KPMG has collaborated with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)’s International Gaming Institute (IGI), as well as IGI’s AI Research Hub (AiR Hub), to release The State of AI in Gaming 2026 report, which tracks how artificial intelligence continues to shape the industry.
“Society is at an inflection point with AI, and until now there has been no rigorous, independent baseline for understanding where the gambling industry stands,” IGI Director of Research and Editor-in-Chief of the report Kasra Ghaharian said.
“The State of AI in Gaming is designed to fill that gap, serving as an essential resource for operators, regulators, researchers and every stakeholder navigating the adoption, return on investment and responsible integration of AI within the gambling industry.”
According to the report, most gambling operators maintain “strategic ambitions for AI” but “infrastructure and expertise need to catch up,” following an average score of 45 out of 100 on the AI Maturity Index.
Only one in five companies were found to have a dedicated AI governance role, with most still in the “early stages of development” and yet to establish AI policies or practices.
“What the data shows is a clear gap between ambition and execution. Governance is where that gap is most visible,” KPMG US Gaming Lead and Executive Editor Rick Arpin said.
“With governance scoring just 30 out of 100 and most organizations lacking dedicated AI oversight, many companies are moving faster on AI adoption than on the controls needed to manage it. Those that address this now will be better positioned to realize value and avoid unnecessary risk.”
The State of AI in Gaming 2026 also found that “far fewer” gambling companies have begun using agentic AI, or systems which can “independently plan, decide and take action.”
The slower adaptation could serve as a reflection of the “high-stakes nature” involved with gambling, as AI technology would be forced to carefully make decisions while balancing regulatory compliance, player safety and operational risk.
Perhaps most noteworthy in the report was how operators and regulators “disagree significantly” on where AI is being deployed within gaming, as regulators shared concerns over limited visibility into licensee AI activity and low confidence in oversight capabilities.
Both parties agreed, however, that responsible AI practices “remain undeveloped” across the industry.
Softswiss appointed Denis Romanovskiy as its first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer on January 23, where he will define and implement AI strategy, including oversight of a centralised internal AI platform
