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AI is Transforming the World of Online Casino Gambling
It’s no secret that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is casting waves of disruption through a variety of industries and sectors. Businesses are scrambling to understand what AI is and how it can best be used, especially those with tech components. But they aren’t the only ones.
Online casinos and the gambling industry at large are in the thick of the AI transformation. In fact, the intersection of AI and game playing was cemented more than 20 years ago when IBM’s Deep Blue computer defeated renowned chess master Garry Kasparov 3.5 – 2.5 in a six-game match.
The sheer power of AI in the gambling arena so far was perhaps best showcased in January 2017, with Carnegie Mellon’s Libratus AI winning thousands of poker hands over top-rated players in Heads-Up No-Limit Hold ‘em.
But this is only the beginning of AI’s influence on gambling and the way casinos operate.
Dizzying New Heights of UX
The gambling industry, in the traditional form of land-based brick-and-mortar casinos, has long been at the vanguard of analyzing player behavior. Using data collection methods like player’s club cards and loyalty programs, casinos employ sophisticated systems aimed at understanding why players chose specific games, stop playing, or switch games.
As trends develop in the data, casinos can identify factors such as what elements of a game make it more popular than others or how the physical arrangement of games on the floor impacts player selection. Gathering and sifting through all this data produces benefits for both casinos and players. Gambling operators use the data to deploy resources, retain players and maximize profits while players enjoy personally tailored gaming experiences and generous promotional offers.
The opportunities to collect and leverage player data explodes in the online casino world. Instead of tracking a percentage of total players—the individuals who have opted-in to a player’s club—online casinos may track the activity of all players based on their user accounts.
These valuable insights combined with AI allow for an even more heightened user experience (UX). As an online gambler, you can step virtually into a casino built just for you! The system knows your favorite games, and they’re accessible with a single click when you log in.
Sure beats trudging through a packed casino floor to find your lucky slot next to the drafty exit door.
AI is also radically improving UX at customer service touchpoints. The impersonal, often frustrating customer service “bots”—the non-human agents that are supposed to recognize your voice commands but rarely do—are being replaced by a new breed of intelligent concierge.
Armed with deep knowledge of your preferences and habits, these AI-driven agents provide more personalized information while delivering faster, customer-focused resolutions to issues. We’re finally entering the era of friendly, relevant and responsive automated systems.
Building a Wall Before the Slippery Slope
The battle against gambling addiction is fought daily by the casino industry and advocacy groups. Overall, casinos do a commendable job in promoting responsible gaming and providing resources to players who may have a gambling problem. But what if more can be done sooner to thwart gambling addiction?
Thanks to AI, early detection and prevention are possible. By analyzing player data for problematic behavior, AI can flag individuals with concerning patterns and notify online casino operators. The identified account can be suspended while the player is offered help before he or she spirals out of control into gambling addiction.
BetBuddy, a patent-pending analytics platform from the gaming and financial services tech firm Playtech, is one example of technology applying AI to capture a player’s digital footprints, enhance UX and identify problem gamblers. This solution relies on random forest algorithms, neural networks and other methods to spot irresponsible gambling behavior in real time. BetBuddy then delivers personalized communications regarding the detected behavior to both the player and operator.
Cheat Proofing and Leveling the Playing Field
Just as players need to be offered protection and be informed about gambling addiction, online casinos need to be safeguarded from unscrupulous players. The same insightful data analysis and machine learning capabilities AI uses to reward and protect can be engaged to root out cheating players.
Online casinos are at a disadvantage compared to their land-based peers when it comes to monitoring players in action. The nests of CCTV cameras and eagle-eyed security staff ubiquitous with land-based operations aren’t around to surveil online players in their homes or on the go. This creates a blind spot in which online players can reference probability programs or employ their own AI bots to gain an unfair advantage over the house.
All well-intentioned players benefit when AI quickly identifies and eradicates a cheating scheme. However, the challenge will be for the casino’s manipulation-busting AI to outpace the fraudulent AI of cheaters. Expect to see something similar to the cybersecurity cat and mouse game that’s been afoot for decades between hackers and those charged with keeping the nefarious attackers out.
The casino industry has an impressive track record of quickly embracing interactive technology. Compare the 16-bit feel of yesteryear’s online poker games to the live dealer video poker of today, and it’s evident that online casinos have made quantum leaps to engage and appease players. If anyone stands a chance to prevail in the “good vs. evil” AI war against cheaters, it’s current online casino operators.
We’re still in the early stages AI adoption by the casino industry. While the fields of UX, responsible gambling and fraud prevention present breakout use cases, more AI applications to the industry will continue to develop. As players, we should look forward to this promise of personalized, safe and fair gambling.
Latest News
SOFTSWISS Launches Bug Bounty Program to “Hack the System”
SOFTSWISS, a leading software supplier in the iGaming industry, has announced the launch of its private Bug Bounty Program to boost cybersecurity. The program invites white hat hackers and independent security researchers to identify vulnerabilities, offering rewards for their findings and ensuring the highest level of security for SOFTSWISS clients.
To ensure that only significant cases that meet specific requirements are reported, SOFTSWISS launched a private program with invitation-only access. Invitation-only programs encourage white hat hackers to pay close attention to their terms and requirements, resulting in higher-quality reports. While public programs can offer broader perspectives but tend to generate more irrelevant reports, the private launch ensures that the focus remains on critical security issues.
The Bug Bounty Program offers financial incentives of up to 3,500 euro, depending on the severity and complexity of the discovered vulnerabilities. This program serves as an additional layer of defence, providing external, unbiased assessments from highly skilled security experts.
“We care about the security of our clients and their players, which is why it is important for us not only to pay close attention to protecting the products we develop but also to constantly recheck our applications with the help of skilled external experts and enthusiasts. In collaboration with the expert community, we can ensure a reliable level of data protection and uninterrupted operations for all our clients,” said Evgeny Zaretskov, Group Chief Information Security Officer at SOFTSWISS. “SOFTSWISS is proud to set a new standard for cybersecurity by leveraging crowdsourced expertise. In this ever-evolving landscape, even a minor bug can lead to significant losses for operators. The Bug Bounty Program is an extra measure to protect our existing and future clients.”
The program has started with two products: the SOFTSWISS Casino Platform and the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook. It is conducted in a dedicated test environment, which operates independently of live casino systems, ensuring no disruption to player experience or platform performance.
“Cybersecurity is an ongoing battle,” adds Artyom Buchkov, Deputy CSO. “No company can discover all vulnerabilities on its own. This program enables talented hackers to legally hack an online casino, helping us anticipate and defend against potential threats. It strengthens our commitment to providing the most secure software and platforms in the iGaming industry.”
Moving forward, the SOFTSWISS cybersecurity team plans to broaden the frames, adding more products and refining requirements to maintain the highest standards of security across all platforms.
Cybersecurity in iGaming, along with other key topics in the industry, can be discussed with our specialists and product teams at the SBC Summit Lisbon at stand B-160 from 24 to 26 September.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 23,500 casino games, the Affilka affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
Latest News
Peter & Sons’ Unleashes ‘Evil Devil’ Slot
Cutting-edge game studio Peter & Sons is about to unleash hell. The Barcelona-based outfit’s diabolical new slot, Evil Devil, will be released globally on 19th September, and it comes packed with wickedly innovative mechanics, such as sticky respins, power splits, increasing multipliers, and a thrilling Free Spins Game with a possible buy option.
This 6×7 high-volatility video slot with up to 117,649 ways to win immerses players in a cartoonish hellscape presided over by the fiery lord Satan Sama. With a devilish surf guitar soundtrack and chaotic but gripping gameplay, there’s nothing else quite like it on the market.
Winning combinations in the base game trigger the sticky respin feature, causing winning symbols to stick in place while the non-winning symbols respin. Wild symbols can appear on reels 2 to 6, increasing the chances of forming winning combinations.
But all hell breaks loose when 4 to 6 scatter symbols land on the reels, awarding 15 to 20 Free Spins. Here, winning symbols stick to their positions, triggering a respin of the non-winning symbols.
Collecting three or more skull symbols during Free Spins triggers a random multiplier. Meanwhile, power splits can randomly occur during the first respin, converting winning symbols into wilds, enhancing the chances for some big payouts.
Can’t wait to hit the bonus feature? The good news is you can buy straight into the Free Spins game for 100x the bet, instantly accessing 15 to 20 random free spins and the game’s most thrilling features.
Yann Bautista, Commercial Director and Founder at Peter & Sons said: “We’re always looking to push boundaries in everything we do, and we like to let our artists’ imaginations run wild. Too often with online slots you see the same tired themes and clichés. We think Evil Devil is an avant garde masterpiece – but it’s underpinned by solid mechanics and brilliant features.”
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Aston Villa launches Champions League campaign with Betano by its side
The Villans and their principal partner celebrated the club’s return to topflight European football, in an event bringing togethers legends of the past and stars of today
Aston Villa FC has embarked on its first ever Champions League journey with a 3-0 victory over BSC Young Boys in Bern’s Stadion Wankdorf this past Tuesday. A few days earlier Aston Villa and their principal and front of shirt partner Betano, Kaizen Gaming’s premium online sports betting and gaming brand, celebrated the Villans’ historic first ever Champions League campaign with a special event hosted at Aston Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground.
The event brought together legendary members of the 1982 European Cup winners, Nigel Spink and Kenny Swain, former player and Aston Villa ambassador, Ahmed Elmohamady and current stars, captain John McGinn, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and of course coach Unai Emery. Attendees had the opportunity to meet and hear directly from their favorite stars, while also participating in different activities, including an exclusive tour of Aston Villa’s training facilities and a behind the scenes look of the team’s training session. The club’s third kit was also unveiled for the first time ever during the event. The kit proved to be a lucky one as it was worn in a game for the first time in the Champions League match in Switzerland. For this match Betano donated its front-of-shirt space to Aston Villa, which in turn offered it to Acorns Children’s Hospice.
Julio Iglesias Hernando, Chief Commercial Officer at Kaizen Gaming, commented: “We are very honoured as Aston Villa’s official main shirt sponsor to stand alongside them in this next exciting chapter of their illustrious 150-year history. This is truly an exciting time to be a fan of Aston Villa, as we all share the club’s passion and determination to improve every day, to compete with the very best and to claim their place among the elite.”
Chris Heck, President of Business Operations at Aston Villa, added: “We are proud to have Betano join us as we embark on a new era for Aston Villa. They are a global brand engaging with millions of football fans across Europe and Latin America which matches our vision to globalise our club. Their passion for football and commitment to responsible gaming and giving back to society aligns perfectly with our own club values. The return to the top of European club football is an exciting moment for our fans, partners, and everyone involved at the club. ”
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