Artificial intelligence has already found its application in many fields, from medicine to transportation. And even though we wrote earlier that this technology has certain problems, this does not prevent AI from actively developing and changing our lives.
But what about its role in the gaming industry? Recently, several companies have announced new products that use AI to predict and detect gambling problems.But the question arises: can artificial intelligence really help players become more responsible, or does its use raise more questions than answers? Let’s analyze how technology can change the gaming industry and help combat the development of problem gambling behavior.
AI and the prevention of problem gambling behavior: does it work?
One wonders how to balance gambling and responsible player behavior if the casino is always focused on profit?
Indeed, almost any casino has sections dedicated to responsible gaming, but in reality, operators invest more in using artificial intelligence (AI) for marketing purposes or to determine user preferences to attract them again, instead of creating programs that would identify and help visitors at risk.
At the same time, the combination of AI and gambling works well because of automated systems, decision-making, and extensive data. The proliferation of online gambling opens up the potential of using artificial intelligence to benefit users. However, the real challenges arise in the development of the technology – understanding complex human behavior, compliance with privacy rules, and regulation. All of these raise significant hurdles to the effective use of AI in responsible gaming.
Mindway AI: AI on the lookout for responsible gaming behavior
Mindway AI, a company founded by Aarhus University, is actively involved in creating technology that helps predict and identify gambling problems. Having developed the startup based on research from Aarhus University, founder Kim Mouridsen and his team of psychologists are training artificial intelligence algorithms to recognize behaviors associated with gambling addiction.
One of the major challenges in combating gambling addiction is the lack of a single indicator to determine a person’s addiction status. To address this problem, the Mindway system takes into account fourteen different flags ranging from canceling withdrawals from a bank account to unpredictable betting adjustments.
Using a numerical scale from 1 to 100 to assign a value to each component, the AI compiles a risk score for each player. Their rating can range from green, indicating good results, to crimson red, indicating the need to end the gameplay immediately. That being said, the system is constantly evolving and improving, and helps users control their behavior while gamifying.
There is an ongoing debate on how best to communicate information to players in danger. Different online gambling companies use different ways, from emails and messages to pop-ups.
Rasmus Kjergård, CEO of Mindway, expects that the information obtained will be used to contact players directly by phone, depending on the level of risk. He emphasizes that the specificity of the data makes live conversations more personalized, which is more productive in preventing the development of problematic gaming behavior.
Today, the technology is used in online gambling, as this level of tracking is not yet possible with in-person gambling. Despite the company’s success, some experts, including Feldman, have expressed doubts about helping responsible gambling. They believe that the program could be used on a wider scale, for example, to track the purchasing habits of players.