Kindred Group explores AI to detect problem gambling

Kindred Futures, part of Kindred Group, earlier this month facilitated a roundtable session exploring opportunities around how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to detect early signs of problem gambling. The roundtable gathered technology pioneers and addiction psychologists.

Kindred Group’s (formerly Unibet Group) innovation arm, Kindred Futures, recently cohosted a roundtable session in London to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can be used to help recognise patterns in player behaviour. Detecting signs of problem gambling at an early stage, greatly improves the ability to successfully prevent a continued destructive gaming pattern.

The discussions between leading academics, industry experts and Kindred’s team of responsible gambling experts, focused on the value AI can have in modelling behaviours and changes in behaviour over time, to assess if a player is developing a problem. Past research in responsible gambling has identified a number of critical factors such as the amount a player stakes, the time s/he plays for, how they deposit money. However, each individual is different, indicating that there is no universal solution to detecting problem gambling.

AI and machine learning will potentially serve as a complement to Kindred Group’s award winning proprietary system PSEDS (Player Safety Early Detection System), adding to the set of tools and systems used by the team of responsible gambling experts at Kindred. Thereby, Kindred hopes to further limit the small number of customers who see gambling as a challenge rather than a form of entertainment.

“This was a fascinating discus- sion, bringing together experts from a number of different fields. The outcome was very encouraging - we agreed there was significant potential for an AI capability to bring together and analyse many data sources to give a much improved ability to detect signs of a developing problem. We also agreed there was real value in doing this - both socially and commercially,“said Will Mace, Head of Kindred Futures.