R&D AI Engineer

Bally's Corporation is a global casino-entertainment company with a growing omni-channel presence. It currently owns and manages 15 casinos across 10 states, a golf course in New York, a horse racetrack in Colorado, and has access to OSB licenses in 18 states. It also owns Bally's Interactive International, formerly Gamesys Group, a leading, global, online gaming operator, Bally Bet, a first-in-class sports betting platform, and Bally Casino, a growing iCasino platform.

With 10,600 employees, the Company's casino operations include approximately 15,300 slot machines, 580 table games and 3,800 hotel rooms. Upon completing the construction of a permanent casino facility in Chicago, IL, and a land-based casino near the Nittany Mall in State College, PA, Bally's will own and/or manage 16 casinos across 11 states. Bally’s also has rights to developable land in Las Vegas post the closure of the Tropicana.

Well, what about the team?

Join the team of our new R&D unit, an engine designed to accelerate innovation within our iGaming technology department! Operating adjacent to our standard product delivery cycles, you will be at the forefront of exploring "what's next" in a controlled, fast-paced, and experimental environment.

Working within defined product strategic themes, you'll tackle specific innovation challenges through strictly timeboxed initiatives. You will rapidly build prototypes (heavily leveraging AI/ML tools, especially for personalization), design and run experiments, test hypotheses with data, and deliver clear, validated outputs. Your work will help shape future product directions. This role requires a blend of strong technical skills, creative problem-solving, and a pragmatic, results-oriented mindset.

You won't just build; you'll collaborate closely with product managers, VPs, data analysts, and engineers across the department. Success means delivering tangible, evidence-based insights and prototypes that fuel our future growth, all while championing practical innovation and AI adoption.

So, what will you be doing?

• Timeboxed Rapid Prototyping: Design, build, and iterate on functional prototypes within defined timeframes, focusing on applying AI/ML tools and personalization techniques to test specific hypotheses.
• Focused Experiment Design & Execution: Define clear experimental goals, methodologies, and measurable outcomes for each R&D initiative.
• Technology Exploration & Assessment: Identify and pragmatically evaluate emerging technologies or tools relevant to assigned strategic themes and innovation challenges.
• Hypothesis Testing & Validation: Collaborate with the embedded data analyst and stakeholders to design lightweight tests and analyze results.
• Structured Knowledge Transfer: Prepare and deliver comprehensive handover packages (code, documentation, findings, limitations) for validated concepts entering product pipelines.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work effectively with product managers, VPs, data analysts, Staff Engineers, and delivery teams. Support/mentor the rotating guest engineer. Actively participate in required monthly sync meetings with the Gen AI Team and Staff Engineers to share progress, discuss technical approaches, and ensure alignment.
• Process Adherence & Discipline: Operate effectively within the R&D unit's defined processes, respecting timeboxes and delivering required outputs.
• AI & Innovation Champion: Promote the practical application of AI/ML and foster an evidence-based, experimental mindset through your work and interactions.

And what are we looking for?

• Proven track record as a Software Engineer (ideally 3-5+ years) with strong programming fundamentals (e.g., Python, JavaScript/TypeScript).
• Pragmatic & Results-Oriented: Focused on delivering tangible outcomes and defined outputs within constraints; understands the goal is validation, not production perfection.
• Disciplined & Structured: Ability to work methodically, adhere to process and timeboxes, and document work clearly.
• Hands-on Applied AI/ML Experience: Demonstrable experience using AI/ML tools, libraries, and APIs to build practical prototypes or run experiments. Specific experience should include familiarity with:
• LLM Application Frameworks: Building with agentic frameworks (e.g., CrewAI, LangGraph) to orchestrate complex AI tasks.
• Core LLM Technologies & Platforms: Working directly with Large Language Models (LLMs) from various providers.
• Generative AI (Multimodal): Experimenting with tools and models for image and video generation (e.g., Stable Diffusion,Flux, Veo2, RunwayML, Kling2) for creative prototyping.
• AI-Powered Prototyping Accelerators: Leveraging tools for rapid AI development, UI generation, and interactive demos (e.g., Streamlit, Gradio, v0.dev, Cursor, Vercel AI SDK/Windsurf, Bolt).
• Rapid Prototyping Experience: Proven ability to build and iterate on MVPs or proofs-of-concept quickly.
• Curious & Action-Oriented: Genuine interest in exploring new technologies combined with a strong bias for building and testing ideas.
• Collaborative & Communicative: Excellent ability to work cross-functionally, articulate technical concepts clearly (written and verbal), and build relationships.
• Adaptable & Resilient: Comfortable with ambiguity at the start of experiments, able to pivot based on data, and learn quickly from both successes and failures.
• Experience with cloud platforms and modern development practices (Agile, CI/CD).

This is what you'll get

Different benefits packages are tailored to fit each location, but here’s a taste of what may be on offer:

• Annual leave
• Annual bonus
• Pension plan
• Health insurance
• Company share scheme
• Volunteering days
• Home office allowance
• Wellness or Gym allowance

DNA / Values

At Bally’s Interactive, we are driven by a set of core values that we like to call our DNA. We strive to embody our DNA and keep them at the heart of everything we do!

We are Always Ready to embrace change, adapt, and do what it takes to delight our customers. We believe that You Make the Difference, which is what gives our players the best experience and keeps them coming back. We are All One Team, looking out for each other, respecting diversity while connecting through a common purpose. Our teams are Learning Every Day by showing constant curiosity and the drive to learn from successes, mistakes, new experiences, and the people around us. At Bally’s we Love to Lead by thinking differently, seeking innovation, and always looking for ways to raise our game.

Equal Opportunities

At Bally’s Interactive, we are committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment and working conditions.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are important to us, and we encourage a culture where everyone can be themselves at work.

We believe passionately that employing a diverse workforce is central to our success, this is our superpower.

We do not discriminate against employees or job applicants on the basis of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, age, sex or sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, political opinion or disability.

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