Collaboration between university and gaming industry explores impact, risk, and opportunities of AI

Today, UNLV International Gaming Institute (IGI) announced the launch of its AI Research Hub (AiR Hub), a significant step towards advancing research and understanding on the impacts, risks, and opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) within the gambling industry.

Co-founded by Kasra Ghaharian, IGI Director of Research, and Simo Dragicevic, an industry and research veteran who now serves as an Adjunct Fellow at the Hub, the initiative will develop an ecosystem for collaborative AI research and accelerate  the adoption of trusted and responsible AI.

Key initiatives underway focus on critical areas, including the forthcoming State of AI in Gaming report. This annual deep dive will be a first of its kind for the sector, surveying current and future use cases and indexing companies on their AI maturity. Other initiatives include thought leadership and practical tools for operators and regulators to promote responsible AI oversight and governance, and developing benchmarking solutions for critical AI systems within the sector.

“UNLV’s International Gaming Institute has a long history of pioneering research in the gaming sector, and we are excited to launch AiR Hub as the next step in that journey,” Ghaharian said. “Our vision is to create tangible progress through collaborative, actionable research with engagement across a range of stakeholders, including regulators, academics, non-profit organizations, and industry.”

AiR Hub is supported by a prestigious group of founding industry members. Representatives from Action Gaming, Axes.ai, Evoke Plc, Gaming Analytics, Kindbridge Behavioral Health, Playtech Plc, ROGA (Responsible Online Gaming Association), and Walker Digital Table Systems will serve on AiR Hub’s industry advisory panel.

“We are grateful for not only the financial support offered by our founding members, but also the expert knowledge they bring in regard to technology, data, and wider gambling business and player support practices,” Dragicevic said. “We operate in a highly complex and integrated industry that is evolving quickly, and this knowledge and experience will be essential to fully understanding the risks and capitalizing on the potential of AI within the industry.”

The founding member round will remain open to organizations for an additional six months. For information on joining as a founding member, contact Kasra Ghaharian at AiR Hub at [email protected].

Game Nation, the UK high street gaming retailer continues to invest in its’ management team with the addition of two experienced executives.

Gary Bennett (right), who has accumulated a wealth of in-depth gaming industry experience including business acquisition joins the company as Chief Financial Officer. In a distinguished industry career Gary has worked for brands including Walkers Bingo, Top Ten Bingo and most recently the Real Fun Group.

The second addition to the Game Nation team has seen Steve Cook (left) join as Compliance and Machine Support Manager. Steve is in his fourth decade working across the leisure, gaming, family entertainment centre and holiday park sectors in a variety of roles ranging from a bingo floor checker to a gaming machines controller.

Welcoming the duo to the Game Nation family CEO Mark Jepp said: “Effective recruitment is not simply about hiring the best qualified people but more about hiring the best qualified candidates who also share the same values and personality of the brand. Both Gary and Steve know this sector extremely well but as importantly they have an outlook and a work ethic which are inspiring and infectious in equal measure. Gary’s experience of acquiring gaming businesses will be crucial in helping us to drive the brand as we expand our footprint and grow market share.”

Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

Scientific Games was recognised with three prestigious honours in the 23rd Annual American Business Awards. The global lottery company won two Gold ABA awards for its retail technology, SciQ and PlayCentral Powered by SciQ, in the Operations Management Solutions and Emerging Technology categories, respectively. Scientific Games’ recently retired VP, Instant Game Production, Joe Bennett, earned a Silver ABA Award for Achievement in Management—Manufacturing, recognising his career contributions in secure lottery instant game production. This year, more than 3700 nominations from organisations of all sizes and industries were submitted to the ABAs. Winners were scored by more than 300 professionals worldwide during a rigorous judging process evaluating innovation, integrity, effectiveness, creativity and growth.

MGM Resorts has announced that it has reached a new employment agreement with CEO & President Bill Hornbuckle through December 31, 2028. As part of his new employment contract, the Company has also agreed to offer Hornbuckle an advisory agreement at the end of the term to assist with its integrated resort project in Osaka, Japan until its opening. As CEO, Hornbuckle oversees all aspects of MGM Resorts’ strategy, operations and hospitality and gaming development projects. He leads the company’s global development efforts and its digital gaming strategy.

Minimum Deposit Casinos (MDC) has released new insights into the tightening regulatory landscape for sweepstakes-based gaming in the US. Recent moves by lawmakers in New York, Louisiana, and Montana suggest a coordinated push to eliminate or restrict these alternative online gambling models. In New York, Senate Bill 5935, introduced by Sen. Joseph Addabbo, has advanced through the legislative process and targets the operation and supply of sweepstakes-style platforms. The bill specifically addresses platforms that use two forms of digital currency — one of which can be redeemed for real-world prizes — a setup now under scrutiny by state regulators.

New Partnerships

Rush Street Interactive (RSI), in partnership with Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360), has launched a new initiative called Gaming Literacy Aiding Decisions (GLAD), an innovative programme designed to assist educators in enhancing high school student gaming literacy and promoting that cohort’s responsible relationship with this ever more socially prevalent activity. The GLAD curriculum will initially launch in New Jersey and Delaware where, this spring, RSI and IC360 have been working with educational districts on a speaker series and educator curriculum delivery. These initial efforts will help define success metrics and gather feedback to shape the programme’s future, which will ultimately be available to educators more broadly to curate the content that resonates best with students.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has selected Caesars Entertainment as the Service Provider in the Windsor Casino procurement process. This is the final procurement process in the OLG’s land-based gaming modernisation initiative. Caesars Entertainment and its predecessor companies have partnered with the OLG to operate Caesars Windsor (fka. Casino Windsor) since the opening of the temporary facility in 1994. Caesars Entertainment will assume responsibility for gaming and non-gaming operations of the Windsor casino on behalf of the OLG under a 20-year operating agreement, which is expected to begin in 2026.