Kasra Ghaharian

Dr. Kasra Ghaharian serves as Director of Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) within the International Gaming Institute, part of the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. Holding both PhD and M.S. degrees from UNLV's Harrah College, his academic foundation is deeply rooted in hospitality and gaming research.

His research program focuses on machine learning applications in gambling transaction analysis, consumer protection frameworks, and payments modernization within the gambling industry. Key contributions include developing behavioral risk indicators through payment data analysis and pioneering mathematical optimization of casino slot floors using linear programming. His work bridges technical data science with practical industry applications.

The 15 most recent publications reveal a dominant research trajectory at the intersection of AI ethics and gambling, with recurring themes in open banking integration, problem gambling severity measurement, and responsible AI deployment. His scholarly output demonstrates consistent focus on using transaction data to characterize gamblers and identify behavioral risks, while addressing critical ethical considerations in AI-driven gambling environments.

Dr. Ghaharian's industry experience at major casino-hotel companies prior to his doctoral work informs his applied research approach. His doctoral dissertation applied machine learning to payments transaction data to identify gambling risk indicators, while his master's research produced the first mathematical optimization study for casino slot floors.