Most Gaming Companies Have No Plan for Managing AI: UNLV Study
Posted on: April 12, 2026, 05:09h.
Last updated on: April 12, 2026, 05:09h.
- A new UNLV report found that few companies have a plan for managing AI
- While 80% of firms use generative AI, most lack dedicated teams for oversight and control
- Regulators expressed low confidence and limited visibility into how licensees currently deploy AI technologies
A new report from UNLV says most gaming companies are using artificial intelligence in some form, but very few have a plan for how to manage it. Researchers say that leaves a large gap between how quickly companies are adopting AI and how prepared they are to control it.
The inaugural State of AI in Gaming — which the UNLV International Gaming Institute (IGI) intends to publish annually in partnership with financial consulting firm KPMG — surveyed 83 gambling companies and 113 regulators around the world to understand how AI is being used and supervised. The authors looked at four areas: how mature companies are in their AI use, how regulations are developing, how much innovation is happening, and whether companies are using AI responsibly.
“Society is at an inflection point with AI, and until now there has been no rigorous, independent baseline for understanding where the gambling industry stands,” Kasra Ghaharian, IGI’s director of research and editor-in-chief of the report, said in a statement. “The State of AI in Gaming is designed to fill that gap, serving as an essential resource for operators, regulators, researchers, and every stakeholder navigating the adoption, return on investment, and responsible integration of AI within the gambling industry.”
Weak AI Governance
One of the report’s clearest findings is that AI governance — the rules and processes a company uses to manage AI — is the weakest area, scoring the lowest of all categories on the report’s index: 30 out of 100 points. Governance plans explain who can use AI tools, how data should be handled, how to check for errors or bias, and what to do when something goes wrong. The report says most companies do not have this rulebook in place. In fact, only about one in five companies even has a person or team in charge of AI oversight.
The study also found that while more than 80 percent of companies are already using generative AI for tasks like writing, analyzing data, or creating content, far fewer are using more advanced “agentic” AI systems that can make decisions or take actions on their own. Researchers say that slower adoption makes sense because gambling is a highly regulated industry where mistakes can affect customers and compliance.
Another major finding is a disconnect between regulators and operators. Regulators say they do not always know how companies are using AI, and many do not feel confident overseeing it. Both sides agree that responsible AI practices are still underdeveloped.
UNLV plans to spotlight the report at IGI’s 19th International Gambling and Risk‑Taking Conference on May 27, an event the institute hosts every three years at the Bellagio.
No comments yet