Picking Out Problem Gamblers
Two initiatives propose to address—in very different settings—the chronic puzzlement over how a problem gambler can be identified. An Australian agency is commissioning research on the question for use in training employees in Australian "pokies," while an association of Internet gambling businesses is rolling out a program that includes identifying problem gamblers at online sites.
Funded by the government of Victoria, the research in Australia may take a year to complete, and will include both a review of existing research on the identification of problem gamblers and a "physical study of problem gamblers" to identify signs of that problem. The study will attempt to determine whether any observable physical behaviors have a strong enough correlation with problem gambling to warrant having staff approach individual gamblers and offer responsible gambling resources.
The online gambling initiative was announced in August by a self-regulatory body, eCommerce and Online Gaming, Regulation, and Assurance (eCOGRA, at www.ecogra.org). eCOGRA says 53 online gambling businesses have received its "seal" of ethical conduct.
Because online gambling sites have no opportunity to observe a gambler's physical characteristics, the eCOGRA initiative requires identification of play and financial patterns that may indicate a player has a gambling problem. According to the program, the gambling sites must offer players links to problem gambling assistance groups and diagnostic questionnaires that players can use to gauge whether they have a problem. The sites also must offer gamblers the options of a seven-day "cooling off" period during which they will not be permitted to gamble, a six-month self-exclusion, or a limitation on the amounts of money they may deposit for gambling.
