A recent survey by Playtech, a global provider of online gaming and sports betting software, revealed that three out of four Brazilians are in favor of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help detect and prevent gambling problems.
Promoted in collaboration with the global research platform Toluna Insights, the Playtech online study interviewed more than 2,000 people in four Latin American countries — Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia — in order to understand the opinions and concerns of the population.
Brazilians’ opinion
In Brazil, 76% of respondents responded positively when asked whether bookmakers should use AI to detect risky players.
When asked why they felt this way, 51% claimed that as long as data privacy is protected, it would ensure that players are kept safe, while 25% said that preventing game issues is more relevant than protecting private data.
When it comes to gambling and addiction issues, Brazilians are cautious. Two-thirds of Brazilians point to borrowing money to gamble (64%) as the behavioral factor they find most concerning among gamblers.
The second and third most popular responses, with 58% and 57% respectively, were the behavioral questions of borrowing money to gamble and paying debts and lying to the family. In addition, 20% fear losing all their money while gambling online or becoming addicted to gambling, showing the importance of having tools to protect and encourage responsible gambling.
“Responsible gaming is one of the pillars of our company. Not only do we work tirelessly to prevent the gaming issue from arising, but we also work incredibly hard to identify potentially at-risk customers and deliver them with safer, bespoke gaming interventions,” said Francesco Rodano, Director of Policy at Playtech.
Rodano added, “This two-pronged approach to early detection and prevention is greatly enhanced by the use of AI, which analyzes player data anonymously and provides valuable insights based on various types of player behaviors.”
Playtech’s analytics division, BetBuddy
Playtech’s analytics division, BetBuddy, has an experienced team of researchers, data scientists and engineers focused solely on developing class-leading GR solutions. Industry-leading software can indicate player risk using data and machine learning, while also identifying that all players are different.
Therefore, BetBuddy’s explainable AI module provides a list of more than 70 individual risk markers for each player identified as at risk, providing a more effective and personalized intervention.
For example, BetBuddy looks at everything from the amount of payment types used in the last quarter to the deposit amount variation, uptime and much more. The only gaming solutions provider to have surveys accepted at the world’s top AI conferences, BetBuddy is currently working with 10 major gaming players around the world.
The division has also been mentioned in over 60 peer-reviewed articles and conference presentations, focusing on game harm, safer product design, Artificial Intelligence and Explained Artificial Intelligence, and customer interactions, using large real-world datasets.
Only 9% of Brazilians disagree with the adoption of AI technology
Only 9% of Brazilians disagree with the adoption of AI technology saying they would be concerned about the potential for personal data to be used against them by their government, work or family.
Elsewhere in the study, it was found that among the actions that betting companies can take to promote responsible gambling, Brazilians believe that sites should provide clear information to users about the risk to gambling (61%), should show clear information about money and time spent on betting for players (56%).
And — above all — bookmakers should analyze the behavior of bettors to identify whether they are at risk of becoming problematic (54%). Only 13% of respondents stated that companies do not need to do anything about it, as it is not their responsibility.
“Our technology not only protects players from developing issues, it also protects their data and privacy, which our research has proven to be a concern for Brazilians,” added Rodano.
“BetBuddy has been developing class-leading solutions for over 10 years. Our customers and their customers can be assured that the data collected is used exclusively for its primary purpose – to detect and prevent gaming issues.”
The regulation of online betting, as discussed in Brazil, not only strengthens player protection agencies, but also helps protect the State and the gambling industry itself, as well as user privacy and data.
That’s why Playtech partners with and invests in top brands in regulated and newly regulated markets to deliver its data-driven gaming technology across the entire online retail and value chain.
About Playtech
Founded in 1999 and listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange, Playtech is a market leader in the gaming and financial trading sectors with 6,400 employees in 24 countries.
The group is active in the technology area of the betting industry, providing gaming software, services, content and platform technology across all of the industry’s most popular product verticals including, casino, live casino, sports betting, virtual sports, bingo. and poker.
