TLDR A former Peppermill Reno security officer says the casino’s facial recognition system often misidentified guests. Aaron Gamino claims the system produced up to 12 false matches in a single shift. He says staff received almost no training and were told to detain people even when they showed valid ID. Jason Killinger was wrongly arrested at the casino in 2023 after the system mistook him for a banned customer. The ACLU and the Innocence Project are backing Killinger’s ongoing legal challenge.
A former security officer at the Peppermill Reno casino resort says the property’s facial recognition system often failed. Aaron Gamino made the claims in a sworn declaration.
His statement is part of a legal fight that began after the system wrongly flagged a customer in 2023. That customer, Jason Killinger, was arrested even though he had done nothing wrong.
How the Case Began
In 2023, Killinger visited the Peppermill Reno casino. The facial recognition system matched him to another customer who had been banned from the property.
Killinger was arrested soon after. He showed legal documents that proved who he was, but the arrest still went ahead.
He later filed civil rights lawsuits. They named the casino, the casino worker who arrested him, and the City of Reno.
Peppermill Reno settled its part of the matter with Killinger. The remaining case has continued and drawn interest from many legal experts.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Innocence Project have since backed Killinger’s challenge.
What the Former Officer Claims
Gamino worked at the casino hotel from 2024 to 2026. He was not working there when Killinger was arrested.
In his declaration, Gamino said the system regularly misidentified guests. He said Killinger was not the only person affected.
According to Gamino, the system sometimes produced as