AI ‘increasingly becoming embedded across gaming operations’, new charter states

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly becoming embedded across gaming operations and supporting functions, a new document published by the Malta Gaming Authority and the Malta Digital Innovation Authority states.

The document, which is a new voluntary AI Gaming Charter, aims to provide practical best-practice guidance for ethical and responsible use of AI across gaming operations. Some of the key aspects covered in the charter include data governance, human oversight, transparency, non-discrimination, and stakeholder engagement.

The document also provides an overview of how AI is being used in the gaming sector. Following a survey in the sector, the document reads that while the number of responses “represented a limited subset of the sector, the inputs received provided useful indicative insights into current practices.”

The document reads that AI adoption across the gaming sector is still uneven and generally selective rather than widespread. “The most mature use cases are in operational optimisation and data analytics, customer support chatbots, and, to a lesser extent, recommendation engines, player profiling, fraud detection and AML, and responsible gambling behavioural modelling. These are the areas where respondents most often reported fully deployed systems, or activity beyond the proof-of-concept stage.”

It also found that adoption appears far more limited in dynamic odds setting and risk management, regulatory reporting, player acquisition, HR-related uses, player onboarding and KYC, payments, and AI powered live casino applications. “In these cases, most responses were either not in use or not applicable, indicating that AI is being adopted more readily in support, monitoring, and efficiency functions than in more commercially sensitive or player-facing decision areas.”

Additionally, some companies extend AI beyond core gaming functions, such as through software development tools, or creative tools for image or video generation, among other things, it found.

From interviews that were carried out by the regulators, a few key points emerged. One point was that AI is widely deployed to enhance player engagement, provide customer service, and to offer tailored recommendations.

Regarding fraud detection and responsible gaming, it notes that gaming licensees use AI to identify suspicious behaviours, flag possible problem gambling and uphold anti-money laundering protocols.

AI is also being used to assist in the designing of new games, it reads, and in terms of marketing and analytics, said that AI-driven insights inform marketing campaigns and player segmentation.

It is also being used to improve operational efficiency through the automation of repetitive tasks, predictive maintenance and dynamic pricing.

But the charter highlights that “there is a pronounced need for greater AI literacy and awareness throughout organisations. It is essential that staff across all departments, not just compliance or technical teams, understand the capabilities, risks, and implications of AI to enable responsible adoption. Targeted training and communication initiatives are frequently recommended as good practice.”

The findings also show that many licensees who participated were still developing an AI strategy, and only a minority reported having one already.

The charter includes a large number of recommendations for companies in the sector, including for instance that AI Systems should be designed by gaming licensees in a manner that enables users to be clearly informed when they are engaging with AI systems for instance, and that gaming licensees should implement proportionate measures to detect and mitigate bias in AI algorithms for instance.

It also emphasises human oversight, describing it as the “cornerstone of responsible AI governance."