Systems and methods for voluntarily providing biometric data for anonymous player tracking

A method of operating a casino gaming system, the casino gaming system comprising at least one electronic gaming machine operable to facilitate a wagering game, the at least one electronic gaming machine comprising a display, a first camera, a proximity sensor, and a controller operable to communicate with one or more servers via a network, the method comprising:

• detecting, via the proximity sensor, presence of a player at the electronic gaming machine;
• requesting, via the display, consent of the player to capture an image of the player with the first camera;
• if the consent of the player is received, capturing the image of the player with the first camera and transmitting the image to at least one of the one or more servers via the network;
• if the consent of the player is not received, capturing the image of the player with a second camera integrated into a portable electronic device of the player and transmitting the image of the player to the one or more servers via the network;
• computing, by the one or more servers, a biometric signature of the player based on the captured image;
• attempting to locate, by the one or more servers using the biometric signature, an anonymous player record in a database stored on the one or more servers, the anonymous player record including historical play information associated with the player, wherein the anonymous player record does not include details identifying the player;
• establishing, via the controller, a play session associating the anonymous player record with the at least one electronic gaming machine;
• and
• updating the anonymous player record in the database to incorporate game play data collected by the controller during the play session into the anonymous player record.