Smart Casinos: How IoT Technology Is Changing Gambling

While sitting at a blackjack table or watching the roulette wheel spin, most people already know how tight security is, with cameras watching every inch of the casino.

But what a lot of online casino players might not know is that IoT technology is silently working in the background. From RFID poker chips to personalised game suggestions tailored to the player, casino tech is evolving fast, and it’s gotten pretty impressive.

RFID Chips Fight Dodgy Deals

So let’s start with the RFID chips, which take the traditional kind and give them a futuristic makeover with microchips built into them. This allows casinos to track and identify each one, at least when it’s within range of a scanner. 

This might not sound very exciting, but it’s actually a big deal, as it’s a massive step in the fight against forgery. For decades, fake chips have been a problem for venues, using cameras and security staff to identify the forgeries. The problem is, many went under the radar due to human error or simply because the floor was too busy and they weren’t spotted.

The New Player ‘Tell’

In the past, poker players would look at each other’s faces for a ‘tell’, maybe it’s a scratch of the chin or a slight smirk. But now, both land-based and online casinos have an even better way to understand their guests — by using data.

IoT is powering everything from smart slot machines to systems that use AI to spot how people are playing and build a profile on them. Maybe a player always doubles down on 11, or folds after a few small losses.

This might sound a bit like ‘Big Brother is watching’, but it’s worth noting that the data gathered is typically anonymised and has to be used in accordance with privacy laws such as GDPR. The goal is to better understand overall behaviour and improve the player experience, especially with online casino games. Think of it like the recommendation screen of a streaming platform, only it knows to suggest the games that a particular player wants to play.

Improving the Whole Casino Experience

Casinos aren’t just about playing games like slots or blackjack; they’re full-on entertainment hubs, especially in places like London’s West End or international hotspots like Macau and Vegas. Players staying over at these locations may find themselves in a smart hotel room, with lighting, music and temperature which can be adjusted to personal preference. Fancy a drink while on a hot streak? Players can order it on a tablet, which means they can spend less time trying to flag down a staff member and keep playing instead.

Speeding Up the Action

Another area where IoT is improving casinos is by making the machines run faster and smoother. The more old-school slot machines used hard drives that weren’t built to be run 24/7, which led to a lot of them eventually failing. Now, however, many of them are powered by industrial-grade flash storage, which can handle the pressures of constantly being in use, as well as the bumps, bangs and spills that can happen when players get a little over-excited.

These SSDs (solid-state drives) can boot games faster, reduce downtime, and protect player data from being lost if the power were to go out or the game were to glitch. And for the casino, less downtime and fewer crashes mean games keep running and players stay happy, which is exactly what the house wants.

IoT Reinforces Security

Casino security has also seen the benefit of IoT tech, with cameras, motion sensors, biometric authentication and facial recognition replacing the dated predecessors. Fingerprint and facial recognition help control access to VIP areas, identify banned players, and keep tabs on staff members by clocking them in and out of shifts.

Promoting Responsible Gambling

One of the best aspects that has come out of the rise of IoT technology is that it has the potential to help players who may have a problem and promote responsible gambling. These systems monitor betting patterns, like the time spent playing, the size of bets, or game-switching behaviour. By building a profile, casinos and online platforms can now spot red flags. 

If a player seems to be struggling, automated systems can alert pit bosses, who can offer cooling-off periods or even recommend that they add themselves to a self-exclusion list. While it’s not a legal obligation in all cases, it’s a big step towards providing a more responsible gaming environment.