Anyone who has gambled at a casino has encountered a distraught patron on a losing streak. Someone who reacts angrily to losing hands at a poker or blackjack table. Or perhaps a patron who has made multiple trips to a cash machine hoping his or her luck will change.
The American Gaming Association on Monday announced the launch of a website aimed at making gambling safer and more fun. The Play Smart Consumer Hub is a new online resource designed to assist consumers game responsibly. The hub builds on AGA’s Play Smart from the Start, a messaging platform encouraging players to make informed choices and keep gaming fun.
“The AGA is committed to making responsible gaming a seamless part of the player experience.” AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said in a statement. “Part of the fun of gaming is that everyone plays differently, but no matter how or where you play, staying in control starts with habits that work for you. The Play Smart Consumer Hub provides players with straightforward, actionable tools to help them stay in control and keep gaming fun.”
The hub is easy to access and informative, with emphasis on topics including playing in the “Right State of Mind,” being informed in order to “Know the Game,” and setting a budget and taking breaks during gaming in order to “Act Intentionally.”
“This is just the next evolution of responsible gaming messaging,” AGA Senior Director, Strategic Communications & Media Relations Dara Cohen said during an interview with CDC Gaming. “It’s important because we want member and consumers to have a resource just outside of PG (problem gaming) because PG is such a polarizing term and the sentiment around problem gaming. We want folks to know that it can still be entertainment, but there can be better ways of having fun and keep everybody safe at the same time.”
Among the features on the site is a quiz that allows consumers to gauge whether they have a high “RG (responsible gaming) IG.” Cecilia Scott, the AGA’s Senior Director, Marketing & Industry Communications, says the quiz refrains from using negative terminology in order to emphasize the positive aspects of gambling and to return to the site.
“We want to encourage players to continue to use these resources,” Scott says. “It’s not just a one-and-done type of thing, because how they’re gambling today is not how they’re going to be gambling six months from now.
“We want to make sure that they’re constantly checking, that it’s ingrained in them, that they should be checking in with themselves to make sure that they’re still gambling in a responsible way.”
It’s also incumbent on operators to let patrons know the resources are available. During a recent trip to MGM National Harbor in Baltimore, Cohen and Scott witnessed a “very robust” training session instructing casino employees how to recognize and react when encountering players who may have gambling issues.
Cohen noted that other AGA member operators have had the material for months in order to proactively address problem gaming.
“The idea behind ‘Play Smart from the Start’ ” is we’re not trying to tell folks if they do or don’t have a problem,” Cohen says. “We just want folks to recognize that there are certain tools and resources available for them should they want to learn more about playing responsibly, should they want to be sure if they are playing responsibly.
“I think some of those quick tips, like asking a player if they want to take a break, asking them if they’re okay, asking them how they’re doing today, that kind of thing, can help them reset and take a moment.”
