Las Vegas Casino Uses AI To Catch Advantage Players
Treasure Island Expanded A Partnership With AI Firm To Catch Players Who've Won Too Much
Gaming companies targeting advantage players to keep them out of their casinos took another twist this week. Treasure Island Las Vegas announced a partnership with OPTX, a casino operations system that utilizes AI to monitor potential advantage players.
The partnership began four months ago with slot operations, but has since expanded to player development, marketing, events, and table games, according to CDC Gaming. The technology also apparently flags successful players.
“Treasure Island just expanded its deal with a company that uses AI to catch gamblers who win too much,” Las Vegas Locally reported in a post on Twitter/X.
“The Las Vegas firm, OPTX, was recently in the news for helping another casino identify a slot player who pocketed almost $2.4 million at a ‘statistically implausible’ win rate.”
What Is An Advantage Player?
Advantage players use advanced systems, such as card counting in blackjack, to gain an edge over the house. For slots, this could include finding returns in certain situations by exploiting the positive expected value once a progressive hits a certain number.
These savvy gamblers aren’t cheating. They’re using their knowledge and insight to overcome the house advantage over time. Casinos don’t like that. Properties may bar players who win regularly. Treasure Island is using AI to recognize these gamblers.
“Winning isn’t cheating, it just feels like it to casinos,” Las Vegas Locally said. “Some ‘persistence’ slots build up a bonus as people play, and once it’s big enough, the odds favor the player. Pros wait for that moment and swoop in. Casinos can cut their comps or even ban them.”
Some have reported that Treasure Island is one of the quickest properties in Las Vegas to “back off” potential advantage players. Other casinos may be making similar moves to crack down on these players.
Gambling YouTuber Matt “Vegas Matt” Morrow recently claimed that the Venetian Las Vegas banned him after he won a $400,000 slot jackpot. The 62-year-old gambler denied he was using advantage play.
Most properties don’t bar ordinary jackpot winners, so the casino may have suspected he was using advantage play.
Why Do Casinos Go After Advantage Players?
Hollywood movies have featured card counting, the most common type of advantage play. A system to beat the house was first developed by MIT mathematics professor Edward O. Thorp, who published the book Beat the Dealer in 1962.
Casinos crack down on counters because they could potentially lose millions of dollars to a player who has turned the tables on the house. However, the motivation for using AI and other tools to catch advantage slot players is less clear.
Casinos pay out a certain percentage of all money wagered on slots. These gamblers aren’t beating the house, just taking a big chunk of that overall payout percentage. That scenario may spur properties to keep money going to the general player base that will continually take negative edges rather than more skilled gamblers.
If the advantage players dry up the prize pool too quickly, this disrupts a sustainable ecosystem of slot players for the house. This is similar to how private games took off in the high-stakes poker scene.
Gamblers Criticize Treasure Island
Gamblers generally derided the Las Vegas Locally tweet about the Treasure Island-OPTX partnership. Some felt these types of moves hurt the casino industry overall.
“This type of PR is what makes people don’t come gamble,” True Vegas Life posted in a response to Las Vegas Locally’s tweet. “Gamblers think the game is rigged against them already, and this stuff just makes them believe it more. It’s part of the reason half the tables are closed at casinos, even during prime time.”
Another user felt that going after advantage players just wasn’t right, considering the casinos have a house edge against almost every other player.
“They beat most players out of most of their money, and when a very small percentage of people win a little of other people’s money, on machines they put in, they are basically treated like they are doing something wrong,” @_CoronaLime_ posted. “So pathetic and lame. Bring back 1990s Vegas and before.”
Another player looked on the bright side, saying that players could also turn the tables using artificial intelligence.
“Eventually, people can use AI to find out which casinos pay the most money?” the user posted
Casinos have also banned other players in recent years, especially at the blackjack table. In 2023, a counter sued a Colorado casino, alleging he was illegally detained. A Las Vegas casino caught actor Ben Affleck card counting in 2014 and kicked him out.
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