G2E Sharpens Industry Focus on Responsible Gaming Issues
Issues such as employee health, regulations, and the latest information on disordered gambling research and treatment were the focus of educational sessions held in September as part of the conference program at the third annual Global Gaming Expo (G2E).
SESSION OUTLINES PATH TO BETTER PREVENTION, TREATMENT OF DISORDERED GAMBLING
The conference session "Research and Treatment: Responsible Gaming Efforts," moderated by National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) Chairman Dennis Eckart, provided the latest information on disordered gambling from various perspectives - treatment, research and industry - shedding some light on how to improve prevention, treatment and education efforts.
Panel member Frank Biagioli shared his insights as executive officer of a state treatment program. According to Biagioli, the Iowa Gambling Treatment Program (IGTP), which provides information, referral and educational services to Iowans affected by disordered gambling, was evaluated last year by Howard Shaffer, Ph.D., and associates at Harvard Medical School's Division on Addictions to determine its effectiveness. The analysis found that 74 percent of individuals who completed the IGTP had completely abstained from gambling even six months after completion of the program. For individuals who elected to continue gambling following treatment, 85 percent of those who completed the program reported a significant reduction in the amount of money lost per week as a result of participation in the IGTP. Results were similar for individuals who had participated in only part of the program.
The IGTP was developed as a program of the Iowa Department of Public Health in 1985, and the program has grown along with the state's gaming industry. The IGTP centers on 1-800-BETS-OFF, Iowa's disordered gambling help line.
While the IGTP could be considered a model program, where states are falling short is in detecting youths with gambling disorders, said panelist Ken Winters, Ph.D., director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. While research shows the rate of disordered gambling among young adults is significantly higher than that of the adult population, he noted that disordered gambling treatment and help line centers report little or no participation from the youth population. According to Winters, this suggests current state health service systems may need to address this issue - for example, schools should work to integrate the subject of disordered gambling into existing behavior discussions focused on alcohol and drug abuse. He called for increased funding for state councils to help improve prevention and treatment of youth gambling disorders.
According to Winters' most recent research into the prevalence of gambling disorders among youth, young adults with gambling problems typically exhibit other addiction disorders, including alcohol and drug abuse.
In addition, he found that 50 to 80 percent of youths with disordered gambling have parents or family members with similar problems.
Beyond state initiatives, the gaming industry also has an important role to play in promoting responsible gaming. Dennis Floge, general manager of Sky City Casino in New Mexico, implored all gaming operators to focus on this issue, noting that ethics and pending liability issues make it imperative for industry representatives to get involved.
Some of those industry initiatives can be even more effective when they are tailored to a specific market, as they are at the Sky City Casino in Albuquerque, N.M. In addition to an effective self-exclusion program on site, Floge said Sky City dedicates significant funds to two Albuquerque treatment clinics. One clinic provides traditional treatment practices using Western medicine, while the second clinic is run by a group of tribal medicine men using non-traditional Native American medicine techniques.
According to Floge, these options lead to more people receiving treatment, as many Native Americans in the state are more comfortable with tribal medicine techniques. Floge is now working with the clinics to open regional outposts in other parts of New Mexico, making effective treatment of disordered gambling even more accessible.
PANEL EXPLORES FORCES THAT SHAPE DISORDERED GAMBLING REGULATIONS
For years, regulators have been implementing policies meant to prevent or treat disordered gambling, but some question their methods in devising these regulations as well as measuring their effectiveness.
Last year, at the G2E conference session "Problem Gambling and Governments: A Public Health Perspective," Harvard Medical School researchers Richard LaBrie and Howard J. Shaffer explored the approach regulators take in implementing disordered gambling regulations and whether relying more on research and scientific evidence rather than public opinion makes more sense in effective policy-making. At this year's conference, LaBrie led a follow-up discussion with a broader focus on society's view of legal gambling through history and its effect on policy, and measuring the effectiveness of gambling policy, including regulating disordered gambling.
"One of the guiding lights to regulation is that gambling is a moral problem," said LaBrie, the associate director of research and data analysis at Harvard Medical School's Division on Addictions. "We've got gambling as a health problem; we have gambling as a mental health problem. So, we have this complex dance that goes on between regulation, the law and this idea of the concept of gambling."
While for some people gambling is considered a moral issue, most acknowledge its entertainment value, especially since some form of gambling is legal in nearly every state. According to I. Nelson Rose, a law professor at Whittier Law School and a speaker on this panel, the state lotteries were the first to promote gambling as a form of entertainment, moving away from the concept of gambling as a sin or vice.
"If something is a sin, then you outlaw it," Rose said. "But if it's entertainment, then why not have it on every street corner?"
Despite widespread acceptance of gambling, morality continues to shape gambling policy decisions. The question remains, though, if those policies actually work.
Panelist Kevin Mullally, executive director of the Missouri Gaming Commission, believes gaming regulators face nonstop challenges in regulating the industry. Too often, government evaluates regulators' performance based on quantity: number of arrests made or amount of money in fines collected. These indicators, he says, do not define how well regulations, as well as the regulators themselves, are performing.
One way to better determine the effectiveness of gambling regulations is scientific study. For example, Missouri's self-exclusion program, which is the oldest and largest program in the country, will soon undergo study by researchers at Harvard Medical School (see related story, page 6). This research will provide regulators in Missouri, as well as in other casino states, with a measure of the effectiveness of the program based on scientific evidence, an approach Mullally believes will improve both existing and future policies concerning disordered gambling.
"There are a growing number of policies across the country - states are doing new things all the time to decrease the number of problem gamblers," Mullally said. "We're really excited about this research and what it bodes for how we can improve these policies."
MORE STUDY NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND DISORDERED GAMBLING IN THE GAMING WORKPLACE
A recent study of gaming employees concluded that while people who work at gaming facilities have higher rates of disordered gambling than the general public, fewer exhibit symptoms of what is called level 2 gambling - experiencing some gambling-related problems but not sufficient to warrant a diagnosis of pathological gambling. This study was one focus of the conference session "Risky Business: Employees with A Gambling Problem" to educate the industry about disordered gambling in the gaming workplace.
Anecdotal evidence tells us that some gaming employees have a gambling disorder, as Arnie Wexler, former executive director of the New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling and session panelist, offered. However, the lack of scientific evidence on the subject begs the question: "Does consistent and day-to-day exposure to gambling opportunities affect the rate of the disorder?" asked Christine Reilly, executive director of the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders at Harvard Medical School's Division on Addictions, who presented the findings of the employee health risk study.
While recent investigations do show higher rates of gambling problems among gaming employees, no evidence currently exists explaining these conclusions. Reilly suggests that "future research needs to be done" in order to answer questions that have risen because of the study, such as: Are people who are vulnerable to high-level gambling disorders attracted to positions at casinos? Does working at a casino stimulate this problem gambling behavior by those who are most vulnerable? And how does co-morbidity - the relationship between gambling and other disorders, such as substance abuse and depression - influence the gambler's behavior?
While conducting research is a key component of understanding behaviors of gaming employees, results are not immediate. Therefore, casino operators must take steps now to educate their employees about disordered gambling in order to create a positive work environment for both patrons and staff.
"Employees' enjoyment of their work and their feeling of respect and positive emotions have a direct impact on the guest experience during each interaction that occurs with one of our customers," said Terry Greenfield, director of training at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and "Risky Business" panelist. "Good business sense, of course, tells us that happy employees help to create happy customers."
Greenfield credits industry wide disordered gambling awareness initiatives such as the AGA's Responsible Gaming Education Week as well as programs developed by the Nevada Gaming Commission and the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling for bringing the issue of disordered gambling to the forefront. According to Greenfield, these campaigns sparked new understanding among casino operators for the urgent need to provide comprehensive disordered gambling education for all their employees.
At Treasure Island, resources on disordered gambling are available for all employees, and the subject of disordered gambling is addressed at every new-employee orientation meeting to increase awareness levels and provide treatment and referral information. Casino floor employees are required to attend an additional one-hour training session to educate them exclusively on disordered gambling. Additionally, posters and displays throughout the casino and employee areas as well as articles in company newsletters reinforce that message.
"Smart employers understand the investment made in attracting, training and retaining very good employees," said Greenfield. "And ensuring that a problem gambler employee has the resources available to him or her is not only the right thing to do, but it's the smart thing to do as well."
INNOVATIVE RESPONSIBLE GAMING TACTICS TESTED IN NOVA SCOTIA
Amidst the clinking coins and spinning cherries, imagine a clock with time reminders at 60-, 90- and 120-minute intervals and a mandatory cash-out requirement after 150 minutes of continuous play, forcing you to take a break. Or how about a running tally of how much you have spent at the slot machine in dollars instead of credits? These aren't just pie-in-the-sky ideas. They are actual player management tools being tested as part of a broader effort by the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation (NSGC) to promote responsible gaming.
The NSGC's responsible gaming program was the focus of a conference session at G2E's Training & Development Institute. According to NSGC Director of Operations Steve McDonald, the conference session speaker, his organization has established three goals for its responsible gaming program: 1) create effective tools for disordered gamblers that also encourage personal empowerment; 2) discourage excessive play; and 3) raise awareness about responsible gambling through education. Another critical component of the program is to conduct follow-up research to test the effectiveness of each initiative.
All of these goals are accomplished through the use of the player management tools, which, according to McDonald, have been beneficial, particularly for high-risk players. Follow-up research showed that players were highly aware of the new machine-based interventions. They also found the on-screen clock a useful tool to help manage playing time and cited the cash value display as the most effective feature. Pop-up displays helped control expenditures and playing time for high-risk players but did not affect session length or spending overall. The mandatory cash out feature was considered a positive implementation for high-risk players but was judged as ineffective overall.
Based on feedback from this research, McDonald indicated that the NSGC is considering other player management tools, such as voluntary time limits, timed pop-ups with facts about responsible gaming, and the addition of a responsible gaming button on video slot machines that would enable players to access information on odds as well as guidelines and outside resources.
Another initiative launched this year by the NSGC is an annual Responsible Gaming Awareness Week. This year's event, held Oct. 20-26, promoted the message "Know your limits, play responsibly" by displaying it on billboards as well as in brochures and newspapers. More than 900 employees attended keynote presentations and training sessions as part of the event.
Follow-up research to gauge the success of the week found that 43 percent of those surveyed were aware of the initiative and 33 percent could identify the week's responsible gaming message. It also revealed the need to reach more rural areas and cover basic and specific gaming industry information in future Responsible Gaming Awareness Weeks.
Other tactics the NSGC expects to employ include extending the self-exclusion program from casinos to video lottery terminals and developing a responsible gaming model. The model will establish criteria that can be used to assess the impact of new products. Additionally, the NSGC is considering the development and broadcast of a public service announcement.
The Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation is the small-business arm of gaming that regulates casino operations. It is comprised of two operators, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation and Casino Nova Scotia. Overall, the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation generates $178 million (Canadian) and collects 5.5 percent to 12 percent commission from its ticket lottery and 3,200 video lottery terminals.
