The Lotería de Río Negro, recognised as one of the most innovative in Latin America, has once again proved its leadership as it has announced that it will incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) in its fight against illegal gambling.
At the Latam Networking Roundtable, during SBC Summit Barcelona – Digital, the president of the provincial lottery from Argentina, Luis Ayestarán, said: “The pandemic changed consumer habits and users were forced to use digital marketing channels. Lotteries and regulators have the obligation to adapt quickly to the pandemic effects to continue operating in this industry.”
The president shared that since 2013 they’ve had the goal to venture into the online gambling market, and they became one of the first jurisdictions in the country to grant a virtual casino license. However, the Río Negro lottery is still battling the proliferation of the illegal market.
“Illegal gambling grows because the legal offering does not meet the demands of the consumers, or it’s not available to all of them,” he argued. The Lotería has already taken the first step and managed to strike the provincial regulation that banned the use of online payment methods to carry out these operations.
Ayestarán also revealed that the lottery used these past few months to put together a comprehensive digital communication plan, to connect with players through virtual channels and strengthen lottery sales — which already exceed the numbers they perceived before the pandemic.
On the other hand, COVID-19 has exposed the exponential growth of unlicensed operators throughout the region, from international and Argentinian sites. That is why the Lotería de Río Negro decided to implement AI to eliminate the illegal market, from social networks to websites. The technology will detect and investigate all unauthorized offerings in the province.
“It’s something very new and we’re proud of it,” he said, and explained that this follows the implementation of blockchain technology at the beginning of 2020, which helped them improve lottery processes. “We’re getting into AI to fight illegal gambling and we’ll launch it in the upcoming weeks,” he assured.
The president also said that fighting unauthorized operators and illegal gambling will help problem gamblers: “We have to regulate the industry in order to take care of everyone. We’re highly trained and we have many social campaigns in store to promote responsible gambling.”
“The gaming industry is always punished, but in part it’s our fault because we failed at creating a comprehensive communication plan to demonstrate to the public that we’re importante, that we create jobs and resources, where they’re directed and the role we have in the entertainment industry.”
