I’m probably more knowledgeable than most on the issues of problem and compulsive gambling. Back in the day, I was president of the Board of Directors of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling. When I ran the Harrah’s Institute (a training program for senior executives new to the gaming industry), I made sure to include a session with a recovering compulsive gambler telling her gut-wrenching story. I helped Harrah’s hire the first problem-gambling consultant in the industry to help them shape responsible gaming policies.
So I know a little about problem gambling and I have some strong opinions on it. I think the industry should be doing more.
But compared to Dan Real, I’m just a well-meaning neophyte.
I don’t know Dan Real personally, although I’ve emailed him a few times over the years. He originally wrote me to say he liked one of my columns. How could I not immediately be drawn to him? That and the fact he wore big-boy pants as the regional president of the South Region for Caesars Entertainment.
I found out Dan retired from Caesars after a 28-year career. Why he retired is what I found compelling. So I asked if I could interview him and have him tell his important story. Here is that interview.
Dennis Conrad: Why did you leave a successful senior level career with Caesars Entertainment to start exclaim recovery?
Dan Real: My wife keeps asking me the same thing. I loved my job and I couldn’t be more complimentary of the Caesars Entertainment executive team. It was kind of surreal. it was a Saturday afternoon in January 2024 and my wife and three daughters were out of town. I was in my home office and just decided, literally at that very moment, that I was done.
I wrote a very long email to Tom Reeg, Caesars CEO, letting him know I was battling a ferocious gambling addiction and for the first time in 28 years, I needed a break. I spent about two hours writing the letter, trying to find the perfect words … I never did. When I finally decided it was as good as I could make it, I stared at the screen for a few more hours before I hit Send. Although I was pretending I might not hit Send, the reality is I didn’t have a choice. For the first time in my career, I couldn’t fulfill my responsibilities. I owed it to Tom Reeg and Anthony Carano to step down. They were always there for me and I like to think I did a pretty good job for them as well.
Although I gambled my entire life, it wasn’t until I took on a corporate role that I lost control. When I was Regional President – South, I was so busy, there wasn’t time for me to spend hours a day on my gambling app. But when I began traveling and living in hotel rooms, I became overwhelmed; gambling became my travel partner. I needed to step away and give my full attention to my recovery. This is when the idea and passion for Exclaim Recovery was born.
DC: How long have you had an interest in the gaming industry’s efforts to address the problem gambling issue?
DR: I always cared about the guests who gambled too much. They’re my people. All the way back to when I was an executive host in Joliet, Illinois. My desk was on the second floor of the Southern Star riverboat and I was responsible for issuing credit and comps. Being a VIP-level gambler myself, I could make informed decisions. I’d been on the other side of the desk so often, I could tell by the way someone was walking toward me what they were going to ask. While other hosts followed the letter of the law, I really tried to take each situation as an independent request, within the guidelines, of course.
I found myself assisting someone who was in bad shape, but because of cruising policies at the time, they couldn’t get off the riverboat for another hour. It wasn’t just that they were broke, it was the way they were broke, that made it tough to watch. The unique set-up of having an “open-to-the-public” desk, the authority to issue credit, and the inability to leave when they ran out of money was the beginning of my journey toward understanding and compassion for those who were addicted.
To be sitting there making decisions for others when I was exactly like them was a blessing and a curse. I took my job very seriously and I got to know all the regulars. For some, I had an extension already filled out and ready for their signature (if they had the funds), and they always lost. Conversely, I lost count of how many times VIP players, who I got to know very well, cursed me out for not extending them more credit. Almost without exception, the next time they were at the property, they thanked me for not giving them more money on the prior trip. They knew I was looking out for their best interest and so did my company.
DC: What needs to be done?
DR: A lot. We’re in the midst of the fastest and largest expansion of gambling in history. Bringing casinos and sportsbooks to smartphones has forever changed the game. The toothpaste is out of the tube, for the most part, so my belief is that all stakeholders need to face the reality that gambling harm is a part of expansion. Somehow, to this point, mass expansion has continued without a serious effort to address Responsible/Problem Gambling.
It’s pretty telling, however, that there are 39 jurisdictions with legalized sports betting, but only seven with igaming. Igaming is an entirely different beast than all other forms of gambling. Pennsylvania is generating tremendous tax revenue for the state, but they’re realizing, in real time, that they may have moved too quickly. Addiction is spreading like wildfire and unfortunately, the tools and resources in place at this moment aren’t up to the challenge.
With each upcoming state, there needs to be a proactive RG/PG plan in place. The proper funding must be put in the bill that is up for consideration. We just saw a bill in Ohio that would have split the tax revenue, with 99% going to the Ohio General Fund and 1% going to Responsible Gaming funding. Thankfully, that bill stalled and will have to wait for another session.
My goal is to get the gambling-harm prevention and treatment entities a seat at the table before a bill is introduced for consideration. We shall see.
DC: What’s your take on the current efforts of companies, states, and? Who do you think is making a difference?
DR: My belief is that everyone moved too quickly after PASPA was overturned. Regulators didn’t want to be a barrier to progress. Operators wanted to be up and running as soon as humanly possible. Lobbyists were making sure the tax rates were nice and low and in many cases, they added promotional spend to the bills. FOMO was raging.
Regulators were copy and pasting the rules from other states and in some cases even allowing language to be written by the operators. Remember, in most states, the Chair and Commission are appointees. They’re not typically industry experts. If you get time, you should read the New York Times article about how Kansas rolled out sports betting. Absolutely incredible.
Since the regulators haven’t been pushing the operators to do more, they haven’t. I’ve been trying desperately to get the operators to publicly acknowledge that addiction is part of expansion. To no one’s surprise, my offer has been left with no takers. Organizations created to focus on Responsible Gaming have shown up to a gun fight with a butter knife. I give them credit, they keep on fighting, but until they get proper funding and update their programs to include cutting-edge tech and AI … they don’t stand a chance.
With all of that said, I still remain optimistic that the tide will turn and RG/PG and Gambling Harm will become a part of evaluating regulators. What gets measured gets accomplished.
DC: WE hear a lot of statistics on the prevalence of problem and compulsive gambling in the United States. do you have thoughts on what’s accurate?
DR: Unfortunately, not. PASPA was overturned seven years ago and to this day, there hasn’t been a single, non-partisan, national study commissioned. I find that astonishing. I encourage you to watch an upcoming hearing on the expansion of igaming. You have legislators listening to passionate testimony on both sides of the debate, yet the arguments are all the same. Zero nuance and selective statistics. Proponents claim addiction won’t increase with the legalization of igaming and opponents talk about increases in suicide, divorces, and bankruptcies.
Here’s what I do know. New Jersey legalized igaming in 2013 and they were quick to approve sports betting as well. Today, they sit at 6% of the population suffering with some form of a gambling disorder. That is three times the national average. Pennsylvania is generating huge tax revenue, but they recently passed a resolution to quickly identify ways to slow down addiction.
It’s pretty simple. If a state has online/mobile sports betting, they have a growing addiction problem. If that state also has legalized igaming, they have a skyrocketing addiction problem. There’s no other side to the argument. It’s just a matter of what are the actual figures. I don’t plan to wait to find out. I want to meet these players where they are and get my AI Chat Bot, Hope, in front of them as soon as possible.
I’m not being an alarmist when I tell you we have a national crisis on our hands already, but it’s covered up under the massive umbrella of mental health. It’s ballooning to the point where it will break out on its own and it will hit the country right between the eyes.
DC: Any other thoughts?
DR: Dennis, thank you so much for showing interest in my story and for allowing me to share my views. I hope to work with the gambling companies to form a coalition. I’ve written an article on LinkedIn about this issue creating an opportunity for “strange bedfellows” and I mean it. At some point, a company will be bold enough to step up and declare that with expansion comes addiction. It might sound crazy, but that would be a brilliant move. I never like sitting in the same room as elephants, so I always try to get rid of them as soon as possible. In this case, we need the gambling companies to want to get rid of them as well. Their revenue won’t collapse; they won’t hurt their companies.
If I were king for a day, I would become the executive director of the NCPG, partner with the AGA, and begin to measure, monitor, and support every state’s RG/PG programs. We would give 1-800-GAMBLER a refresh and I would make tech solutions a top priority. I would fight like crazy to get federal funding for gambling harm and we’d share best demonstrated practices.
Chat Bots are the “present” (intentional double meaning) of gambling harm treatment/recovery and if partnered with a great telehealth solution, Gamblers Anonymous, and better access to human intervention, you will significantly increase the quality of the care and quantity of those who seek help. I would partner with regulators in every state to help them with the ubiquitous black- and gray-market operators. The argument shouldn’t be limited to “legalize or black market.” It should be zero tolerance for black market, regardless of each state’s legal status.
I remain very hopeful. My company, Exclaim Recovery, is built to help large quantities of people looking for Hope. I have committed the rest of my life to this cause and will never stop fighting for those who are suffering in shame and isolation. Recovery is not only possible, it is powerful.
Thank you, Dan.
Dan Real is onto something. His clear vision, personal experience (on many levels), and passion for helping recovering compulsive gamblers is something the gaming industry needs. I’m going to try to lend him a hand. I’m sure he could use all the help he can get. Is anyone out there listening? You should be.
