KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasResponsible Gaming Education Week
August 1 - 7 is "Responsible Gaming Education Week." That means casinos in the American Gaming Association are highlighting their programs to help customers and employees who may have a problem.
You will be seeing more brochures around town. Casinos are using brochures and signs to raise awareness for their gambling addiction programs.
The good side of gambling always comes at a price. A small percentage of people who gamble have a problem. "That is where the responsible gaming programs step in. It's a matter of making that available to the patron or the employee," said Rob Stillwell with Boyd Gaming.
Responsible Gaming Education Week highlights where help is available. Boyd Gaming Vice President Rob Stillwell says casinos don't want to add to any addiction. "That is not where we are going to make the lion share of our money. We are going to make our money from the numbers of people coming in to have a good time, to eat at our restaurants."
Gambler Chris Bergman commented, "They have brochures. I have seen a couple of them with numbers to call and everything else like that." Bergman has won about $100 so far in Las Vegas. He went on to say this kind of help makes sense. "I think it is a great idea. Casinos try to limit people and try to keep them from coming in and wasting all their money."
Most of the casinos offer a voluntary responsible gaming list. You can ask to be put on it, telling the casino to deny you access to gambling. At Caesars Entertainment, there is also an involuntary list.
Michael Caldwell, with Caesars Entertainment, says, "Our managers and key line personnel are trained to recognize some of the early warning stages of compulsive gambling."
In the last year, 1,500 people signed up for the voluntary list at Caesars properties in Las Vegas. Fifty of those people were involuntarily put on the list.
"We wanted to have an all encompassing program that is an industry leader and will emphasize our commitment to this topic which is an important one," Michael Caldwell added.
The American Gaming Association estimates 1-percent of the people who gamble have a problem. If you want more information, or think you may have a gambling problem, you can call the Problem Gamblers Hotline at 800-522-4700.
