Collaboration between university and gaming industry explores impact, risk, and opportunities of AI

LAS VEGAS – May 20, 2025 – 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.

Co-founded by Kasra Ghaharian, IGI Director of Research, and Simo Dragicevic, an industry and research veteran who now serves as an Adjunct Fellow at the Hub, the initiative will develop an ecosystem for collaborative AI research and accelerate  the adoption of trusted and responsible AI. 

Key initiatives underway focus on critical areas, including the forthcoming State of AI in Gaming report. This annual deep dive will be a first of its kind for the sector, surveying current and future use cases and indexing companies on their AI maturity. Other initiatives include thought leadership and practical tools for operators and regulators to promote responsible AI oversight and governance, and developing benchmarking solutions for critical AI systems within the sector.

“UNLV’s International Gaming Institute has a long history of pioneering research in the gaming sector, and we are excited to launch AiR Hub as the next step in that journey,” Ghaharian said. “Our vision is to create tangible progress through collaborative, actionable research with engagement across a range of stakeholders, including regulators, academics, non-profit organizations, and industry.”

AiR Hub is supported by a prestigious group of founding industry members. Representatives from Action Gaming, Axes.ai, Evoke Plc, Gaming Analytics, Kindbridge Behavioral Health, Playtech Plc, ROGA (Responsible Online Gaming Association), and Walker Digital Table Systems will serve on AiR Hub’s industry advisory panel.

“We are grateful for not only the financial support offered by our founding members, but also the expert knowledge they bring in regard to technology, data, and wider gambling business and player support practices,” Dragicevic said. “We operate in a highly complex and integrated industry that is evolving quickly, and this knowledge and experience will be essential to fully understanding the risks and capitalizing on the potential of AI within the industry.”

The founding member round will remain open to organizations for an additional six months. For information on joining as a founding member, contact Kasra Ghaharian at AiR Hub at kasra.ghaharian@unlv.edu.

Media Contact:

Kasra Ghaharian, Director of Research UNLV International Gaming Institute
kasra.ghaharian@unlv.edu
702-895-2008

About AiR Hub

The mission of AiR Hub is to advance the emerging discipline of AI within the gambling sector and create the industry’s ecosystem for collaborative AI research. Created within UNLV’s International Gaming Institute, AiR Hub conducts novel, critical, and impactful research, initially focusing on the most pressing areas from a business and societal perspective. AiR Hub will serve as the industry’s ecosystem for AI research institutions and a catalyst for accelerating adoption of trusted and responsible AI through international collaboration across all key stakeholders: industry, academia, regulators, and support sectors. For more information visit www.igiairhub.com.

About UNLV International Gaming Institute

For more than 30 years, UNLV International Gaming Institute (IGI) has provided research-based solutions, cutting-edge insights, and executive education to the global gambling industry. With expertise in areas like gambling and gaming innovation, business operations, regulation and policy, esports and digital games, and problem and responsible gambling, IGI has been called upon to provide its research to more than 50 jurisdictions across the globe. In addition to these offerings, IGI proudly emphasizes diversity and community outreach through initiatives like the Young Executive Scholars Hospitality & Tourism Program (YES), which gives high schoolers a behind-the-scenes look at the career and educational opportunities that the hospitality industry provides.

About UNLV

UNLV is a doctoral degree-granting institution of nearly 33,000 students and more than 4,000 faculty and staff that has earned the nation’s highest recognition for both research and community engagement from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. UNLV offers a broad range of respected academic programs and is committed to recruiting and retaining top students and faculty, educating the region’s diverse population and workforce, driving economic activity, and delivering high-quality healthcare to Southern Nevadans. Learn more at unlv.edu.