Applications of data science for responsible gambling: a scoping review

ABSTRACT

Technological innovations in the gambling industry have revolutionized the availability, storage, and use-cases of data. How this data may be leveraged for responsible gambling has emerged as a popular field of inquiry. We conducted a scoping review following PRISMA guidelines to understand the current state of data science applications for responsible gambling by exploring the aims, study designs, and methods used by researchers. Thirty-seven studies were included in the final review that spanned three categories: (1) cluster analysis (n = 14), (2) supervised machine learning with behavioral tracking data (n = 17), and (3) other data science applications (n = 6). Over half of the studies were published between 2018 and 2021. Existing research focuses on the development of responsible gambling tools centered around customer profiling and risk-detection. Our analysis of the records revealed limitations in terms of generalizability and reproducibility, as well as a considerable lack of peer-reviewed work. The current evidence suggests that the utility and adoption of data science in practice remains largely unexplored. Future work may focus on additional data science techniques with novel datasets and in situ research.

KEYWORDS:

• Responsible gambling
• gambling
• data science
• machine learning
• systematic review

Disclosure statement

For the research conducted and participating parties in this study, all researchers declare that they have no conflict of interest. The study was fulfilled as part of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, International Gaming Institute’s Payments Research Collaborative. The Payments Research Collaborative is funded by donations from Global Payments and Sightline Payments LLC. These donations support the Payments Research Collaborative’s operations but do not include any contracted research deliverables. No donor entities were involved in the study design, data analysis nor interpretation, writing of the report, nor decisions related to journal submission. During the past 5 years, the International Gaming Institute has received research funding from MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resorts Ltd, Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Ainsworth Game Technology, U.S.-Japan Business Council, State of Nevada, Knowledge Fund, and State of Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. IGI runs the triennial research-focused International Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking, whose sponsors include industry, academic, and legal/regulatory stakeholders in gambling. A full list of sponsors for the most recent conference can be found at https://www.unlv.edu/igi/conference/17th/ sponsors. During the past 5 years, Kasra Ghaharian has received funding from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services for research on problem gambling. During the past 5 years, Brett Abarbanel has received funding from the Manitoba Gambling Research Program, GP Consulting, U.S.-Japan Business Council, Wynn Las Vegas, Victoria Responsible Gambling Foundation, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Bermuda Casino Gambling Commission, the States of Nevada and California, Canadian Partnership for Responsible Gambling, iDevelopment and Economic Association, GLG Consulting, Majestic Star Casinos, MGM Resorts International, ProPress Germany, and Caesars Entertainment. Dr. Abarbanel has received reimbursement for travel from Association Cluster Sport International, Kansspelautoriteit, Gamification Group (Finland), British Columbia Lottery Corporation, International Association of Gaming Advisors, GambleAware, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Ultimate Media Ventures, Canadian Partnership for Responsible Gambling, IGT Latin America, University of Salford, and National Collegiate Athletic Association (USA). During the time period, Dr. Abarbanel was a member of the Singapore National Council on Problem Gambling International Advisory Panel, for which she was reimbursed for her time.Dylan Phung has no outside funding or competing interests to report. Piyush Puranik has no outside funding or competing interests to report. During the past 3 years, Shane W. Kraus has received funding from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, International Center for Responsible Gaming, European Science Foundation, Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (University of Nevada, Reno), MGM Resorts International, and Taylor and Francis Company. Alan Feldman is a former executive from MGM Resorts International, leaving the company in 2019. He remains at present an advisor to MGM solely on responsible gaming matters in Japan. Additionally, during the past 3 years he has received funding from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and Entain Foundation. He serves as the chairman of the International Center for Responsible Gaming of which members of the Payments Research Collaborative are donors.During the past 5 years, Dr Bo Bernhard has been funded by the US–Japan Business Council, Wynn Resorts, Atomic 47/ePlata Banking, Las Vegas Sands, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Governor’s Advisory Panel on Problem Gambling, the State of Nevada Knowledge Fund and MGM Resorts International. He has received travel and/or honoraria for presenting his research in more than two dozen countries.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2022.2135753

Data availability statement

A summary table of the included studies in this review is available at https://osf.io/ch8zp/.

Open Scholarship

This article has earned the Center for Open Science badge for Preregistered. The materials are openly accessible at https://osf.io/ch8zp/.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kasra Ghaharian

Kasra Ghaharian is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, International Gaming Institute, and PhD Candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William F. Harrah College of Hospitality.

Brett Abarbanel

Dr. Brett Abarbanel is Director of Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, International Gaming Institute, with a joint affiliate appointment at University of Sydney, Australia. Dr. Abarbanel’s research covers Internet gambling policy and behavior, esports and gambling, operations and technology use, and responsible gambling and community relations

Dylan Phung

Dylan Phung is an undergraduate student at the Marshall School of Business and the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.

Piyush Puranik

Piyush Purankik is a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Shane Kraus

Shane Kraus is interested in the study of psychopathology, substance use disorders, gambling disorder, and compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD). He is particularly interested in using behavioral, epidemiological, and neurobiological methods to assess factors that contribute to the development of addictive behaviors and other co-occurring psychiatric disorders among high-risk groups.

Alan Feldman

Alan Feldman is one of the world’s leading experts on responsible gaming. As Distinguished Fellow in Responsible Gaming for UNLV’s International Gaming Institute, Feldman develops programs and policies to advance related knowledge and capabilities within the industry and regulatory community.

Bo Bernhard

After earning his Ph.D. in 2002, Dr. Bo Bernhard was named the inaugural Research Director at the UNLV International Gaming Institute, and he was awarded a dual professorship in hotel management and sociology. In 2011, he was named Executive Director at the IGI, where he now oversees all research and academic functions.