The rise of artificial intelligence is upon us. From AI-powered translation systems to autonomous vehicles, there is no denying how impactful AI technology has been over the last few years. Using massive amounts of data, AI systems can observe patterns and predict future outcomes. Naturally, this leads many to wonder – can AI be used to predict casino games, and – potentially – guarantee wins?
Understanding casino games
For centuries, casinos have been a symbol of unpredictability, where fortunes can be won or lost on the roll of dice or spin of a wheel. Historically, the odds have always favored the house – otherwise, what business would it be running a casino?
However, as AI systems get more and more sophisticated, their potential in changing the gambling landscape grows, causing both excitement and concern. Artificial intelligence is used in anything from generating blog articles to transforming speech-to-text with apps like CapCut. Soon, casinos may have to deal with AI players that don’t play by the same rules humans do.
Before we go into how exactly AI could outsmart casinos, it’s important to understand the two main categories that casino games fall into:
- Games of pure chance: These include slot machines, roulette, or craps – the outcome is entirely random, making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to predict.
- Games of skill: Games like poker and blackjack allow the player’s decisions to influence the outcome, meaning better players will get better odds at winning. These games offer better prospects for AI applications, since AI wouldn’t be able to find any patterns in a game that is based on pure luck.
Artificial intelligence in games of skill
Let’s look at blackjack first, since it’s a game where players can gain a serious advantage if they count cards. In the past, skilled players could track cards to predict the likelihood of high or low cards coming next – AI can make this process extremely more efficient, as it doesn’t have to rely on fleeting short-term memory and manage the stress of playing and counting at the same time. For AI, it’s as basic as executing a command.
There have been instances of teams using hidden devices to assist in card counting, some of which were primitive forms of today’s AI. Nowadays, sophisticated machine learning algorithms can analyze insane amounts of data in real-time, making tracking cards in a blackjack game easy as pie.
Now, let’s move to poker – another game where AI has made significant strides. Back in 2017, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh developed an advanced AI named “Libratus”, which managed to beat some of the world’s best poker players. The AI used game theory and gameplay data to learn how to make the most optimal decisions – much how today’s AI systems operate, but much more efficiently.
AI in pure luck-based games
Games like roulette or slots come with an inherent randomness that poses a significant challenge for AI systems who try to beat the casino. While AI can analyze vast amounts of data, not amounts of data will allow it to predict purely random events. Unless there is at least a single deciding factor that could influence the outcome, the AI is powerless.
Still, AI systems can be used to some extent in those games – at least in theory. Let’s say you’re playing a game of roulette, but the roulette wheel is slightly biased towards a specific number because of its construction. While this would be near-impossible to notice for a human, an AI system that analyzes that specific roulette table over thousands of spins could potentially detect this and use it to its advantage when playing.
Every year, AI systems get more sophisticated and their usefulness increases. Nowadays, you can access free AI tools for anything – including apps like CapCut that make image and video editing a breeze. Whether you have some old and damaged photos that need restoring, or want professional color correction but don’t have the editing skills, CapCut’s AI-powered tools will do all of that for you.
Is using AI legal in casinos?
Absolutely not! Using AI to assist you in casino games is illegal, and many casinos have employed measures to detect and counteract such acts. Just like you are after reading this article, casinos are well-aware of the potential of AI to beat the odds, which is why they also use it. AI can perform behavioral analysis to detect unusual patterns, such as AI-assisted gameplay.
The challenges posed by the random nature of many casino games combined with the robust countermeasures employed by casinos usually rule out AI as a reliable help in casino games – but the possibility is still there, and we’re yet to see how the gambling industry responds to a broader integration of AI in our society.
