Aristocrat joins UNLV’s AI Research Hub as founding member to support gambling industry studies

Aristocrat will take part in shaping artificial intelligence (AI) research in the gambling industry as a founding member of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas International Gaming Institute’s AI Research Hub (AiR Hub), where it will contribute through advisory roles and research support.

AiR Hub was launched in May 2025 within UNLV’s International Gaming Institute (IGI) to examine the impacts, risks, and opportunities of AI across the gambling sector. The initiative is designed to provide research, tools, and collaborative platforms for industry stakeholders, regulators, academics, and support organizations.

"As a leader in the gaming industry, we have a responsibility to uphold high standards of governance, and to positively impact our people, customers, and communities," said Anastasios Dagkos, Group General Manager, Responsible Gameplay at Aristocrat. "Collaborating with IGI and others on AiR Hub presents an opportunity for us to contribute our industry expertise to the important conversation around AI and its application in gaming."

Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. is a global entertainment and gaming content company with three business segments: regulated land-based gaming under Aristocrat Gaming, regulated online real money gaming through Aristocrat Interactive, and social casino operations (Product Madness).

IGI Director of Research and AiR Hub co-founder Kasra Ghaharian said the involvement of Aristocrat adds weight to the initiative. "We are thrilled to welcome Aristocrat to AiR Hub as a founding member," Ghaharian said. "Having a global leader with Aristocrat's scale, technological depth, and commitment to innovation is a monumental step for this initiative. Its perspective will be invaluable as we work to create actionable research and practical tools for the industry."

The AiR Hub’s founding members include Action Gaming, Axes.ai, Evoke Plc, Gaming Analytics, Kindbridge Behavioral Health, Playtech Plc, the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA), and Walker Digital Table Systems. IGI noted that the founding member round will remain open for a limited period.

The Hub’s initial research areas focus on issues viewed as most pressing from business and societal perspectives, with the goal of developing responsible and practical AI applications for gambling.

"As the world's largest gaming technology company, Aristocrat's addition as a founding member demonstrates the strategic importance of AiR Hub and its mission to develop the industry's ecosystem for collaborative AI research,” said Simo Dragicevic, AiR Hub co-founder and IGI Adjunct Fellow. “We look forward to working with Aristocrat to help build a growing and sustainable entertainment industry."

For more than three decades, IGI has provided executive education, research-based solutions, and policy guidance to the gambling industry in over 50 jurisdictions worldwide. Its areas of focus include gambling innovation, business operations, regulation, esports, digital games, and responsible gambling.