By Damian Martinez, journalist at G&M News.
How would you describe your career from working in the hospitality and gambling sectors to becoming a researcher focused on AI and data science applications in this field?
I came to the United States to do my master at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). I got very interested in how we can use data to make smarter decisions in the gaming industry and, at the time, I was looking at it from a kind of operational perspective, and so my thesis was on how to optimize the casino floor using a mathematical approach. After I graduated from UNLV, I worked in strategic marketing and digital analytics for two of the big resort companies in the city. I was still very much interested in the use of data to drive decision making. but I made a shift in my thinking process, so I really just became more passionate about research and the scientific method. In this sense, I also wanted to understand how data could be used for good. That was my motivation for going back to doing my PhD in 2019. My dissertation research was centered around using machine learning (ML) to identify behavioral patterns to prevent gambling harm. Now, I’m looking at how we can use data and artificial intelligence (AI) in commercial activities like marketing or for operational efficiency, and how we can do it in an ethical and responsible manner.
As a Director of Research at the UNLV International Gaming Institute, what do you think about the relevance of academic studies in helping to build the future of gambling?
Research plays a very important role in shaping the industry. What we do here at the International Gaming Institute is conduct very rigorous and robust investigations that are really significant to the market and the idea is to create an impact on the segment. We make a concerted effort to engage with stakeholders throughout the industry, whether that’s regulators, providers or operators. We consult companies and go to conferences to make sure all the research we do is important. That’s something we very much pride ourselves on. In any field, whether it’s gambling, medicine or public health, research is the foundation of informed or evidence-based decisions. Our role is to provide evidence to help inform decision making.
How will AI reshape the gambling experience over the next decade, both from operators and players’ perspectives?
From the operator side, I feel like artificial intelligence is just going to add more efficiency, novel technologies, ideas and game designs. It will also help support consumer protection and compliance. Every activity that a gambling operator engages in is going to become more efficient and creative. The data from players that is being collected, right now, combined with the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, will reshape the whole table games and slot machines operation and experience. As we become better and better at collecting data and leveraging machine learning, those two things combined are just like totally transforming what we can do. From the players perspective, on the marketing and engagement side, we do need to be careful about how we use it and where the line is drawn. I can envision a world where AI is going to create super engaging experiences, and we need to be very careful in terms of setting safeguards and guard rails so that we understand where that line is so that we don’t exploit vulnerable people.
Looking ahead, in terms of AI and data science, which areas are you most excited to explore?
Large language models (LLM) hold massive potential for various use cases across our industry. We’re looking at how LLMs could help people learn about responsible gambling, safer gambling, and the basics of sports betting. For example, we are trying to figure out how we can teach people who might be interested in engaging in sports betting and give them the fundamental tools to do it. The idea being that someone understands the different products that are out there and then they can engage in the activity in a more informed and responsible manner. More generally, Generative AI has a lot of interesting applications. When we get to a stage where, for example, video generated by AI can be produced at the same time as someone is watching it in real time, that’s going to really create a paradigm shift. For the entertainment industry, obviously, but there might be some interesting things we can do there with gambling. What if you were playing a game online or slot machine game and it was changing in real time based on your interaction with it? Then, that’s potentially what Generative AI could do in the next years. It’s going to create some valuable experiences for customers.