BOSTON (SHNS) - Trying to keep pace with industry-driven technological advancements, regulators at the Mass. Gaming Commission got a briefing Thursday on a handful of high tech initiatives underway with the goal of bolstering responsible gambling efforts. Director of Research and Responsible Gaming Mark Vander Linden filled commissioners in on the status of their vote last fall to procure software that can block access to betting sites and betting ads for Massachusetts residents who want to exclude themselves from access to digital or online gambling platforms. He said the commission is working to release a request for responses later this month as it seeks a vendor that offers bet-blocking technology. The software is expected to become available this spring, giving people the option of prohibiting access to all betting sites by installing it on a mobile device or computer. Sports betting began in the state in January 2023. "So bet-blocking software provides protection in a variety of different ways. It blocks both legal and illegal sports wagering and igaming sites. It blocks any related pop-ups and ads from appearing on the user's devices. It can provide an additional layer of protection for underage patrons attempting to access gambling sites, and it can provide an extra layer of protection for those who are already on the statewide voluntary self-exclusion list from accessing illegal sites," Vander Linden said. The Ohio Casino Control Commission has offered a digital blocking application to Ohio residents enrolled in that state's voluntary exclusion program since January 2024, and Vander Linden said Ohio officials reported that roughly 15% of bettors who have voluntarily excluded themselves from gambling have chosen to use the software as well. Roughly 1,500 people in Massachusetts have voluntarily put themselves on the list of people who are barred from gambling here. "I think it is exciting. I, for one, am going to be particularly interested in how this software will block the websites of the illegal operators, because I know jurisdictions outside of the U.S. have had some difficulty on some level in blocking those illegal sites. And so it's good to hear that it can be done," Commissioner Nakisha Skinner said. "Even where we know ... there's a rapid adjustment of the websites or the URL so that those operators can sort of avoid detection, I just really am interested in seeing how the technology is able to keep up with that." Commissioner Eileen O'Brien, a former prosecutor and head of investigations for the Inspector General's office, suggested the commission think about looping in the attorney general's office and the district attorneys "because this could be something that's conditions of probation, so someone's put a minor at risk, somebody has a gambling addiction, has minors in the house -- it could be another tool to help minimize access." Vander Linden also gave an update Thursday on the work the Gaming Commission has been doing to study the use of AI to identify and respond to risky gambling behavior, including gathering information and input from operators and other stakeholders, the formation of an internal AI working group, and launching a study on the use of AI in gaming environments as part of the commission's fiscal year 2025 research agenda. Commissioners were not asked to make any decision Thursday, but Vander Linden laid out some of the potential options they might have when the time comes: the commissioner could establish regulatory criteria or expected outcomes for the use of AI by operators, it could select and mandate one solution for all operators, it could make operators collaborate on a common solution, or it could establish minimum standards for operators and launch an audit process. "I think there is a lot to consider. I think there's a lot that is happening in this space, and that as soon as I finish this presentation, something new is is probably coming down the pipe," Vander Linden said Thursday.