“AI accelerates everything — including risk.”
AI ADOPTION STARTS WITH READINESS
The often-cited Benjamin Franklin quote, “By failing to prepare, you prepare to fail,” helps set the theme for this edition’s editorial. Artificial intelligence has moved rapidly from an abstract concept to a board-level topic in the gaming and resort industry. Executive teams are hearing about AI’s potential to improve guest experiences, optimize operations, reduce fraud and enhance decision-making. Vendors are demonstrating impressive capabilities. Pilot projects are launching. Expectations are rising.
A recent study by Gartner Research, based on surveys and interviews with more than 2,000 CIOs and CISOs, found that 83% of organizations will have deployed Generative AI by the end of this year, while 59% will have deployed Agentic AI. At Solutions II, we have hosted monthly CIO and CISO Roundtables for more than 13 years. In January 2024, only 15% of organizations represented reported having Generative AI in production. By January 2026, that figure had increased to 52%. The pace of adoption of Generative and Agentic AI is accelerating faster than virtually any enterprise technology in decades.
At the same time, many organizations are struggling to translate experimentation into sustained business value.
This tension is understandable. Casinos and resorts operate in a uniquely demanding environment — 24×7 availability, strict regulatory oversight, large volumes of sensitive data, and a direct link between technology performance and revenue. Technology disruptions are not abstract events; they directly affect guest satisfaction, loyalty programs, gaming floor operations, and regulatory confidence. In this context, AI adoption carries both meaningful opportunity and heightened risk.
The question isn’t whether AI will create value in gaming and hospitality. The question is whether organizations are prepared to capture that value without increasing operational exposure.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY JOHN WONDOLOWSKI IN THE SPRING 2026 EDITION OF GAMING & LEISURE MAGAZINE.