Casino slot machines and blackjack tables could soon use AI to read and store vast amounts of data on your emotions.

Disturbing advancements in AI and facial recognition are poised to help casinos know more about you than ever before, all in an effort to maximize your gambling losses over time.

In 2024, Americans and visitors to the U.S. spent $172 billion on legal forms of gambling, according to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, up about 3% over 2023. 

Artificial intelligence, which has shown problem gambling bot tendencies, could help take the industry to even more alarming heights.

Casino AI to Read Your Emotions

Cameras and facial recognition in casinos are nothing new. The eyes in the sky track your every move on the casino floor, primarily for security reasons. But with AI, casinos could be filled with cameras that can do much more than watch for potential nefarious activity.

According to CDC Gaming Reports, a new product known as Casino Eye-D from the Australian company Xailient is at the forefront of AI-powered facial recognition on slot machines and gambling tables.

The technology would enable casinos to track customers without the use of so-called “loyalty” or “players” cards. In the U.S., existing loyalty programs only track an average of 15% of a casino’s guests, according to the report.

The AI-powered cameras would help casinos identify “high-value” gamblers and offer personalized gambling incentives like so-called bonuses.

Studies show that the gambling industry generates most of its gambling revenue from people experiencing gambling problems.

No company has yet developed cost-effective cameras with built-in AI to place on all or nearly all gambling machines and tables inside casinos.

Cameras like the ones in development by Xailient could “self-learn” about a player within seconds. The AI could store player data for months or even years.

The AI would assign guests a unique code, allowing the self-learning AI to recognize that person when they go to another game.

Casino Eye-D recently added a “mood engine” feature, which would analyze a guest’s facial expressions.

Xailient told CDC Gaming Reports that “deployments at top-tier global casinos are in process, with formal announcements expected by the end of the year [2025].”

Ideal Dystopian Market for Casino AI

The U.S. is the perfect market for the product because it’s a Wild West environment for the casino industry.

Gambling is regulated at the state level, where regulatory capture is often the defining feature. The casino industry essentially writes the rules that regulate it.

Despite some “responsibility” standards for retail casinos, the establishments have been found to be in violation of the safer gambling protocols.

In many countries, a miniature AI-powered camera’s “primary use is to note early indicators of distress” in an effort to address problem gambling. That’s according to Xailient.

Apparently not so in the U.S.

According to Xailient, American casinos will primarily use it to maximize patron spending.

The U.S. is the capital of capital, and that includes casino capital.

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