Gamblor’s World

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Guide to help gambling operators spot addicts

Author: U-Wen, Lee
Source: TodayOnline
Published Date: Jul 06, 2007

Description:
If you tend to spend your entire days relentlessly putting coins into jackpot machines at any of the social clubs in Singapore, it may trigger off an alert with the operator. Such signs of gambling addiction will come under more watchful eyes in the future, once a new code is rolled out by the end of the year. Singapore’s two largest industry players — Singapore Pools and the Singapore Turf Club — along with 12 public sector recreation and social clubs are early adopters of the voluntary Responsible Gambling Code of Practice. Unveiled yesterday, the code covers five main measures, including training gambling operations staff to spot warning signs of problem gamblers, and providing information about the potential risks of gambling.

2. Treatment for gambling should be a priority

Author: Barnard, Michael
Source: Desert Sun
Published Date: Jul 06, 2007

Description:
Most people gamble as a form of entertainment, but it is estimated that 3 percent of the population is a problem gambler. It is a complicated issue to diagnose because most gamblers are embarrassed to admit they have a problem. They will hide the financial losses by lying, borrowing, stealing or selling their assets. Untreated, it may lead to bankruptcy, divorce or even suicide. Most problem gamblers have other addictive behaviors such as alcohol or drug abuse or anxiety disorders. Treatment must address all of the behaviors, or one will be substituted for another. New studies on “cross-priming” show that performing one addictive behavior will trigger other addictive behaviors, for example, smoking will trigger gambling impulses.

3. State to look at legal gambling impact

Author:
Source: Associated Press
Published Date: Jul 05, 2007

Description:
The state, for the first time in a decade, will take a close look at how legalized gambling has affected life in Connecticut by funding a study on its impact. The study will include not only the lottery system, but the two Indian-run casinos in southeastern Connecticut. Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mohegan Sun casino pump about $445 million into the state’s general fund each year. However, critics say state officials have taken the money and ignored the negative consequences of legalized gambling.

4. National Council on Problem Gambling rolls out code of practice

Author: Shyan, Foo Siew
Source: Channel NewsAsia
Published Date: Jul 05, 2007

Description:
Singapore’s National Council on Problem Gambling has rolled out a Responsible Gambling Code of Practice, targeted at existing operators and clubs which run jackpot rooms. The code was launched at the inaugural Problem Gambling Conference, with the aim of reducing potential problem gambling among customers. So far, 14 operators, including Singapore Turf Club and Singapore Pools, have agreed to adopt the code.

5. Casinos aim to take the pain out of gambling. High stakes and high society – casinos may have a glamorous image but they can lead to ruin for those who end up addicted to gambling

Author: O’dea, Clare
Source: Swissinfo
Published Date: Jul 05, 2007

Description:
Five years after the first Swiss casinos opened for business, almost 17,000 people have been banned from playing in the country’s 19 gambling houses, mostly for addiction reasons. According to Linda McCarthy, resident psychologist and customer relations manager at Fribourg Casino, it is the casino’s goal for the client to remain healthy. In Fribourg, once a person has been identified as a potential addict, McCarthy approaches them, suggesting a deal to limit the number of visits per month or stop access altogether. “Casinos must observe their clients, keep a record of problems and speak to visitors if necessary. They may also demand proof of the person’s financial status and they have the right to bar the player,” says Jean-Marie Jordan of the Swiss Federal Gaming Board.

6. Treatment sought over jail for gambling addicts. More lawyers are using tactic to request leniency

Author: Soto, Onell R.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune
Published Date: Jul 05, 2007

Description:
Before pleading guilty to grand theft in May, Michelle MacLaren, through her lawyer, asked a judge and a prosecutor to consider a psychiatrist’s opinion that she is a pathological gambler. It’s a tactic lawyers are increasingly taking as the number of problem gamblers grows. They’re asking for treatment rather than prison – as they do for many drug addicts. Around the country and in San Diego County – which has a horse track, four card clubs and more Indian casinos than any other county in the United States – it’s not a persuasive argument. Problem gamblers aren’t all criminals, said Michael Still, a San Diego prosecutor. “It’s a very real and very serious problem for those who have it,” Still said. “But when you try to lay the blame for your criminal actions on a condition you have . . . I don’t think there’s a lot of sympathy.”

7. Teach youths about risks of excessive gambling: experts

Author: Ying, Wong Siew
Source: Channel NewsAsia
Published Date: Jul 04, 2007

Description:
International studies show youths are two to four times more susceptible to problem gambling compared to adults. Since many tend to start at about nine or ten years old, experts say it is important to educate them about the dangers of excessive gambling, before it is too late. This is one key focus at a two-day Problem Gambling Conference. Besides organising educational activities in schools, the National Council on Problem Gambling has also run programmes to raise awareness on the topic among Singaporeans.

8. AI to help Svenska Spel identify problem gambling

Author:
Source: Gaming Intelligence Group
Published Date: Jul 04, 2007

Description:
Sweden’s Svenska Spel has partnered with ICU intelligence to launch their latest responsible gaming tool, Spelkoll. The software, integrated with Svenska Spel’s online gaming platform, claims to be the first of its kind to detect problem gambling in its early stages. “Spelkoll” is the result of a unique cooperation between ICU intelligence, Svenska Spel and Spelinstitutet. The technology looks to find weak, almost invisible patterns in customer behaviour within large databases without any human interference, using a combination of artificial intelligence and evolutionary programming.

9. Now open: Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino

Author: Fink, James
Source: Business First of Buffalo
Published Date: Jul 03, 2007

Description:
Casino gaming has officially come to downtown Buffalo. Less than one day after the National Indian Gaming Commission approved the opening of the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino, the venue welcomed its first patrons Tuesday morning [July 3] at 10 a.m. The opening marks a significant milestone for the Seneca Nation of Indians in their efforts to bring casino gaming to Buffalo. The project remains subject to on-going litigation. Casino supporters say the interim casino is the first step towards a major economic development project that kick start new projects along an economically challenged area of Buffalo.

10. When gambling is a problem, the question becomes: Whose?

Author: Leber, Holly
Source: Medil Report
Published Date: Jul 03, 2007

Description:
People who deem themselves a problem gambler may officially ban themselves from Illinois casinos by bringing identification and filling out forms at a designated office of the Illinois Gaming Board or any sanctioned enrollment office. Anyone on the self-exclusion list who is caught gambling at a casino will be arrested for trespassing. But even with the threat of arrest, how effective is self-exclusion? “Self-exclusion is a good tool for recovery,” said Wayne Burdick, president of the Outreach Foundation for Problem and Compulsive Gamblers in Downers Grove, said at a meeting of the Illinois Gaming Board last week. Casinos can be fined if an employee knowingly allows a self-excluded gambler to enter a gaming area — the stiffest fine on record, officials say, is $600,000. But some wonder whether it is really fair for the onus to fall on the casinos to keep out problem gamblers.

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