Automation is a given in manufacturing, logistics, and printing, where most of our clients work. But we are beginning to see more automation in service industries as well. Restaurants, healthcare, and personal services are all sporting robots these days– can casinos be far behind?
Automation in casinos
Casino Review points out that casino operation is a data-heavy operation, making automation a likely fit for casino operation systems. Capturing data with video, sensors, and automated reports can help casinos keep action well regulated and safe for players as well as profitable for the house.
Currently available table game management systems help human operators with continuous monitoring of the action, no matter how active or complex the human behaviors may be. Fraud management becomes more practical and less stressful for the human workers.
Food service, chip inventory management, and security are all important in the casino environment, and solutions now being used in hotels, restaurants, and retail spaces can easily be adapted to suit the casino milieu.
Companies like Integrify have already brought a lot of these elements to market.
Benefits of automation for casinos
Speed, efficiency, consistent application of rules, and fair decision making may all be benefits of automation in casinos.
Automation of player cards and incentive programs are obviously a sensible way to reduce stress on the human workforce; this is the kind of task that machines do faster and better than human beings.
At the same time, freeing up the human workforce to spend more time interacting with clients is likely to improve the overall experience for the casino visitor as well as the bottom line for the owner. It could also improve the perceived working conditions for the employees.
Automation’s usual advantages hold sway in a casino, too. Fewer dealer mistakes, less fatigue, and lower labor costs will be good for casinos.
Are there any drawbacks to automation in casinos?
Loss of human jobs is likely in the context of casinos as they automate more. Las Vegas has been identified as the U.S. city most threatened by automation, and the casinos are part of that.
But there may also be some ethical issues. Can machines be expected to notice or care about signs of dangerous gambling addiction? Some researchers claim that people aren’t actually very good at this, and machine should be programmed to do a better job. We wonder whether companies building the machine will be motivated to dose, though. Would that be a strong selling point for casino owners?
We don’t know, but we do wonder. If the market doesn’t call out for machinery to encourage responsible gambling, it’s not going to show up on the creative brief.
In fact, we all know that AI is currently used to stimulate actions that could easily be classified as addictive behaviors. Casinos take advantage of gambling problems now, and AI may just make it a more efficient process.
Meanwhile, when you need service and support for your Indramat drive and control systems, we can help. We specialize in Indramat technology. Call (479) 422-0390 for immediate assistance.