AI is transforming gambling: Researcher explores the ethical risks; Phys.org, May 21, 2025

 Alisha Katz, University of Florida, Phys.org; AI is transforming gambling: Researcher explores the ethical risks

[Kip Currier: It's good to see the increasing use of AI in online gambling getting more attention and scrutiny. The AI chapter of my forthcoming Ethics, Information, and Technology book for Bloomsbury also examines this worrisome intersection of AI, ethics, the online gambling/gambling industry, and gamblers themselves, some of whom are particularly vulnerable to AI-assisted manipulation efforts.

Imagine an AI system that knows when a habitual online gambler tends to place bets, what games they like to play and put money on, how much and where they gamble, etc. Couple that data with easily attained demographic profile data (often freely given by users when they sign up for online access), like age, gender, occupation, income level, and place of residence. Those individual data points enable a multi-faceted marketing profile to be rendered about that gambler.

Now, consider the above scenario but the individual is a repeat online gambler who's been trying to stop gambling. They're attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings (which the AI systems likely do not know) but are being methodically targeted on their smartphones by AI systems that know exactly what to send that person to lure them back in to the gambling world if they haven't been engaging in online betting for a while. That scenario is real. 60 Minutes reported on it in 2024:

Technology has fueled a sports betting boom and a spike in problem gambling, addiction therapist warns. June 30, 2024. 60 Minutes]

[Excerpt]

"As gamers and spectators prepare for the 2025 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas on May 27, a cultural conversation around AI and ethics in gambling is brewing.

Though the gambling industry is expected to exceed $876 billion worldwide by 2026, there is a growing concern that unregulated AI systems can exploit vulnerable individuals and profit from them.

UF researcher Nasim Binesh, Ph.D., M.B.A., an assistant professor in the UF College of Health & Human Performance's Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management, is exploring this concern, having published a study in the International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration about identifying the risks and ethics of using AI in gambling."

LGBTQ Trump Voters: You Betrayed Our Community’s Most Vulnerable; Huffington Post, 11/14/16

JamesMichael Nichols, Huffington Post; LGBTQ Trump Voters: You Betrayed Our Community’s Most Vulnerable:

"At times like this, it’s important for us ― and these voters ― to zoom out and recognize that queer liberation is a battle that is still very much ongoing for the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community and all of us. Trans people, people of color, women, homeless queer youth, intersex people, people outside of the gender binary will all suffer tremendously under a Trump/Pence leadership structure.

Even those in the LGBTQ community who apparently feel safe may be in for a shock once the new administration begins unrolling plans and polices for the future trajectory of our country.

And this should be both mortifying and disconcerting for everyone. 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBTQ. The majority of states don’t have anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. Trans people literally can’t even use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity in many states ― and are terrified for what’s to come. Hate crimes against LGBTQ people ― and ALL minority groups ― are on the rise post-election. And the list goes on.

So, LGBTQ people that voted for Trump and Pence ― this is the outcome that you wanted, that you voted for. But this choice will likely have long-standing, possibly life-threatening, repercussions on the most vulnerable members of our community, and that is something that you need to both examine your role in and shoulder the responsibility for.

Because, in the end ― as it has always been with our community ― we are all in this together."

Now is not the time to abandon America. Stay here and fight for it; Quartz, 11/9/16

Sarah Todd, Quartz; Now is not the time to abandon America. Stay here and fight for it:

"After last night’s presidential election, many Americans woke up this morning feeling lost and betrayed. Some are talking about moving to Canada. Others are wondering if things would be better in Europe, or Australia. Believe me, I get it.

The reality of president-elect Donald Trump means a majority of US voters were willing to endorse, or at least dismiss, the Republican candidate’s blatant misogyny, xenophobia, and racism. It means that a man who can’t even control himself on Twitter will now have access to the nuclear arsenal.

Under these circumstances, it’s understandable that some Americans are thinking of fleeing the country. But many of the people who would likely be most vulnerable during a Trump presidency—refugees, immigrants, the poor—have nowhere to go. For their sake, and for the future of our country, those of us who have a choice shouldn’t give in to the impulse to flee. We should stay here and fight...

As a woman who believes in the equality of all people in this country, the results of this election have shocked and saddened me. I feel like I don’t understand my fellow citizens. I don’t want to live in a place where so many of them could vote against my best interests, and against the best interests of the people I care about. I’m scared for what the next four years may bring.

But I also know that, whatever happens under president Trump, we will need voices of dissent. We will need people who advocate for women’s equality, and teach the next generation that we deserve to be treated with respect. We’ll need people who will fight for the rights of immigrants and their children. We’ll need people who believe in a legal system that protects the rights of all Americans. And we will need people who can work to cultivate a society united not by fear and anger, but by love and acceptance...

The next four years will likely bring injustice and grief. We may see families separated; people in need abandoned; futures destroyed. Many of us will feel that America is not a place where we belong.

But we are not powerless under a Trump presidency. We can make our voices heard on the public and political stage. We can show ourselves, and the world, that we will not allow Trump and his supporters to make us feel unwelcome in our own home."