Rapid Expansion Of Legal Gambling In U.S. Is Outpacing Safeguard Efforts, Experts Agree

Responsible Gaming Education Week featured what could be the first steps toward a cohesive national plan
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John Brennan has covered NJ and NY sports business and gaming since 2002 and was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist in 2008, while reporting for The Bergen County Record.

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Nearly half of the United States now features legal, regulated, Las Vegas-style sports betting — an impressive tally, given that only Nevada did so until a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May 2018. But what the industry describes as “responsible gaming” initiatives have lagged behind the wagering rollouts.

Hence Thursday’s webinar panel, sponsored by the Conscious Gaming philanthropic group and titled, “Consumers First: Centralizing RG Initiatives for the U.S. Mobile Wagering Marketplace.” The backdrop for the panelists was the fact that there are currently more than 25 different helpline numbers for problem gamblers, which creates confusion for consumers in urgent need of assistance. Programs of “self-exclusion,” meanwhile, often fail because, according to Conscious Gaming, almost 25% of gamblers are residents of a border state — not the state where the gambling is taking place.

Anna Sainsbury, chairman of geolocation industry leader GeoComply, noted that an at-risk gambler might live in New York, often visit New Jersey, go to Las Vegas on business, and vacation in London.

“It’s up to us as an industry to pull together and get on the same page of responsible gaming, and that includes self-exclusion,” Sainsbury said.

Brianne Doura-Schawol, vice president of U.S. policy and strategic development for Epic Risk Management, said that regulatory efforts vary significantly from state to state. She noted that when Michigan regulators laid out a well-intended plan for the option of lifetime self-exclusion, “a lot of people were shocked” when she warned that such a term might actually cause an at-risk gambler to pass up a chance to sign up because the concept was too daunting.

‘You’ve got to speak with one voice’

The timing of the panel was well-chosen, given that it came just three days after New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Director David Rebuck challenged the responsible gaming community to become more unified.

“The non-profits need to do a better job of working together and having a comprehensive, coordinated response to what actions are needed, in their mind,” Rebuck told an audience at the Seton Hall Law School Gaming, Compliance, and Integrity Program Boot Camp. “You’ve got to speak with one voice.”

Rebuck said that only one of the many responsible gaming organizations had come to him over the years with specific recommendations regarding sports betting and legal online casino gaming.

“I always hear from them that they need more money, that we’re not doing a good enough job,” Rebuck said, while noting issues such as a lack of cohesion on choosing a single problem gambling hot line number, “Don’t blame us.”

“I may sound like I’m being harsh on responsible gambling groups, but I don’t mean to be,” Rebuck said. “It’s a very tough job. But I want them to be more aggressive and more influential in working with regulators. I’m proud of what we have, but we need to do a better job – and we will.

“With responsible gaming, if you’re doing it wrong or you’re not doing enough, it’s the Achilles’ heel of the industry — and it will come back to haunt you.”

Next steps for the RG industry

Asked Thursday if there was one thing she would like to see changed about responsible gaming initiatives, Doura-Schawohl replied, “Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration.”

As far as self-exclusion efforts that are adoptable across states and gambling platforms, she added, “This should be something that everyone is focused on. We need more collaboration and less fighting.”

Rich Taylor, BetMGM‘s responsible gambling program manager, agreed that “there are too many silos, too many turf wars, and it’s counterproductive.”

Sainsbury described current national RG efforts as “a mishmash, at the moment,” and said that “it is up to us as an industry to pull together.”

Taylor called for top regulators to meet with problem gambling researchers to try to figure out how best to help those at risk.

“Gambling literacy, from studies I’ve seen, is very low,” Taylor said. “Should we start with when someone walks into my casino, or logs in to my app?”

Taylor said it was worth considering whether high school students should learn about the potential dangers of gambling along with concerns about drug and alcohol abuse — especially considering the rapid expansion of legal gambling in the U.S.

“We need to learn how to talk to children about [gambling],” Doura-Schawol added. “It’s long overdue.”

Taylor added that as far as self-exclusion, some states require a Social Security number, while others only ask for first and last names and date of birth — making it difficult for gaming operators to block at-risk gamblers in multiple states.

“We have a lot of big and important questions ahead of us,” Doura-Schawol concluded.

Image: Shutterstock

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