The University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ International Gaming Institute (IGI) has officially launched the AI Research Hub (AiR Hub), a new initiative focused on studying the impact, risks, and opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) in the gambling industry.

As gamers and spectators prepare for the 2025 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas on May 27, a cultural conversation around AI and ethics in gambling is brewing. Though the gambling industry is expected to exceed $876 billion worldwide by 2026, there is a growing concern that unregulated AI systems can exploit vulnerable individuals and profit from them.

Today, UNLV International Gaming Institute (IGI) announced the launch of its AI Research Hub (AiR Hub), a significant step towards advancing research and understanding on the impacts, risks, and opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) within the gambling industry.

Dr. Kasra Ghaharian, Director of Research at the UNLV International Gaming Institute, was featured in SiGMA Magazine issue 32, unveiled at BiS SiGMA Americas 2025 in São Paulo last month. The feature explores Dr. Ghaharian’s pivotal role at the intersection of artificial intelligence and iGaming, spotlighting his influence on the industry’s ethical and technological evolution.

Gambling disorder is the uncontrollable urge to keep gambling or betting despite the toll it takes on a person’s life. While casino gaming is legal in 43 states, Nevada has electronic gambling machines inside retail and convenience stores, which means everyone in Las Vegas has a machine within just a short drive.

The Doctor will bluff you now. Dr. Brett Abarbanel from UNLV’s International Gaming Institute joins the MaxBet Podcast with dinner party facts, bold suggestions for the casino industry, and a peek at the research projects that actually get people talking. We cover the science behind dice design, how research in the gaming industry gets funded, and the success of UNLV’s student internship program connecting future talent with casino operators. She also shares how she won the biggest hand of her life with a bluff and walked away with a husband. Sparkly shoes included.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) has lost more than $16 million in federal research funding, according to David Hatchett, the university’s vice president of research.

UNLV researchers are offering a free screening program to help identify individuals who may be at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes, and they’re calling on the community to take part.

There are some other serious questions as to how AI should be used for gambling. Is it too powerful? Could it create games that are too addictive? These are the kind of questions being posed by Dr Kasra Ghaharian the director of research for the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) International Gaming Institute.

Dabbling in cryptocurrency and gambling as a teen, Ed Craven, 29, has become the world’s second-youngest self-made billionaire with US$2.8 billion in net worth by co-founding Stake, the biggest online crypto casino globally.

BetBlocker has also teamed up with the University of Nevada Las Vegas and its International Gaming Institute to support the latter’s research program and provide a more evidence-based approach to important issues that have to do specifically with researching addiction and gambling problems, moving away from anecdotal evidence.

A golfer stands over a 10-foot putt on the 18th green. If he knocks it in, he’ll win a tournament. But he’s just a bit nervous, his heart rate rising and his palms sweating. What if there was a way to alleviate the golfer’s nerves?