# Is there really a "research casino" operated by gambling companies and big tech? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2025, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625 "2025-04-28T20:38:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/21 "2025-04-29T19:56:01Z")
I was consulting for a couple of casinos. They do research on new games, and gamblers reactions, but it’s like a simulated environment, not a whole casino. > [@DavidNRockies](#): > > More information about Black Fire (August 2021): > > [Gaming incubator Black Fire viewed as UNLV’s contribution to Nevada’s economic diversification - The Nevada Independent](https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/gaming-incubator-black-fire-viewed-as-unlvs-contribution-to-nevadas-economic-diversification) Yeah something like that. I never went to it but at meetings they discussed research being done on new games. That might have been where it was being done. > [@OldOlds](#): > > In this video, the presenter is making the claim that the spread of ever easier access to gambling is a really dangerous trend, with the potential to be “more damaging than the opioid crisis. You dont have to watch a video to verify that. There have been scientific studies. Yes, Gambling can be addictive. Oddly, what gives the gambling addict their “hit” is losing, or the danger of losing. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/22 "2025-04-29T20:29:12Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Extensive histories of the test subjects. With facial recognition technology, I’m sure regular casinos already have that info. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/23 "2025-04-29T20:58:44Z")
Don’t most or all casino customers use loyalty cards when playing? They would allow tracking even without facial recognition. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/24 "2025-04-29T21:04:33Z")
That would track gambling behaviors but not things like education level, medical (and psych) history, religion, family background, hobbies, buying habits, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/25 "2025-04-29T21:09:16Z")
Surely the loyalty card gives them the customers’ names, addresses and telephone numbers, which can be cross-referenced with market research data. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/26 "2025-04-29T21:12:25Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > That would track gambling behaviors but not things like education level, medical (and psych) history, religion, family background, hobbies, buying habits, etc. No, that’s all available on social media. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/27 "2025-04-29T21:14:42Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > that’s all available on social media. Not mine, or anybody else with a lick of sense…which, granted, doesn’t include a whole lot of gamblers. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/28 "2025-04-29T21:20:46Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Not mine, or anybody else with a lick of sense… Sure… but almost all of us make purchases online, whether from Amazon or our local pizza place, and all of that data on what you buy and when is sold back and forth between marketing and research outfits. Any half-decent algorithm can build a scarily accurate profile of anyone they want based on that information. What I’m saying is that they don’t need a lab; the whole world is their laboratory, and we’re all their test subjects. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/29 "2025-04-30T14:39:24Z")
Right- they can just strike agreements with existing casinos and gather all the data they want. No reason to build one specifically for that kind of thing. What I could see is that they might use casinos in specific states because of more or less friendly laws for that sort of thing, but there’s no reason to build a ‘research casino’ any more than there ever was to build a ‘research mall’ to test consumer preferences. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/30 "2025-04-30T15:27:19Z")
I disagree. To be clear, it’s not an entire casino. Just a mock version of some parts of a casino. I think it would make more sense for casinos to buy games that testing has shown _will work_ versus putting that on the casino to find out for themselves. It’s much cheaper and less riskier that way, especially with highly regulated gambling devices/permitting/manufacturing/installation required on casino floor, etc. It’s also easier to do brain scans in a lab, and other research in a controlled setting. It’s also not mutually exclusive, you can use the lab for research, and monitor real life situations to gain useful data to extract more money from people. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625/31 "2025-04-30T18:56:21Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > That would track gambling behaviors but not things like education level, medical (and psych) history, religion, family background, hobbies, buying habits, etc. Buying habits only as far as Casino gift shops, restaurants, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-research-casino-operated-by-gambling-companies-and-big-tech/1017625.md?page=1)