The Catch. Experts worry that tweaks nudging gamers to play more – and bet bigger – could propel some toward excess and addiction.
The Big Picture. AI and data analytics are making it easier to forecast even the most uncertain outcomes. Technology firms have built a massive new economy on the ability to predict people's behavior accurately.
- For marketers, this means unprecedented access to the tiny, personalized levers that are most likely to get you to buy or do something.
- If you're being sold ice cream, no big deal. But for the millions of people with gambling problems, a lot can ride on a $50 offer for free play or a comped hotel stay – perfectly tailored and timed to hit home.
- https.//www.leg.state.mn.us/docs/2018/mandated/180251.pdf
What's Happening. Where pit bosses once kept tabs on players and doled out offers by feel, technology is now supercharging marketing and promotions that best influence each gambler.
- Casinos are "tracking everything you do," says Andrew Engel, general manager for gaming at DataRobot, an AI startup. "They know how much you're in for, how much you play, how long you play, what types of games you like to play."
- They've been collecting information for decades, mostly through longstanding loyalty programs. "It's a hell of a lot of data," says Anthony Chong, CEO of data analytics startup IKASI.
"From a public health perspective, this is a big concern," says Silvia Kairouz, director of the Lifestyle and Addiction Research Lab at Concordia University in Montreal.
- "The vast majority of gamblers gamble with a budget," says James Whelan, co-director of the Institute of Gambling Education and Research at the University of Memphis.
- But for the minority prone to gambling problems, targeted marketing "can be destructive," Whelan says.
- "I don't believe that more efficient offers are just all of a sudden going to trigger problems for large numbers of people," says Alan Feldman, a former MGM executive who chairs the Nevada State Advisory Committee on Problem Gambling.
- Several companies, like BetBuddy and Mr. Green, say they can automatically flag problematic gambling habits based on dozens of risk factors and intervene.
- "The industry is constantly exploring new and emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence, to gain a deeper understanding of our customers and provide the right resources for our customers to enjoy our products responsibly,” says Elizabeth Cronan of the American Gaming Association.