Slots have dramatically evolved over their more than one hundred and twenty years of existence. They started as simple mechanical games at the tail end of the 19th century, incorporating electronics in the 1960s, video screens in the 1970s, and going online in the mid-1990s.
In the 2020s, we have come to the next stage of the evolution of these gambling products, one where they integrate artificial intelligence. This next step will affect not only the presentation of these games but also how they engage players, as their designers no longer have to rely solely on intuition when building them. They can now harness the power of AI to analyze vast amounts of data to make experiences far more enjoyable than previously possible.
What “AI” Means in the Context of Slot Design
AI today is used as a catch-all buzzword, a term that encapsulates pretty much any type of software that can produce anything. Regarding online slots, the design of such gaming titles, AI primarily refers to the use of specific machine learning algorithms. It can also point to the implementation of data analytics techniques. These are the two focus areas that this technology is utilized for enhanced Internet slots, through leveraging things like pattern recognition, predictive modeling, and personalization. These analyze player data to uncover insights about behavior, preferences, and engagement patterns.
It is vital to point out that the same AI tech used by online slots can, and does, get applied to land-based machines, as these days, there is little under-the-hood difference between these two product types. They use virtually the same software, and the companies that make both types of games use machine learning models to process real-time data so they can identify trends. That information then gets used to inform game design and user retention strategies.
An example of the above could be AI determining what gameplay mechanics drive higher bet sizes. Per Mark Flores Martin from Xgenia, a platform capable of generating fully personalized games, AI in iGaming is more about data-driven optimization than anything else.
Data Collection: What Developers Track
What kind of player data does AI analyze? When someone plays a slot, even though the game only lets them set a bet size and press spin, gamblers interact with each title in various ways. The AI seeks to analyze when they adjust their stake. What is their starting one, and what needs to happen for someone to make a larger wager? How often do they utilize the auto-play function, do they increase or decrease bet sizes after wins/losses or bonus triggers? How regularly do they opt for the bonus buy feature, and what usually prompts them to purchase their way into an extra mode?
These are only a few parameters that can get a slots guide of average player behavior, and these are super valuable metrics that can then guide the creation of future games – ones that should be far more immersive than their predecessors. That is so studios are more aware of risk tolerance levels, time-of-day habits, etc.
When most individuals sign up with a gambling site without reading its general terms, they unknowingly agree to various privacy regulations, like the EU GDPR. This means their collected data is anonymized but can be shared with third parties, such as game providers, who use it for not only the described purposes but others as well. The data collection extends beyond gameplay, as developers also analyze demographic information, device preferences, etc.
Practical Applications in Slot Game Design
Aside from general game creation, designers can incorporate AI algorithms into titles that create distinct player profiles, giving gamblers in-game notifications that aim to stimulate a specific kind of behavior. According to Monetate, in eCommerce, personalized experiences boost sales by 20% on average, as people nowadays want to get what best suits them and expect that from services.
Adaptive gameplay is a somewhat controversial topic, as some believe that it can lead to gambling addiction. In a nutshell, this hits at games adapting to their user. For instance, if someone is showing signs of losing interest, the AI spots this, making the game trigger a bonus round to rekindle excitement. While that will keep many gamblers further active, these retention tactics bring about ethical concerns and are unlikely to be allowed by regulators. The latter organizations are far more likely to make casinos and developers use AI to identify at-risk players and notify them that they need a cooling-off period.
The Future of AI in Online Slots
Immersive personalization is bound to explode in the years to come. Rumors that studios are exploring biometric inputs through facial recognition to gauge player emotions are unfounded, as overseers in developed jurisdictions would not allow such a thing.
In the near future, AI algorithms should mainly be used to identify problem gambling patterns and create personalized slot experiences through notifications and slight gameplay tweaks, mostly presentation-related.
