. The Palms is now adding your photograph to your Club Palms card. Not only does this improve security, it also saves time as players will no longer have to search for additional identification.'

Actually, the Palms has been doing this for over a year now, even setting up "photo days" last Spring to have your picture taken for your card. Because of the lack of response, what they have started doing is SCANNING YOUR PICTURE ID, so that the front of your license (and all of the info ? not just your picture, which means your SS#) shows up on their computer screen whenever you present your players card to the slot club.

It's absolutely ridiculous, especially since they don't even tell new members that they are doing this. The scanner is all of 4 inches long and doesn't look like a traditional scanner, so people are not aware of what the club is doing unless they ask. Because I've had my card for years (and declined to have my picture added), my license is not in their system. And each time I go to the club to make a request, I specifically tell them not to scan my license and add it. There is absolutely no reason for them to have any of this information, especially a person's SS# (which I also declined to have listed on my license, but most people don't).

If you are going to be a source of information for the general public, please, please, PLEASE get that information absolutely right whenever you can. There is a BIG difference between "adding your photograph to your Club Palms card" and scanning your driver's license into their database. It should be an individual's choice to take the extra 5 seconds to get out their license and flash it to the slot club over allowing strangers unlimited access to their DL and SS numbers. Without the proper information, the public isn't being given that option and losing their right to maintain their privacy, as well."

Bettie

[LVBear584]

'Here is a good idea that we hope catches on at other casinos. The Palms is now adding your photograph to your Club Palms card. Not only does this improve security, it also saves time as players will no longer have to search for additional identification.'

How Mr. Compton could think that increased invasion of privacy by casinos is a good idea boggles my mind.

Because I've had my card for years (and declined to have my picture added), my license is not in their system. And each time I go to the club to make a request, I specifically tell them not to scan my license and add it. There is absolutely no reason for them to have any of this information, especially a person's SS# ...

You are right. The casino industry's abuse of trust with information it receives is common knowledge among skilled players. Mr. Compton is doing a disservice by telling the average casino patron that handing over personal information to those who have repeatedly demonstrated that they are not trustworthy is somehow a good thing. Nice letter.

[Bettie]

It doesn't really sound as if he knows exactly what the Palms doing, which is what prompted my letter on the spread of mis-information to begin with. I believe that even the picture on the card is a bad idea. Preventing mis-use is what the pin numbers are for, and if each casino employee, including those in restaurants, asked for a photo id (and they currently don't), then the "added security" problem has been dealt with.

What really bothers me now is that I haven't had the favor of a reply from Mr. Compton. Especially since we do business together.

Bettie

[Sun Runner]

> It doesn't really sound as if he knows
> exactly what the Palms is doing ...

Don't be 'to fair' to fast.

He should know. Or at least think about what he writes.

The quality of journalism, in general and in my opinion, is in a shabby state of affairs across the board.

[Parker]

> The quality of journalism, in general and in
> my opinion, is in a shabby state of affairs
> across the board.

Not across this board! :-)

[Sun Runner]