For me - the PhD student - my point is - the Government or the Gambling Commission / the regulators should do more to protect problem gamblers; in particular, that the gambling industry should deal with problem gamblers in a unified manner. And of course, thisis the issue central to my study. Also, the current system, in which each operator has its own stand-alone social responsibility policy, may not go far enough to deal with problem gambling effectively. Should all operators agree that when there is a problem - they are going to act responsibly?
Well, thanks to a power outage, my whole post is lost. So I'll try again, and make it short and sweet. The responsibility lies with the gambler/player/drinker/addict..etc.
The man who is sober buys a fifth from a liquor store. He drinks 1/2 of the bottle prior to getting home, as well as hits a car head on killing 3 people. Does the surviving family sue the store for selling the liquor?
A gun is used by a 10 year old, which he found in Daddy's closet. Do you sue the gun manufacturer?
An addict in a rehab facility has drugs smuggled into him and dies of an overdose. Do you sue the rehab facility?
A gambler walks into a land casino with 100K in his pocket. All that his family has. He gambles it all and loses. Do you sue the casino?
Understanding that each person holds the responsibility for his/her own actions is the key. There is help for every addiction you can find. And much of it available online. Does that person seek the help or not? Up to the person.
I found this at one of the gambling websites, and think it is the view of most reputable online casinos:
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Responsible Gaming
PLAYER PROTECTION AND RESPONSIBLE GAMING
IMPORTANT:
While most players at an online casino or poker room
gamble for entertainment and within their means,
a small percentage of players remain who may lose
control of themselves and their play. In order to prevent this, please bear the following in mind:
* Gambling should be entertaining and not seen as a means to making money
* Keep track of the amount of money you spend and only gamble what you can afford to lose. Do not chase your losses
* Keep track of the amount of time you spend gambling.
RESPONSIBLE GAMING POLICY
While most people gamble for social enjoyment, Fortune Lounge casinos acknowledges that gambling can possibly create problems and harm certain individuals. These problems can range from over-spending to a pathological gambling addiction. Fortune Lounge is committed to creating a responsible gaming environment by implementing and maintaining eCOGRA's responsible gaming requirements for the benefit of both players and staff.
SELF-ASSESSMENT TEST
Why not try our quick self-assessment test? If you have ever been worried about gaming problems or are just curious to check the results, please complete this questionnaire. Once complete, please hit the 'Submit' button and your results will appear within seconds.
ASSISTANCE FOR PROBLEM GAMBLING
Should you require any assistance or advice on problem gambling, please contact one of the help lines listed below.
Gamblers Anonymous
USA
National Council on Problem Gambling
1-800-522-4700
Hot Line Number for Northern California 1-800-287-8670
Hot Line Number for Greater L.A. Central 310-478-2121
Hot Line Number for Palm Springs 760-325-2808
Hot Line Number for Greater San Diego 1-866-239-2911
Gam-Anon, International Service Office
718-352-1671
Compulsive Gambling Institute
1-800-GAMBLER
Council of Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey
1-800-GAMBLER
or 1-800-426-2537
Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling
1-800-426-4555
Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling
1-800-34-NOBET
NICOS Chinese Health Coalition Problem Gambling
1-888-968-7888
(Mandarin and Cantonese)
UK
Gamblers Anonymous
08700 50 88 80
Canada
Ontario Problem Gambling Helpline
1-888-230-3505
PLAYER PROTECTION MEASURES
Fortune Lounge is committed to assist you in enjoying your play with us.
There are many options available to help you, including reducing your deposit limits to restrict your spending or self-exclusion from our Casinos for a limited period. Please contact our Customer Care Center for more information and any assistance that you may require.
PROCEDURES FOR SELF-EXCLUSION
If you feel that you are losing control of your play and would like help in restricting your access to our Casinos, Fortune Lounge offers you the following options:
A minimum 24 hours cooling off period
A minimum 6 month self-exclusion period.
Please contact us any time, day or night, for immediate assistance.
FILTERING OPTIONS
Please note that the minimum age of persons able to register and play at our Casinos is 18 years. Should you require a filter to
block gaming websites from any underage persons, please visit the following sites for more information on how this can be implemented:
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Most of the online casinos have a tab labeled "responsible gaming". There is something on each site I've been to this morning that allows a player to have this information on compulsive gambling.
Back in the 1990's I ran into a gambling problem with myself. I talked to my wife about it (a retired counselor) and her first suggestion was to close all of the gambling accounts. I wrote to each casino and told the problem and asked them to close the accounts immediately. As I remember, only one casino (no longer in business) told me to feel free to ask to re-open at any time. All of the accounts, however, were closed within hours. Most within minutes of receiving my email.
My wife suggested you might change your study from having the casinos be responsible for the problem gambler, to what is the individual/family/community doing to deal with the problem. Those you live with in your home, community, social clubs are the root for the gambler's help. The casinos are a business. They are there to make money. YOU have to take the first step into the casino, or the first click into the casino, as the case may be. However, should you take the step to stop, there are policies in all casinos, land or online, that can be implemented at THE PLAYER'S REQUEST.
By the way, I've never seen exactly in what field your PhD will be. What field is it?
Rambeno