AI to take over the job of croupiers?

ArtificiaI Intelligence Delays in AI Casino in Singapore

The world’s first AI casino is to be built in Singapore, where artificial intelligence will take over a large part of the work and security services.

According to a report in the Financial Times (FT), the initiator SenseTime from China has admitted significant delays in the project due to problems.

According to the newspaper report, the problems SenseTime faces with its AI plans are complex. One is the use of AI-equipped robots to take dealers’ place at gaming tables.

These robots were initially supposed to take the place of human employees, at least in part, to give guests an “AI feeling” in the casino. However, the robots would have acted too erratically in the test operation. Thus, they could not have been used in practical business.

The AI project is not about a new casino building but the modernization of the Genting Resort World Sentosa. The casino, which opened in January 2010, is one of only two gambling temples in the Asian city-state.

The resort, realized at the cost of almost USD 5 billion, is located on the man-made island of Sentosa and offers more than 1,500 hotel rooms and suites in addition to a 15,000 sqm casino floor.

However, the problems went further, according to the FT. There were also significant difficulties in implementing the ambitious security and surveillance technology.

Faulty AI Cameras

The technology was supposed to be used to prevent fraud on employees and players. The high-resolution AI cameras were supposed to analyze the behavior of the card dealers to detect possible manipulations utilizing suspicious movements at the table or during communication with players.

However, according to casino employees, the cameras could not identify the employees beyond doubt, writes the FT. It has been shown that the uniforms confused the AI system to such an extent that it could not make any reliable statements.

The reliable identification of players or the tracking of individual persons through the casino’s rooms also failed due to the lack of resolution of the cameras.
Legally, there is nothing against this kind of surveillance in Singapore, according to lawyer Shaun Leong:

“Theoretically, casinos could use facial recognition technology or machine learning to monitor and control patrons playing on the floor to detect fraudulent behavior.”

Technology Intended to Detect Banned Players

Initially, the technology was intended to detect banned players, for example. For SenseTime, the delay is now a significant setback.

The company, founded in 2014 and is considered one of the AI pioneers in China, wanted to prove with the prestigious project how far the implementation of intelligence based on algorithms has already come.

At the moment, however, it looks more like real dealers and croupiers will continue to sit at the gaming tables, at least in the medium term.