UNLV Releases Inaugural ’State of AI in Gaming’ Report

Written by

Share on social media

The AI Research Hub (AiR Hub) of the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in collaboration with audit and advisory firm KPMG LLP, released “The State of AI in Gaming 2026,” the inaugural edition of an annual global benchmarking series tracking how artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping the global gambling industry. 

“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,” said Kasra Ghaharian, director of research at the UNLV International Gaming Institute and editor-in-chief of the report. 

“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, ROI and responsible integration of AI within the gambling industry.” 

The report examines AI adoption across four dimensions—industry maturity, regulatory landscape, innovation pipeline, and responsible use—by drawing on original survey research from 83 gambling companies and 113 regulators worldwide, a 15-year bibliometric analysis of academic publications, patent filing data, and expert contributions. 

Among the key findings: 

  • With an average score of 45 out of 100 on the report’s AI Maturity Index, most gambling companies have strategic ambitions for AI, but infrastructure and expertise need to catch up to scale it. 
  • Governance scored lowest on the Maturity Index at just 30 out of 100. Only one in five companies have a dedicated AI governance role, and most organizations have no established governance practices or are in early stages of development. 
  • While more than 80 percent of companies have embraced generative AI for tasks like content creation and insights, far fewer have moved into agentic AI—systems that can independently plan, decide, and take action. This slower adoption may reflect the high-stakes nature of gambling operations, where autonomous decision-making must carefully balance regulatory compliance, player safety, and operational risk. 
  • Regulators and operators disagree significantly on where AI is being deployed. Regulators report limited visibility into licensee AI activity and low confidence. 
  • Academic publications, patent filings, conference sessions, and startup activity around AI in gambling are all growing, signaling that the ecosystem is building momentum even as adoption within companies remains uneven.