Online Gambling is a major industry in Europe, albeit having potentially devastating social and personal consequences, especially for those most prone to addictive behaviours. For the Portuguese Gambling Inspection and Regulation Service, identifying the actual scope of gambling addiction and dealing with this problem has become a growing challenge. To address this, Mauro Castelli and his team from NOVA IMS developed an AI-based system that employs data from online gambling providers operating nationally and models the behaviours associated with addicted gamblers, allowing for their early detection. Using historical data from 2019, the team was able to identify approximately 1500 users corresponding to pathological players.
Employing the system developed at NOVA, the Portuguese authority is now able to receive automatic alerts when a user is moving toward a “dangerous” behaviour, enabling them to design prevention actions that protect citizens at risk of developing serious addiction.
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SDG Target 3.5- Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol.