Responsible gaming initiatives have become more than just lip service. From the American Gaming Association’s Have a Game Plan. Bet Responsibly, to MGM Resort’s investment in GameSense and FanDuel’s My Spend RG program, there are hundreds of millions of dollars being invested in the space.
But are these programs effective? Is enough money being spent? Do the players these programs are targeting even pay attention?
“I think it’s never where it should be,” says Jennifer Shatley, executive director of the Responsible Online Gaming Association during a roundtable discussion with CDC Gaming about responsible gaming. “I think we should constantly be evolving and expanding what we’re doing.”
Shatley added that in the 25 years she’s studied responsible gaming, “I have seen great advances taking place, and I think they’re happening more rapidly now than they did initially. We’re seeing more innovation. We’re seeing more technology; we’re seeing a broader understanding about the benefits to players from an operator perspective. I think that we’re seeing a larger evidence base, as well a lot of the research is really driving forth those evidence-based best practices, which is really what we should be striving for.”
ROGA, with members including Bally’s, BetMGM, Bet365, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel, and Penn Entertainment, has committed $20 million to “promote responsible online gaming by supporting independent research, promoting best practices, and driving consumer and industry education and awareness efforts,” according to its mission statement.
Alan Feldman, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Director of Strategic Initiatives, International Gaming Institute, and an American Gaming Association Hall of Fame Member, notes that there have been “enormous strides” in the technology that develops responsible gaming programs. But because of the various types of gaming – commercial, tribal, and igaming – there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
“But broadly speaking, we are seeing more companies talking about about RG, investing in RG, bringing people on the staff to be responsible for RG,” Feldman says. “I think there is just a growing awareness of RG and the compliance programs. That’s really about how you treat your customers, how they feel when they’re on your site or in your building, Are they feeling comfortable? Are you giving them whatever safeguards they may need? I think we have made progress.”
Brianne Doura-Schawohl, the founder of Doura-Schawohl Consulting and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Kindbridge Research Institute, thinks the increased attention being paid to responsible gaming initiatives is a good thing.
“I do think the industry has embraced this more,” Doura-Schawohl says, but quickly adds, “There’s still a missing cohort that needs to understand their roles and responsibilities. And that’s that of the regulator. I think regulators are still in a nascency and infancy of their role as a regulatory agency in trying to do everything to prevent and reduce gaming related harm.”
While most responsible gaming programs have rigorously researched and refined responsible gaming programs, there is one issue that needs to be addressed. According to Shatley, responsible gaming programs are often ignored because many players think they are for those with serious gambling issues and tend not to use the tools provided.
“I think from an industry perspective what we really need to do is understand is that we need to make these programs more engaging and more relevant for players because we know they’re effective,” Shatley says. “What we need to do is increase that engagement with these programs and with these tools and to change this mindset amongst players, because responsible gaming programs are actually targeted to the entire player base.
“The whole point of these programs is prevention, and so we want the entire player base to be engaged. They’re not designed for those experiencing problems. There are programs that really are for people that are experiencing problems, to get them to resources, to get them assistance, but the crux of these programs is really about harm prevention, and it should be for every player.”
Feldman recalls that the gaming industry’s first responsible gaming messages were very somber, very focused on those with gambling problems. Now, they are more upbeat and more relevant to audiences.
But more work remains to be done to make the messages effective, and Feldman has been encouraged by some of the jurisdictions that have crafted messages that address children.
“We’re talking to children about gambling in the way we talk to them about drugs and alcohol … If we start educating the general public from a young age about how these types of products and platforms are designed and when it is and is not appropriate, we’re going to help take a little bit of that treatment stigma that feeds into responsible tool utilization,” Feldman says.
“There is still a huge component of people in the way they perceive gambling problems, and that puts up barriers to being able to interact in a meaningful way with customers who might be experiencing problems. If we start from a very impressionable age talking about these things, I think we will see long-term results, and I think, they’ll be positive.”
Doura-Schawohl has a fifth-grader and notes he loves video games. She says that some of the same mechanics that make video games so irresistible are present in gaming and may lead someone more predisposed to developing gambling issues later in life.
“I believe that when you’re of the age where you have some independence and you’re gaming and you might be engaging in these products. And whether they’re gambling specific or gambling-like, it’s an important time to talk to your children about responsibility and health with their activities,” Doura-Schawohl says. “Gaming addictions are a real thing with the youth of America today. Talking about healthy online engagement in general, from 3rd or 4th grade, would seem very appropriate. Everything has to be appropriate for their age. We don’t talk to kids about alcohol in fifth grade the way we do when they’re a senior in high school.”
Feldman agrees that “any age is the right age” to talk to kids about responsible gaming issues but allows that there are different styles and techniques that should be employed depending upon the age group.
But most importantly, he says, parents should be included in any conversations because they are often the gateway for children into gambling. Feldman especially thinks that gambling should be viewed as a behavior with risks.
“More specifically, here in the States, as Americans, how do we view risk? How do we teach risk?” Feldman says. “If you think about youth athletics, it’s one of those areas where if you stand around for five minutes, you’re going to hear a parent encouraging a child to take risks. But they’re not discussing what the possible downsides are. They’re not taking a lot of time about that, they’re encouraging to be more proactive, more aggressive, take more risks. We have to have some conversations about that in the broadest way and then get into some real detailed information. What is randomness, how does probability work, and how that looks different from middle school to high school to college.”
