Responsible gambling will succeed when we change our culture

Do corporate campaigns warning about the perils of problem gambling contribute to a healthier gambling population or are these messages mostly a signal to regulators, governments and stakeholders that the industry ‘plays its part’ supporting RG?

For the industry to effectively help prevent and mitigate problems, we must focus on changing gambling’s culture. To gauge the shift we need, ask yourself: do players today speak honestly and comfortably about their gambling, with family, friends, or within their communities?

The gaming industry can help break this discomfort by changing how we talk about gambling. To start, we need to set long-term program objectives for three key audiences: gamblers, employees and communities.

Gamblers

Where do most players learn about gambling? From each other and Google, with mixed results. The industry must help casino-goers learn about and manage their behavior.

We need to increase gambling literacy and improve experiences by helping players understand games, avoid risks and maintain positive habits.

What will determine success? Communicating educational messages with the same consistent, coordinated, disciplined methods we use to market casino visits. By enabling informed decision-making with more precision, we can improve players’ habits over the long term, using risk segmentation, channel strategy and impact evaluation.

Branded education programs that align with our corporate identities are critical. To meet the needs of all gamblers – from new and casual players, to regulars and anyone experiencing risk and harm – we must expand efforts to prevent problems before they start.

Hard Rock’s PlayersEdge program applies this strategy, infusing ongoing, dynamic communications into casino environments, using print, digital, web, social media and live activations designed to fit with Hard Rock’s brand.

Employees

To inspire and equip employees to make responsible gambling part of exceptional customer service, they need to know what to do. The PlayersEdge risk segmentation underpins how we train employees.

More than 15,000 guest-facing Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming team members receive the online ‘Frontline Fundamentals’, learning how to interpret behavior signs, talk to players and provide information.

Communities

Companies’ budgets should focus on educating players in gaming environments – not on mass-media campaigns. Hard Rock’s recent public education program, The GamePlan Challenge, was created with education experts EduNetwork Partners, and the Florida Council for Compulsive Gambling.

Introducing modules into high school classrooms across the US, the program educates teens on healthy video gaming habits, and challenges them to create fun creative social media messages to inspire friends. Why build a campaign for teen games outside of gambling? Over 90% of American youth play these games and concerns about immersion are rising.

Some behavioral risks are common to both video/social gaming and gambling, so when these young people eventually grow up and visit casinos, we want them to arrive with healthy habits and a knowledge of risk.

To conclude, the most effective gambling education programs should come from the industry. Why? Our proximity to players and our ability to communicate. If we make informed decision-making normal and engaging, players will benefit and the culture of gambling will change.

[Bio]  Paul Pellizzari is VP of global social responsibility at Hard Rock International. For over two decades, he has led corporate strategies and operational programs that span responsible gambling, purpose driven marketing, communications, environmental sustainability, and community impact. Programs under his leadership have received numerous awards, including twice being recognized for the world’s best responsible gambling program by the World Lottery Association.