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AI is Transforming the World of Online Casino Gambling

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AI is Transforming the World of Online Casino GamblingReading Time: 4 minutes

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.


Source: European Gaming News

European Gaming News

Could the Gambling Commission ban wagering requirements?

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Wagering requirements; whether you love them or hate them, with the Gambling Review well underway, there’s never been a better time to debate if they still have a place in modern gambling and whether the upcoming review will ban them once and for all. But first, let’s look at their development and why they are a contentious issue in the industry. 

What are wagering requirements?

Wagering requirements are a common term and condition attached to a bonus that prevents players from taking a promotion and withdrawing it immediately. They are applied differently by each gambling brand. Some, like PlayOJO, Paddy Power, MrQ and Betfair, have revolutionised the casino scene by offering no wagering bonuses. In contrast, others take the predatory route and list bonuses with up to 100x requirements (the average is around 30x).

The requirement is the amount a player must wager at the casino before any winnings made with a bonus are valid for withdrawal. In the case of a £100 bonus, a 30x requirement would mean a player must wager a total of 100×30=£3,000 before they could withdraw any winnings. Most players would easily decimate their winnings before fulfilling the condition and, as most bonuses expire within 7-14 days, may well be forced to play for periods, or at times, they otherwise might not.

Why do wagering requirements exist?

In the early days of online casinos, bonus hunting among players became widely popular. It led to forums where players shared information on where and how to profit from the best welcome bonuses, earning money from the available offers available and never playing at a site again.

As casinos began to notice players taking bonuses and withdrawing without using them fairly, they combatted the practice with wagering requirements and other terms, such as the ability to withdraw a bonus and any winnings made if an account was suspect of this activity.

However, with no limits or official licensing rules to regulate wagering requirements at that time, things soon got out of hand as operators set high limits that were and still are unattainable to most players. Additionally, in many cases, the terms and conditions were not clearly displayed or explained, leading to the confiscation of bonuses and winnings without players understanding how or why they’d fallen foul of the casino’s rules.

Wagering requirements under fire with UKGC

By 2014, and following a flood of player complaints, the Gambling Commission weighed in, creating the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act which prescribed operators were to advertise their bonus terms and conditions clearly and explain them to players. This led to some reducing their requirements to more feasible levels. However, not all operators followed suit, hence why we’re still discussing wagering requirements today.

More recently, in February 2022, the UKGC set its sights on reforming wagering requirements again, issuing new guidance regarding fair and transparent terms and practices, which acknowledged that wagering requirements could lead to excessive play, not in line with social responsibility rules for operators. 

The new guidance rules cited that licensees used potentially unfair terms, with examples including:

  • “terms that allow licensees to confiscate customers’ un-staked deposits
  • terms regarding treatment of customers’ funds where a licensee believes there has been illegal, irregular or fraudulent play
  • promotions for online games that have terms entitling a licensee to void real money winnings if a customer inadvertently breaks staking rules
  • terms that unfairly permit licensees to reduce potential winnings on open bets.”

It also stated that the Commission was aware of:

  • “terms and conditions that are difficult to understand
  • welcome bonus offers and wagering requirements which may encourage excessive play.”

While the guidance did not contain rules for abolishing or limiting wagering requirements, they instructed licensees to review their terms and conditions to ensure they fit consumer protection laws and that; “The LCCP requires rewards and bonuses to be constructed in a way that is socially responsible. Although it is common practice to attach terms and conditions to bonus offers, the Commission does not expect conditions, such as wagering requirements, to encourage excessive play.”

Will wagering requirements be banned?

With the Gambling Review white paper currently overdue and keenly expected by all industry stakeholders, many wonder if it will cover wagering requirements or, more specifically, exclude them from casino practice. The Gambling Review aims to update the 2005 Gambling Act, fit for the modern age, and wagering requirements would undoubtedly slot into the remit of what’s being discussed, which includes greater player protections and affordability checks.

While it’s clear that some big-name operators and affiliates like No Wagering are pioneering the way in bringing zero wagering bonuses to players, many sites have not followed suit. This is despite clear evidence that players favour fairer bonuses (PlayOJO is one of 39 brands operated by the same parent company, it is the only one with zero requirements, and it’s the most successful of all, according to the company).

Realistically, we’re not sure that the new gambling regulations will ban wagering requirements completely (as we covered earlier, they do exist for a reason), but it certainly wouldn’t be beyond the imagination for there to be a maximum cap applied in the view that excessive requirements equate to excessive play.

What’s next for operators and bonuses if wagering requirements are banned?

Bonuses are one of the most important factors for players in picking between casino sites, and they make players feel lucky to score something for free straight off the bat (even if the wagering requirements mean this is not really the case). 

If wagering requirements are banned, operators unwilling to offer bonuses without wagering requirements will have to return to the drawing board and reimagine rewards, especially welcome offers. Alternatively, they could begin competing based on other USPs, such as focusing more on the casino product to pull in the punters by offering unique games, making space for indie developers, having instant withdrawals, or gamified loyalty benefits and better loyalty clubs.

Moreover, it would present a fantastic opportunity for remote operators to move away from the tired system of matched deposit bonuses towards more exciting and fresher ideas like promo wheel spins, mystery gifts on first deposits, prize draws and so on. With brands including PlayOJO, Paddy Power, MrQ and Betfair already doing this, operators do not lack a blueprint to success, just the gumption to embrace a new model.

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Bulgaria

Betway Bulgaria officially launches, offers live and bet-builder options

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Another company has officially launched its activities in the growing niche of online betting in Bulgaria. But here we are not just talking about another operator licensed by national institutions, but about a leading brand worldwide. Betway is one of the largest bookmakers in Europe and globally, and the fact that it already offers its services in Bulgaria speaks positively about the development of the gambling business in the country.

Indications of an increase in the size of the industry appeared last year, when several operators received a permit to operate under Bulgarian jurisdiction. It is unlikely that this process will end with the official launch of betway bulgaria, rather the brand entering the country can be perceived by international operators as a positive assessment of the market in Bulgaria. What can we find at Betway besides the obvious – increased competition and of course more choice for consumers?

What do we find in the sports section?

Sports betting – this is the leading sector of the company, which started operations in 2006. The brand is associated with a number of teams in Europe such as Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Leicester, Alaves, Belenenses, Werder, etc. Of course, the top championships in Europe are present in the latest betting platform, but that’s not all. Betway offers the opportunity to make predictions at less popular UEFA championships. The fans of the Bulgarian championship have options too. All matches of the First League are present in the bookmaker’s menu, and are offered with dozens of choices for each of them.

Real-time bets and long-term combinations

Live bets are a big thrill for many players. This option is present at Betway, and this also applies to the mobile version, of course. It is not difficult to detect current events – they come first when loading the platform. And with them the bookmaker really comes up with interesting offers, some of which are rare on the Bulgarian market. The outcome of the bets become clear in literally seconds if the next goal market or one of the performance options is selected.

In addition, the company accepts predictions with a much longer horizon. It is now standard to bet on who will be the champion in England, Spain, Italy or Germany. However, there are also specific markets and selections for certain teams – will Barcelona take the trophy this season, will Liverpool reach the final in at least one of the tournaments in which it participates, etc. And if users don’t find what they’re looking for in these offers, they can always turn to the betting menu. The bet-builder is still limited to one match, from which we can choose two or more selections until the desired odds are formed. This is the most appropriate way to optimize the bet according to personal preferences and therefore it is increasingly preferred by the players.

Betway’s first steps on the Bulgarian market are impressive. And this is just the beginning, we can expect even more in the near future.

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European Gaming News

EveryMatrix inks RGS Matrix agreement with Wild Boars

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EveryMatrix announces the second RGS Matrix partnership with Wild Boars, newly launched gaming studio that aims to bring creative storytelling and a fresh feel to the gaming industry.

Launched in 2019 as EveryMatrix sixth standalone solution, RGS Matrix enables gaming development teams to distribute, manage, and report upon a proprietary game product portfolio.

This ‘out of the box’ remote gaming server was built on an open architecture and caters for outstanding player experience, consistent deployment, and quicker content integration.

Mathias Larsson, Managing Director of RGS Matrix, says: “This is our second RGS Matrix agreement and it brings me a lot of joy to know that our solution starts gaining momentum in the market. Our remote gaming server aims to help the new generation of game builders by providing all the means to create, design, distribute and manage games.

“The team of Wild Boars is experienced, skilled and highly creative. I am looking forward to seeing their games live and appreciated by players in many countries.”

Oleksandr Yermolaiev, Managing Director of Wild Boars, comments: We truly believe that choosing a right partner is crucial for success. For us, RGS Matrix and its remarkable team is just that partner. We are excited to use EveryMatrix solution, focus on what we do best and bring our innovative games to a wide range of operators, territories and players. RGS Matrix is dashing ahead and we are happy to join the ride.”

RGS Matrix powers slots and table games, and is currently certified for Malta, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Romania, and Colombia, with many jurisdictions to come in the upcoming years.

 

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