What Constitutes a Robust Responsible Gambling Program?

1. What Constitutes a Robust Responsible Gambling Program? Engaging the Big Questions in Gambling Studies AGRI 10th Annual Conference Banff, Alberta Rachel A. Volberg, Ph.D. Gemini Research, Ltd. Northampton, MA USA 9 April 2011

2. Whose responsibility is it? “In the case of gambling, the liberalization and deregulation of the industry and the simultaneous expectation that individual players govern themselves express the tensions inherent in consumer capitalism … ” Reith, 2007 “While individuals retain the ultimate responsibility … the gaming industry, in collaboration with government and the community, must ensure that individuals receive sufficient information to enable them to make responsible gambling choices” Blaszczynski et al, 2008

3. Elements of a culture of responsible gambling • Informed choice—a process in which choices related to a product are made on the basis of adequate information about foreseeable consequences • Information has several clear aims • Increase awareness of risks • Increase understanding of how gambling products work • Encourage responsible gambling practices • Help people recognize problem gambling behaviors • Inform/educate people about available assistance • Science can contribute to determining which information is effective in promoting informed choice in gambling Blaszczynski et al, 2008; Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, 2004

4. Challenges • Gambling is heterogeneous • Variations in activity & venue will dictate different options for providing information • Presence of gambling problems may affect capacity to make informed choices • Attitudes & intentions mediate between information & choice • Nevertheless, the concept of informed choice has served as the basis for numerous public health marketing campaigns Blaszczynski et al, 2008

5. Responsible gambling programmes range widely • Public & player education • Signage promoting responsible play • Ethical codes of advertising • Exclusion programs • Pre-commitment programs • Limits on machine numbers • Prize structures • Staff training • Environmental & machine design modifications • Policies re alcohol service & access to cash • Improved referrals to treatment services • Closer liaisons with treatment service providers

6. Are these programmes effective? • Few initiatives have been systematically evaluated • Responsible gambling measures often introduced without evidence of their effectiveness • There are legitimate concerns that implementing responsible gambling measures will negatively affect non-problem gamblers

7. Exclusion programs • Exclusion programs adopted in 9 states & 14 international jurisdictions • 15 empirical studies completed (all since 2000) • Some trends are evident: • From punitive to assisting orientation • From lifetime bans to bans of varying length • Better links forming btw venues & treatment programs • However, there is considerable room for improvement • Better promotion of programs • Better regulatory oversight & clear penalties • Coverage of multiple venues, activities • Management of reinstatement process • System needed to generate performance data for evaluation purposes Responsible Gambling Council, 2007; Volberg, 2009

8. What do we know about pre-commitment? • Not many people use it if voluntary • Venue staff struggle to sell & promote pre-commitment • Strong brand association between pre-commitment & PG • Reasonable evidence that EGM players find it useful (if they use it) • Reasonable evidence that higher-risk users find it more useful • Opt-out may be better than opt-in • PGs may not have the capacity to select affordable limits • Players may set limits higher than their typical spending • If players want to circumvent the system, they probably will • System design plays a key role in pre-commitment system effectiveness • Venues adapt and don’t find it that burdensome Hare, 2011

9. Where are we heading? PC for PG(player protection) PC for informed consent Compulsory PC Voluntary PC Limits set byplayers Limits set bygovernment Full controlover players Psychologicalcontract 100% playerprivacy Identifiable data stored PC forEGM play PC for allgambling Hare, 2011

10. Certification efforts emerging …

11. Moving forward: RG & regulation • Gambling regulation is increasingly focused on protecting the public interest • Transparent & inclusive consultation processes prior to implementation growing • However, enforcement depends on regular assessments (audits) of responsible gambling measures with specific metrics of performance • Assessments must be published • Data must be made available to researchers • Procedures needed for funding & commissioning research on responsible gambling measures

12. Conclusions • Widespread agreement that responsible gambling should be a fundamental principle guiding gambling industry & regulatory practices • However, as yet little consensus about how responsible gambling should be defined or what measures are most effective • Good feedback systems & disclosure needed to generate data so stakeholders can assess the performance of responsible gambling measures • In other words, more research is needed …

13. For more information: rvolberg@geminiresearch.com