Are Responsible Gambling Programs Important?

The authors describe their experience with gambling disorder and those who suffer with this condition. Their primary objective is to describe responsible gambling activities and programs from the perspective of a recovering gambler, which differs from that of academics, scientists, clinicians, and policymakers. Gambling disorder is a progressive disease, much like addiction to alcohol or drugs. The authors present guidelines for dealing with problem gamblers and developing and implementing a responsible gambling program. The need for training casino staff and the pitfalls of self-exclusion programs are discussed. The authors emphasize the importance of taking into account the viewpoint of recovering gamblers when setting up responsible gambling programs.

Should We Do Away with Responsible Gambling?

These stakeholders discuss responsible gambling in the context of today’s gambling research environment. Currently, the field of gambling studies is in the midst of an unnecessarily combative research environment of accusations and innuendo that lean on the shadow of past industry funding abuses and masquerade as objectivity and empiricism. The authors indicate that this situation makes judgments regarding responsible gambling difficult. The authors illustrate this difficulty by discussing contemporary controversies related to psychological and biological gambling research, responsible gambling, and industry-funded gambling research, more generally. Following these discussions, the authors focus on the issue of responsible gambling in detail and provide perspective, as research scientists, for how responsible gambling efforts can effectively move forward in the current environment. The authors conclude the chapter by considering whether the escalating attacks on industry funding in gambling research are empirically warranted or, on the contrary, empirically ignorant, and whether gambling research and researchers can serve as models for achieving ethical industry partnerships in science.

Responsible Gambling

The authors discuss responsible gambling from the perspectives of a problem gambler and an administrator in the field of responsible gambling. This narrative shares personal experiences and how they influence the authors’ perspective toward responsible gambling, how it is currently viewed, and its potential impact on those who might develop a gambling disorder. The authors discuss how current legislation in Massachusetts, as well as the Responsible Gaming Framework, can benefit those who suffer from an addiction to gambling, either recognized or not. While there are many theories and concepts surrounding responsible gambling and problem or disordered gambling, this chapter focuses on a personal perspective.

Responsible Gambling and Its Stakeholders

Robert Ladouceur and Alex Blaszczynski convened this working group and established the early agenda and direction for the International Group on Responsible Gambling and our scholarly publications. The Reno Model provided the seminal architecture for understanding, creating, and implementing responsible gambling activities and programs. This model stimulated considerable growth and interest in responsible gambling activities around the world. From this growth, the authors’ international working group on responsible gambling emerged. The primary purpose of this group and this book is to discuss and formulate guidelines, elaborate principles, and stimulate discussion related to responsible gambling policies and their evaluation. The group considered the views of a variety of key stakeholders who are obligated to minimize harm and protect consumers, such as regulators, governments, academics, clinicians, individuals, gamblers, and the general community). This chapter provides an overview about their viewpoints and insights about responsible gambling.

Responsible Gambling

This chapter reviews the current research base and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of responsible gambling programs in practice and makes recommendations for strengthening these programs. Regulators and the gaming industry have increasingly recognized the importance of responsible gambling activities. Suggestions are given for researchers working in the responsible gambling field. A list of minimal requirements for a responsible gambling program is offered. There are multiple interventions available for operators to build a comprehensive responsible gambling program, but the missing ingredient is scientific research designed to develop new programs and to evaluate existing programs for safety and efficacy. More research on responsible gambling will benefit all stakeholders.

Responsible Gambling

This stakeholder suggests that any interaction with existing, prospective, or former customers falls within the scope of responsible gambling. The responsible gambling strategy determines how responsibility is shared between customers and gambling operators and assigns to the customer adequate intervention options based on the entirety of available information on his or her ability to make responsible decisions. The author argues that responsible gambling activities should aim to intervene as early as possible and as little as necessary, leaving as much responsibility with the consumer as viable. Eventually, operators cannot—in some cases—avoid accepting the full responsibility and must impose restrictions even against the volition of the consumer. Even though the customer might have the final decision on whether and to what extent to gamble, operators have the final decision—based on their own risk-management and well-documented observations—whether to continue serving the customer to avoid taking part in continued self-harm. This process must, however, be conducted in a transparent and nondiscriminatory manner.

A Gambling Lawyers’ Perspective on Responsible Gambling

From the backgrounds of an external counsel and an in-house lawyer, this chapter offers a legal perspective on responsible gambling (RG). The primary tool of lawyers is law and not empirical sciences. Accordingly, these legal scholars explain how their normative perspective differs from other scholarly perspectives and how it affects the concept, theory, and objectives of RG. These stakeholders describe aspects that hamper the effectiveness of RG policies, such as hidden agendas and RG rules that are not empirically based. They then revisit the Reno Model, comparing its strengths and weaknesses; they observe alternative models of regulatory practice. The analytical exercise feeds into discussions of the legal and practical implications of the RG rules, in particular as regards the scope of duty of care and the compliance burden of regulated gambling operators. The authors make suggestions on how to improve RG programs and the Reno Model itself, using insights from behavioral studies and promoting bottom up-initiatives.

The Status of Responsible Gaming

The authors, two senior policymakers at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, trace the development of responsible gambling policy in Massachusetts, from its enabling legislation and the seminal Reno Model, to the expansive and comprehensive program that is in place in Massachusetts today. The “Massachusetts model” included three important directions: (1) Look beyond the US borders for model programs that would closely align with the expectations in Massachusetts; (2) Adopt new and promising practices and emerging technology with a precautionary approach, but leverage research funding to closely evaluate their effectiveness; and (3) Implement an enduring and comprehensive research agenda that feeds data-driven strategies to advance responsible gambling and mitigate problem gambling. In this chapter the authors discuss issues related to responsible gambling programs nationally and internationally. They offer a critical reflection about the sufficiency of the Reno Model, which remains widely perceived as the preeminent responsible gaming program standard, and provide recommendations for what constitutes a minimum responsible gambling program.

Responsible Gambling

This chapter discusses responsible gambling from the perspective of a consumer and a reformed problem gambler. The author explains her history with problem gambling and describes the results of her research into responsible gambling. She outlines several ways in which it could be made more effective, including addressing gamblers’ fear, stigma, and shame and matching the message to the intended target. She argues that effective harm minimization is not about policies, programs, and methods but about changing the attitudes of the people responsible for developing and implementing them and better educating the general public about this issue. Stakeholders must put aside their own convictions and motivations, listen to each other, and then work together on programs that produce the ultimate outcome: reduction or, at best, the elimination of gambling-related harm. Understanding each other’s different perspectives will increase stakeholders’ willingness to work together to develop evidence-based measures that will make a real difference to people’s lives.

Responsible Gambling from a Nonprofit Perspective

This chapter presents the Responsible Gambling Council’s perspective on the evolution of responsible gambling as a concept and as a set of programs. This perspective in some ways reflects the Canadian experience managing the growth and diversification of gambling during the past two decades. The Council, because of its unique positioning and perspective, has been able to advocate for the enhancement of responsible gambling and to contribute many practical solutions to the field. This chapter uses the experience of the Council’s experience as a window into the theories the surround responsible gambling, the drivers that propel it forward, and the challenges that must be addressed to continue its progress. The authors stress the importance of defining program goals and evaluation methods, defining an audience, and matching the message to the audience.