Peppermill Casino Facial Recognition Made 12 False Matches in One Shift, Ex-Guard Claims

A former security officer at Reno’s Peppermill Casino claims its facial recognition technology routinely misidentified customers, sometimes producing as many as 12 false matches with 100% confidence in a single shift.

In a sworn declaration filed in federal court, Aaron Michael Gamino also alleges that casino security personnel were pressured to arrest suspected trespassers even when they produced identification indicating they were someone else.

The allegations have emerged in a civil rights lawsuit brought by Jason Killinger, a gambler who was arrested at the Peppermill in September 2023 after its facial recognition system mistakenly identified him as a previously banned customer.

The case has attracted the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Innocence Project, which filed a joint brief supporting Killinger’s legal challenge last week.

‘Twelve Times in a Single Shift’

Gamino worked as a Peppermill security officer from October 2024 until July 2026, according to his August 28 declaration.

He claims the casino’s facial recognition technology frequently produced erroneous matches, including alerts assigning 100% similarity to people who clearly did not resemble those in its database.

“I had that happen sometimes 12 times on a single shift,” he stated.

Gamino also alleges that security personnel received little training in facial recognition technology and were never told that a match should be treated as an investigative lead rather than proof of identity.

Instead, he claims, guards were instructed to arrest people flagged with 100% confidence, even when they produced legitimate driver’s licenses, passports, military identification, or casino loyalty cards showing different identities.

“There was a constant pressure to arrest when alerts were made,” Gamino stated.

He identified his supervisor, Louis Moreno, as someone who allegedly criticized officers who questioned matches and pushed them to make arrests.

Gamino further claims the casino’s database contained inaccurate information that was not corrected, even when errors were discovered.

His employment began more than a year after Killinger’s arrest, meaning he was not a witness to that incident.

Cop Accused of Fabricating Evidence

Killinger was gambling at the Peppermill on September 17, 2023, when security detained him after the system identified him as Michael Ellis, a man previously barred from the casino.

Despite producing identification bearing his real name, Killinger was arrested by Reno police officer Richard Jager and jailed on a trespassing charge.

Fingerprint records subsequently confirmed his identity, and prosecutors eventually dismissed the case.

In newly filed court papers, Killinger’s attorneys accuse Jager of fabricating evidence and misleading a magistrate by suggesting the gambler possessed conflicting identification.

Jager has denied wrongdoing. In a separate declaration, he said he had never previously known the Peppermill’s facial recognition system to make an incorrect identification.

The ACLU and Innocence Project argue that facial recognition matches alone cannot establish probable cause for an arrest.

Killinger is seeking partial summary judgment against Jager and the City of Reno.

Peppermill is not a defendant in the federal lawsuit having already settled in a separate case brought by Killinger. Casino.org has approached the casino for comment but had not heard back at the time of publication.