“Fine line” was a phrase often uttered Thursday by panelists discussing their responsible gaming programs through the lens of public perception and casino profitability.
Organizers at Juegos Miami, a gathering for Latin and South American gaming interests, devoted two sessions at The Biltmore in Coral Gables, Florida.
Most recommended a cooperative effort consisting of staff training, cultivating government support, and educating gamblers. The suggestions are all part of an integrated casino experience.
“You have to be very careful with these campaigns, but you can’t go overboard,” said Jhon Mario Giraldo, president of Río Claro Localised Games in Brazil.
“You don’t want to scare people away,”
Giraldo said responsible gaming endeavors also enhance an image. He added was vital that responsible gaming staff be on a property, but they must be tactful when working with clients.
“If we create a good image we will increase our prestige. It’s about how the client sees our value that we are giving to him and to society,” Giraldo said. “And the staff needs to be instructed in how the client will be acting when he wins and when he loses,” “It’s like touching the heart of a client.”
One model is GameSense, a program implemented in Canada that has since been picked up by properties in the U.S. operated by MGM Resorts International.
Susan Dolinski, vice president for social responsibility & communications for the British Columbia Lottery Corporation said there are 36 casinos in the Canadian province, controlled and run by the government.
The responsible gaming division takes all legal gambling under its responsibility, including lottery, online and land-based casinos. A staff of 26 works to provide support on responsible gambling.
“It’s a worthwhile investment and it sustains the long-term health of the business,” Dolinski said.
The British Columbia operation spends $8 million on responsible gaming, while the industry collects $1.3 billion annually. Surveys over the past eight years show players might even return to gambling, but in a more responsible way.
“It sustains the health of a player,” she said.
MGM Resorts rolled out the program on the Las Vegas Strip and in regional properties in 2017.
“I agree there is a balance, because in the past gambling problems have been perceived as judgement of the player’s choices,” she said.
She encourages operators to adopt a more comprehensive approach by including responsible gambling in the context of the customer service environment.
That includes a staffed location at the casino, with signs and digital screens and pamphlets.
There also is traditional advertising in British Columbia, but in relation to other activities.
“For example, we’ll show someone sitting in a hot tub too long, and the phrase, ‘Know when to take a break.’”
Other countries are still developing responsible gambling programs. In Mexico, for example, the growth has been only in the past decade, where the focus is two distinct markets – youths and elderly women whose children have left the home – said Cynthia Fragoso, director of the For Responsible Gaming Foundation in Mexico.
Jaime Irizarry, director of Games of Chance in Puerto Rico, repeats the fine-line mantra, noting that it’s in a casino’s interest to make money but there’s also a human element. He remembers his days as a blackjack dealer.
“I met many of them, and most were fine, but some would lose their money and become physically or mentally ill,” he said. “So, I became concerned as an operator about those who would go to gaming halls, and I would do as much as possible to care for them. But there’s a very fine line between being an operator and keeping the customer in good physical and emotional condition.”
