There is more and more extensive debate and analysis on the role of technology – especially of artificial intelligence – in the gambling industry. One of the most important aspects is how the technology helps the player – the user experience, the platform diversity (e.n. – in a previous edition we made an article about the “user account” experience: a multitude of unique games and features of the player who “moves” along with the gaming device) – and how the technology benefits the game owner, whether it is a manufacturer / seller / operator, or just an operator who has rented games and platforms.
According to an investigation by an influential British newspaper, The Guardian, the gambling industry is increasingly using artificial intelligence to predict consumer habits and to personalize promotions to keep “hanging” players, industry sources reported to the journalist of the before mentioned publication.
“Industry uses AI to characterize customers and predict their behavior in new, frightening ways,” said a digital marketer who previously worked for a gambling company. “Every click is reviewed to optimize profit, not to improve user experience.”
The publication argues that journalists’ research shows that some business owners in the gaming industry “admit that some players become more sensitive when bombarded with these types of ads and personalized incentives.”
“This perspective points to a new type of issue”, says Mr. Bogdan Coman, Executive Director of ROMBET, “both in terms of limiting the negative impact of technology on the player and on the industry in general.”
But to limit, you have to control, regulate, and I’m afraid the legislators will be left “behind” by specialists in artificial intelligence or augmented reality, trends that are beginning to dominate all industries. Across the Ocean, authorities’ attempts to limit power of technology giants are timid, to say the least. If this phenomenon turns into practices that will benefit companies which rely on digital subversive marketing – not to say illegally – it will be extremely difficult to regulate an industry activity that is, first of all, difficult to understand.
We need to get acquainted with technology quickly and choose transparently the side of the barricade we find ourselves on”.
“Businessmen and gambling companies should not be blamed for trying to maximize their profits, but not at all costs,” says Mr. Dan Ghiță, President of ROMBET. “You will, of course, encounter the same trend in other industries, especially those based on direct interaction with the retail client.
The dangerous part here is that some kind of digital marketing practices can be so subtle, that they can “escape” the authorities’ attention and, moreover, can cause problems for players who can be relatively easily manipulated, lacking experience or social problems. ROMBET has also warned against this, both in the recent events that I attended. We will open a special dialogue chapter with ONJN on this subject and we will provide them with all the expertise that we and our members have, together with our external partners, to create a way to approach this issue “.
Each click, view of a particular web page or a player transaction is scientifically reviewed so that ads with a higher statistical probability of being effective can be promoted through Google, Facebook and other platforms.
However, the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will require organizations to provide additional information to individuals, including the legal basis for processing, the period for which the data will be stored, and details of any third parties receiving the data.
But … the debate exists.
