A Machine Ethics Framework for Gambling: An “EthiCasino” in a Virtual World

1. A Machine Ethics Framework for Gambling: An “EthiCasino” in a Virtual World Anna Vartapetiance Salmasi Lee Gillam 2008

2. Overview • How this all came about (MSc dissertation) • Gambling • Machine Ethics • Gambling + Machine Ethics = Ethical Gambling? • Ethical Gambling + Second Life (Surrey Island) = EthiCasino

3. Online Gambling Revenue

4. Gambling: Harmful • Why it can create problems? (creating responsible gambling) • Playing for money not for fun • Odds of losing are higher and outcomes are uncertain • Chasseing the game to win back the lost money • Not gaining the knowledge (it is just a “GAME”) • Invisible addiction [3] • Gamblers get “high” - as addictive and destructive as crack cocaine • Online gamblers are more prone to addiction • It is in isolated context and no one disturb them • Help and advice may be less apparent– • Why online gambling industry should take responsibilities? [4] • To clear up the industry's traditional image • To attract potential customers that steer clear because of that image • To comply with regulations

7. Online Gambling regulations… • Approached for online gambling regulation around the world: • Free to play online, e.g. UK • Not allowed to play online, e.g. USA • Any kind of gambling activity is prohibited, e.g. Islamic countries

10. Machine Ethics • Concerned with the ways to define: • How machines should (learn to) behave towards human users and other machines • How to avoid bad consequences of autonomous machines • Designing machines whose decisions and actions will: • Mimicking actions of the 24/7 available ethical advisers • Honour privacy • Protect civil rights and individual liberty • Maximize the welfare of others • What is an ethical machine? • Korea is planning to have “A robot in every home by 2010” • America has an “Armed robotic vehicles that will support ground troops with ‘direct-fire’” • 4,000 robots presently serve in Iraq war and Afghanistan [1]

13. What was involved? • User side: • Clarifying possible risks and preventing harms • Identifying different regulation • Defining time and money limits • Reminding about time and money limits • Company side: • Letting specific person to play or not • Log-out users if they pass their limits • Provide users with information based on their knowledge • Final result • framework for ethical casinos operating online gambling implemented in Virtual world (Second Life)

14. Design And Implementation Prototype of EthiCasino • Differences between MedEthEx and EthEl: • Each stage may have one or more duties • Maximizing the outcome the duties involved • 6 of Ross’s duties and all Garrett’s duties • Make the whole process ethical • Ethicality of both user interaction and the system itself • Design and implementation stages • Legal issues • Ethical issues related to gambling facts and risks • Defining boundaries for time and money being spent • Equipping each user with an appropriate reminder • Taking actions for those who exceeded the boundaries

15. Legal and Ethical Issues • Legal issues • Minimum age of gambling • For EthiCasino is 21 – either 18 or 21 in most countries • Countries • Only users from countries that online gambling is allowed • Notification • Reasoning behind the system decision making • Ethical issues • Knowing the knowledge of the users • Asking questions related to gambling- responsible gambling • Fact and Fiction (12) and Risk and loss aversion (8) • L$10 for each participants

16. Gambling Questionnaire • Extracting the rules for categorizing users • Defining rules based on companies needs • Applying the rule on users answers • Need information about the games only • Need to be reminded about the facts • Need full monitoring- more prone to addiction • Experimenting • SLSurvey, Sloodle: SL + Moodle, My3q: Web base application • Data collection • 50 avatars • Average correct answers = 61% • Minimum correct answers = 7 out of 20 • Maximum correct answers = 17 out of 20 • Correct answers will not represent users knowledge directly

17. How much do you know? 1) If a Gaming machine in a casino or betting shop hasn't paid out in while, it will soon a) Fact b) Fiction 2) Odds are a) Same as probability b) 50/50 chance of wining c) Amount that gambling operator will pay out, before taking off the house edge d) Amount that gambling operator will pay out, after taking off the house edge

18. How much do you know? 13) In blackjack: a) Dealers will win all the bets from losing players no matter what’s in their own hand b) Dealers will win all the bets from losing players is they have wining cards c) Players will win if their hand beats other players but not the dealer’s d) The Dealer has “equal chance” as other players 4) For a gaming machine, if you play more than one game the average return to player: a) Will increase b) Will stay the same c) It’s random c) Will decrease

22. Defining Boundaries • Minimize any “possibility for addiction” • Have limits for time and money users will spend • Self-defining boundaries • Combining self-defined limits with user categories • If category 1 and 2: no reaction from system side • If category 3 • Average limit: no reaction • Above limit: applying medium range

23. VIKI-Reminder and Alarm • VIKI (Virtual Interactive Kinetic intelligence) - Reminder • Adopting the idea of software “nagware” • Artificial ethical conscience • Encyclopaedia of gambling • Reminding users about time and money they spend • If limits are not reached then remind in half way of money and time • If limits are reached then give final notice • VIKI- Alarm • Some may exceed their limits • System should force the limits by disconnect the interaction

24. VIKI- Reminder and Alarm

25. Evaluation • Machine ethics • First ethical machine implemented and tested with actual data and real users • Casino Ethics • First in its kind with developing a prototype of the mentioned theories • Questionnaire • Data driven approach • Calculating correlation matrix of answers • How predictable the answers are. • CorrelationMatrix(a,b) = Correlation( questiona, questionb ) • Better to have least correlation (0 and ±1.00)

27. Conclusion • Designing machines whose decisions and actions will: • Mimicking actions of the 24/7 available ethical advisers • Honour privacy • Protect civil rights and individual liberty • Maximize the welfare of others • Concerned with the ways to define: • How machines should (learn to) behave towards human users and other machines • How to avoid bad consequences of autonomous machines "EthiCasino's goal is to prevent online gambling ethical and legal dilemmas to be raised, not to solve them.” “EthiCasino aims at a system that learns about the risky behaviour and (lack of) knowledge of its users, and tries to prevent harm through increased risk taking.”

28. Questions?

29. Thank you … Anna Vartapetiance av00024@surrey.ac.uk Lee Gillam l.gillam@surrey.ac.uk