Stephen Aupy: We combine neuroscience, AI, and human expertise to create safer gambling environments

Mindway AI originated as a spin-out from Aarhus University and has strong roots in neuroscience. How does this scientific foundation translate into the practical tools you now provide to operators for safer gambling?

Mindway AI leverages its deep-rooted foundation in neuroscience from our origins at Aarhus University to create advanced, practical tools that enhance safer gambling practices for operators and regulators. Drawing on cognitive psychology and neuroscience, coupled with pyschological behavioural assessments, we have developed sophisticated AI models that can accurately identify patterns of risky gambling behaviour.

Along with neuroscientific insights, it’s the combination of this, AI and human expert assessments (of several thousand gambling patterns) that the algorithm of GameScanner has been educated on. By observing real experts as they meticulously assess every aspect of players’ gambling patterns, the algorithm learns to weigh different indicators of both normal and addictive behaviour. This gives GameScanner the unique ability to explain its decisions with clear reasons, providing an easy and sound basis for operators to follow up with players.

By offering real-time insights and analytics both on an individual and entire player base level, Mindway AI equips operators with the ability to intervene promptly and effectively, fostering safer gambling environments. Through this intersection of neuroscience, artificial intelligence and human expertise, we’re at the forefront of empowering operators with scientifically grounded solutions to promote player protection and responsible gambling.

GameScanner is based on the concept of Explainable AI. How exactly does this mechanism work, and how does it help operators understand the reasoning behind the algorithm’s assessment of player risk?

GameScanner leverages Explainable AI to enhance transparency in assessing player risk by blending neuroscientific insights with expert evaluations of numerous gambling patterns. This system has been trained to emulate real experts, meticulously analysing various gambling behaviours to differentiate between normal and problematic activities.

Explainable AI is crucial as it demystifies the algorithm’s decision-making process, offering operators clear, evidence-based reasons for its assessments. This not only facilitates informed interactions with players but also allows operators to comply with regulatory standards, thereby minimising harm while sustaining a healthy player database. The platform empowers operators with a comprehensive dashboard that profiles player risk around the clock, segmented by various indicators such as time spent, loss chasing, and night play.

This capability enables operators to promptly identify and address early signs of problem gambling, ensuring responsible gaming practices and fostering an environment of trust and safety.

This capability empowers Compliance and Responsible Gambling teams to make more strategic decisions on addressing their players, whilst protecting, sustaining and retaining the customer database.

Mindway AI reports that GameScanner detects at least 87% of at-risk and problem gambling cases that would be identified by a human expert. How is this accuracy validated, and how often is the model updated?

GameScanner achieves at least 87% accuracy in detecting at-risk and problem gambling cases compared to human experts. This level of performance has been rigorously tested and validated by Gaming Laboratories International (GLI). Continuous updates are essential for maintaining its effectiveness. The model includes regular updates in response to research and development findings and changes in legislation.

Recently, GameScanner underwent enhancements such as the Enhanced Individual View, featuring dashboard insights, risk scores, and intervention alerts along with improving its reporting capabilities for Responsible Gaming employees with comprehensive data visualisations.

Additionally, last year it was adapted to comply with new Dutch gambling regulations by October 1st.  This proactive approach ensures GameScanner remains a dynamic tool with robust capabilities.

Your solutions combine artificial intelligence with human psychological assessment. How does the collaboration between the system and your team of experts work in practice, and why is the human element so essential in analyzing player behavior?

We enhance our AI-driven solutions with invaluable input from a dedicated team of gambling addiction experts, psychologists, and industry researchers. This collaboration ensures that our GameScanner algorithms remain not only technically advanced but also deeply informed by human insight.

The human element is vital because player behaviour is complex and multifaceted, often involving emotions and motivations that algorithms alone might miss. Our team analyses thousands of gambling patterns, offering nuanced perspectives that refine and train our AI models. This synergy allows us to identify risk factors more accurately and adapt our technology to meet diverse player needs.

Additionally, our partnerships with organisations like EPIC Global Solutions and Better Change incorporate lived experiences and positive play principles, ensuring that our approach is both comprehensive and compassionate.

Mindway AI collaborates with major global operators, including Entain. What key lessons have emerged from these large-scale implementations, and how do you measure their real impact on player safety and responsible gaming outcomes?

Our collaboration with Entain has provided significant insights into player safety and responsible gaming. A key lesson from this partnership is the importance of creating models that are not only accurate but also explainable. This was apparent when Entain’s initial model struggled to convey why certain players were flagged, resulting in a gap between technology and operations.

The integration of Mindway AI’s solutions, which excel at identifying long-term problem gamblers, enhanced Entain’s Advanced Responsibility & Care (ARC) program by making it both comprehensive and explainable. At ICE last year, we took part in a case study presentation in collaboration with Entain and EPIC Global Solutions titled “Navigating the Maze: Unveiling the Journey from Problem Gambling Detection to Effective Intervention – an Entain case study”.

In this session, we discussed how our aim at Mindway AI is earlier and more individualised and accurate protection of gambling behaviour. The discussion followed Entain’s journey from building an in-house player protection model to partnering with Mindway AI to reinforce and extend the identification of more at-risk or problem gamblers. This model is also complemented by EPIC Global Solutions to advise on actionable interventions and offer expert consultancy, training and education uniquely based on lived experience of gambling addiction.

Beyond Entain, we also work with an impressive client base that includes Evoke, Midnite and most recently PrizePicks, and Crown Resorts. Collaborating with different operators, we focus on shared expertise to refine our models and address unique challenges across various markets. We offer significant advantages over in-house solutions for gambling player tracking and detection.

In-house solutions often struggle with limitations that may not be immediately apparent. They typically lack the sophisticated data analytics of specialised external systems, hindering their ability to detect complex patterns of problematic behaviour. These systems may also carry inherent biases, constrained by a singular organisational perspective.

Additionally, maintaining them can be costly and resource-intensive, diverting focus from core business functions. The evolving regulatory landscape presents another challenge, especially for operators across various markets. Adopting a hybrid approach that combines both in-house and external player protection solutions can offer a balanced strategy for mitigating risks. While in-house operators may be hesitant to discard their existing infrastructure, integrating external solutions can enhance their capabilities without necessitating a complete overhaul.

You operate in more than 39 countries, which means adapting to diverse regulatory frameworks. How do you manage these differences, and how do you ensure your solutions remain compliant with local regulations and responsible gaming standards?

We understand the complexity of operating across more than 39 countries with diverse regulatory environments. We actively participate in industry events and engage directly with regulators to stay informed about shifts in regulations and market trends. This proactive engagement allows us to tailor our solutions to meet the specific requirements of each jurisdiction.

Secondly, we have partnered with BetComply, a leading authority in iGaming compliance, to enhance our understanding and application of local regulations. BetComply plays a crucial role in advising us on incorporating our solutions, like GameScanner, into operators’ safer gambling frameworks, ensuring that player protection is always prioritised.

Moreover, Carl Ørnstrup, our Business Development Manager with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Commercial Law, works closely with our clients to ensure our adherence to the highest standards of responsible gaming. This strategic combination of market intelligence, strategic partnerships, and legal expertise enables us to navigate and comply with international regulations effectively.

You mention that GameScanner can free up IT resources and help operators manage their player base more efficiently. How does that process work in practice, and what technical or operational benefits do your partners typically experience after implementation?

GameScanner optimises resource allocation by automating and enhancing responsible gambling (RG) processes, thus freeing teams to focus on strategic tasks. Implementing GameScanner creates an intuitive framework of clear visualizations and filterable dashboards, allowing RG teams to efficiently track and manage player behaviour.

By analysing data on both an individual player basis and across entire player bases, operators gain valuable insights into player dynamics and risk patterns. A key feature is enabling comparisons of a player’s activities across multiple operator brands, ensuring a holistic view of their behaviour.

This comprehensive approach not only aids in identifying risk but also in evaluating the effectiveness of intervention measures. Post-implementation, our partners typically experience increased operational efficiency, improved player risk management, and enhanced intervention strategies, thereby fostering a more sustainable and responsible gaming environment.

Mindway AI is majority-owned by Better Collective but maintains its scientific identity and independence. How does this ownership structure influence your direction, and what new research or product developments can we expect in the near future?

Mindway AI’s majority ownership by Better Collective significantly influences our strategic direction while preserving our scientific integrity and independence. This unique ownership structure allows us to leverage Better Collective’s expansive reach and resources to enhance player protection and advance safer gambling standards on a global scale.

Since becoming part of Better Collective, we have dramatically increased our capacity to monitor over 13 million active players monthly, a substantial rise from just a few years ago. This has facilitated rapid growth, enabling us to deploy our solutions across now 39 countries and 64 licensed jurisdictions.

Looking ahead, we are excited about expanding our portfolio with continuous updates to our solutions that will elevate player safety and sustainability. Our recent involvement in initiatives like the EU Committee for Standardisation’s gambling harm markers framework, the Better Gambling Forum in New York (part of the 80th United Nations General Assembly) and G7 Canada Brain Economy Summit in Calgary exemplifies our commitment to leading the charge in safer gambling practices.

Mindway AI is a partner of the Responsible Gaming Week organized by iGamingExpress. What motivated you to take part in this initiative, and how do you view the importance of such events in educating the industry about responsible gaming?

Participating in Responsible Gaming Week, organized by iGamingExpress, aligns seamlessly with our core mission at Mindway AI. Responsible gaming isn’t just an annual focus for us; it’s embedded in our daily operations and company ethos. Initiatives like this are vital for educating the industry about responsible gaming, fostering a culture of awareness, and encouraging proactive measures.

Beyond this, we’re excited about our upcoming initiatives for European Safer Gambling Week and Safer Gambling Week UK & Ireland (17-23 November), which demonstrate our ongoing commitment. On 17th November, we’ll be presenting at the EGR Safer Gambling Forum, where we’ll unveil a new case study-watch this space!

On 19th November, we’re hosting a breakfast briefing with VIXIO in London, offering thought leadership and networking opportunities. Finally, our CEO, Rasmus, will address the EGBA webinar on 21st November to discuss innovations in player protection. These engagements reflect our dedication to leading the conversation on responsible gaming year-round.