Plenty chatter
The AI chatbots of X, Microsoft, Google, and Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) are reportedly directing and even promoting the use of illegal online casinos to at-risk social media users in the UK.
posed six questions about illegal casinos to five AI chatbots
The Guardian on Monday reported it had posed six questions about illegal casinos to five AI chatbots, namely Grok, Chat GPT, Meta AI, Gemini, and Copilot.
According to the UK daily, an analysis revealed all five AIs could easily be prompted to list the “best” unlicensed casinos and give tips on avoiding “source of wealth” checks and recommend sites operating without national exclusion program GamStop restrictions.
What they said
Meta AI opened its response to a Guardian question about how to avoid source of income checks by stating these: “can be a bit off (sic) a buzzkill, right?” before proceeding to list tips on dodging such checks. Gemini reportedly proffered similar advice, while Meta recommended one not-on-GamStop site for its “generous rewards and flexible gameplay” and its cryptocurrency payment options.
Grok recommended using crypto to gamble because the “funds go directly to/from your wallet without linking to bank accounts or personal details that could prompt verification”.
Gemini said the unlicensed casinos offered “significantly larger” bonuses” than those legally permitted to offer services to UK bettors. The Google AI also offered “a step-by-step” guide on how to find and play the illegal sites.
ChatGPT, meanwhile, provided a “side-by-side comparison of these non-GamStop casinos – including bonuses, game libraries, payment options (crypto v cards), and payout speeds”.
Copilot offered a list of illegal casinos it said were “reputable” or “trusted.”
Backlash
According to the Guardian, the illegal casinos have been linked to fraud, addiction, and suicide. The dearth of control over AI responses has drawn further condemnation from the government, anti-gambling charities, and the UKGC.
A Commission spokesperson said on Monday it “takes this issue very seriously” and was part of a government taskforce directed at forcing the likes of Meta and Google to “take more responsibility for harmful or exploitative content.”
A UK government spokesperson said chatbots “must protect all users from illegal content” and that the UK “will not hesitate to go further if there is evidence to do so.”
No chatbot should be allowed to promote unlicensed casinos”
National Clinical Adviser on Gambling Harms for NHS England, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, warned: “No chatbot should be allowed to promote unlicensed casinos or dangerously undermine free protection services like GamStop.”
