AI this, AI that… it seems that artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. In just a short span of years, artificial intelligence has seeped into almost every industry, including finance, healthcare, military, and entertainment. And one specific branch of entertainment is of interest for us today – gambling. More specifically, online gambling.
And so, it’s no surprise that many players have started asking questions about AI and gambling. The first question that pops to mind is always this: can you use artificial intelligence in gambling? And if yes, how?
Read the rest of the article to see.
iGaming thrives on innovation and out-of-the-box concepts, much like gaming and esports. Technology has changed the way we perceive gaming, and that spans across all branches – from mobile sudoku games to RPG and internet casinos.
AI has a complex role in this sector, touching on everything from game optimization and fraud detection to potentially influencing betting outcomes.
But much of AI remains a mystery to regular players, as even those who could be considered tech-savvy fail to grasp the entirety of artificial intelligence and algorithms, networks, etc. Which brings us to the core concern we all have to a degree: if gambling fully embraces AI, is there even a smidge of possibility that it becomes a threat for our safety? Or will we have to sacrifice any part of the experience?
We shall address the second question shortly, but we will first have a look at all the ways AI has already (and will probably become in the future) been embedded in online gambling.
For starters, we can divide AI’s involvement in online gambling into two parts: enhancing user experience and potentially giving players an advantage.
At the moment, some of the main ways in which artificial intelligence is being used in the world of betting entail focusing on improving customer service, enhancing security, and ensuring fair play.
Personalized gaming experience might not be first on the list of priorities for some, but it’s evident AI has been of major help in crafting personalized recommendations to players. Online casino operators that use this tool use machine learning to analyse the behaviour of players at the casino. By taking into consideration player preferences, casinos can then make better recommendations to players that better suit their needs.
An example of that would be better predictions about the types of bonusing deals and game content that the audience would want. This is amazing for the operators as they can drive engagement and reach.
Another aspect of gaming where machine learning algorithms can come in handy is game design. Namely, by using machine learning algorithms, game companies can make better predictions about what type of content the players might be more attracted to. They can also analyse player interactions to generate better content. As a consequence, studios developing games can ensure that content is fair, and never too easy/too difficult.
In the grand scheme of things, fairness is paramount.
AI is not just for big companies and operators. It’s also for the players. Players, especially tech-savvy punters who like to look for ways to create a better advantage for themselves, have found that AI has been instrumental in helping them with winning odds.
Some companies such as EquinEdge generate data from horse performances, track conditions, and various other statistics to generate metrics that players can later use to make informed decisions regarding their betting.
Sports betting has also found purpose for AI in recent years. Player stats, history, previous results, team performance, and many other factors are taken as data to be crunched to deliver metrics in real time. In poker, players play against poker bots that can help them simulate real-life situations at poker tables that can in turn help them build proficiency and skill.
However, perhaps the most controversial use of AI by the players is in casino terms. Namely, players sometimes use machine learning to try to predict outcomes and recognize patterns in card games such as blackjack and baccarat. This has led to a surge of questioning of whether AI is giving the players an unfair advantage over the house. Or more precisely, an unfair way to generate advantage over the house. Still, it’s not clear whether pattern recognition in this regard is actually working.
Fraud detection and responsible gaming are key. And while most companies and players question whether AI could potentially endanger players and increase problem gambling numbers, companies behind casinos and games are fighting back.
Namely, according to them, they are using AI to maintain the integrity of gambling platforms.
Algorithms monitor player behaviour and flag potentially suspicious activity that can either be fraudulent or an indication of a much bigger problem: gambling addiction.
Even though most amateurs attack companies for using AI as they believe they are encouraging problem gambling, they are saying that they are trying to protect the players – as well as themselves, obviously. But a safer gambling environment is important for everybody.
Using AI in online gambling raises several legal and ethical questions. Most online casinos have strict policies against the use of AI tools that manipulate outcomes or provide an unfair advantage to players.
Hence, if players are caught, they could then face various repercussions, including but not limited to account bans, forfeiture of winnings, or even harsh legal action.
From an ethical standpoint, the use of AI to “outsmart” other players (depending on the game) or the house undermines the essence of fair play. And it isn’t very clear should we just consider (in this sense) AI as a form of advantage gambling or not, like card counting and edge sorting.
When we look ahead, AI is not going away.
On one side, companies will continue to use it to optimise services, attract new customers by increasing engagement, and maintain a safe and fraud-free gambling environment.
On the other side, game developers will likely push AI to find new ways to strategise and gain an edge over punters who’ve mastered the power of AI. But then again, we’ve already seen that happening in the industry, so it’ not any different than the practices of today.
From everything we’ve seen so far, we can see that we got the answer to the first question: AI can certainly be used in online gambling. However, it’s not black or white. Its role is filled with numerous challenges and many, many considerations.
Whether enhancing the player experience or being used to create an advantage for the punters, it’s clear that AI’s impact on this industry is still very much unknown. And it will continue to grow.
It feels like new technologies and artificial intelligence. are ushering in a new era of gaming. Frankly, there’s no way of completely seeing what lies ahead as the pace of innovation is greater than ever before. To put it plainly, more things are happening and faster now than ten or even five years ago.
But one thing is for sure: we are witnessing a pivotal moment in the history of gambling, and it’s going to be a very interesting era.
BestCasinos team consists of online casino experts dedicated to spreading their knowledge and experience to a wider audience, all in effort to help even the most inexperienced players gain their footing in this exciting industry.