HotelLasVegas.com(TM)

Ex Machina

The UK Gambling Commission has recently undertaken a review of regulations regarding the use of AI poker bots and poker ‘help' software (http://www.pokernews.com/news/2015/10/ukgc-third-party-software-review-23014.htm)…this coming a few weeks after Pokerstars revealed that it identified players using poker bots to win over a million dollars from players on its site(http://www.pokernews.com/news/2015/06/pokerstars-and-players-react-to-the-bot-scandal-21935.htm).  Chess, the other game of skill where money at the elite level can be substantial and where AI software far outdistances even the best players, has had its share of cheating scandals(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/chess/8404705/Chess-cheating-cases-over-the-years.html). The question is when it matters, who or what is insuring that the players of these games are not merely pawns facing juggernaut AIs? Obviously regulators and operators are interested in keeping games fair and maintaining integrity but there are many others who are not…this is becoming another spy v. spy game of white hat regulators and black hat cheaters. This will evolve and white hats will gain the upper hand or regular players will quit the game…leaving the bots to face each other.
This has implication for the trends in casino gaming where some are pushing for more skills based elements to new games. What will operators and regulators do to insure new bots and software don't spring up to “win” these games? Even without exposure to technology how will the question of payouts be dealt with. What are true odds against players who can increase their skill? What if this type of game filters out all the casual players and leaves the experts and cheaters playing? Like prop bets there appears to be an endless resource of games or potential games that could be unleashed under the skills umbrella and this is exciting but caution and careful analysis of these and other issues are warranted in light of the current issues in chess and poker.
Please let me know what you think of the current issues and future games and or experiences with games.