Corporate social responsibility is a phrase that the gambling industry is beginning to accept as an essential part of its vernacular. The words come with an accompanying weight of responsibility that cannot be shirked, shaken or shifted, and there is increasing pressure for any company involved in gaming to understand their full implications.
The US sports betting sector appears to have made the first steps towards talking seriously about the issue, as evidenced by the American Gaming Association’s recent study on problem gambling. The study, conducted by the Mellman Group, found that a majority of Americans are able to gamble responsibly, while also concluding that more research is needed into the subject.
The sports wagering industry, perhaps mindful of the potential for future litigation arising from problem gambling, is at least considering addressing its responsibilities, and it is doing so at a time where legal sports betting in the US is essentially embryonic, rather than waiting to tackle the issue further down the line.
Is that enough at this stage? Paul Buck, Chief Executive of Epic Risk Management, a leading independent gambling harm-minimization consultancy in the UK and Ireland, believes more can be done now. It’s a view that he will expand upon at the inaugural Betting on Sports America conference in April as part of a dedicated panel which poses the vital question: Tackling problem gambling – what is effective?
The Betting on Sports America conference will be held April 23-25 at the Meadowlands complex in New Jersey and features 175 industry speakers across 40 sessions. 60 exhibitors will have products on display on the Meadowlands Exposition Center exhibition floor.
Talking ahead of the event, Buck was keen to emphasize the importance of a consistent approach to CSR. “The biggest potential issue is that customer protection and sustainability isn’t concentrated on until it’s too late,” he said. “It feels like there is currently a fight for strategic position, but very little conversation around safer or more responsible gambling.”
He continued: “Each state, and the US as a whole, mustn’t wait until we have high levels of bankruptcy, criminal conviction, relationship breakdown or suicide before it starts exploring harm minimization efforts. They should be there from day one. (The prevention of gambling harm) is far more effective than the cure, and cheaper, as well.”
According to Buck, measures such as child and adult education programmes, awareness campaigns, safer gambling micro sites, and responsible advertising, among others, must become the norm, along with healthy collaborative relationships between operators and banks.
In terms of his overall message for conference delegates, Buck says that the vast majority of people can gamble safely as an entertainment activity, staying in control of time, money and cognition. He will add, however, that “…a percentage will suffer gambling related harm which, if left unchecked, can cause serious problems with health, relationships, and finances and (may lead to) crime.”
“It is imperative that player protection measures are included in any plan for every operator and state if these harms are not to spiral out of control and cause long lasting damage,” he advised. “We need to educate our children as the first tech savvy generation. We need to help youth professionals and parents to have conversations. We need to help operators with responsible gambling plans and processes and educate employees in this industry. We also need a high-profile sports programme: if NFL and NBA players can talk about it, then so can everyone else.”
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