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Lindsay Richardson
This document summarizes research on gambling behaviors and risks among gaming workers in British Columbia. Key findings include: - Gaming workers have higher rates of gambling and problem gambling than the general public. - Protective workplace factors like policies, training, and responsible gambling advisors can help lower risks, but have less impact on moderate and high-risk workers. - Risk factors include frequent exposure to gambling at work and encouragement from colleagues. - The BCLC is taking actions like enhancing training, developing new resources, updating policies, and conducting further research to better support gaming workers.
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- 1. 1 Supporting Gaming Workers: ResearchInsights and Program Outcomes Lindsay Richardson, BCLC Senior Responsible Gambling Specialist, Special Populations February 20, 2017
- 2. 22 Responsible Gambling andGaming workers at BCLC Workplace Influences Gaming Worker Survey BCLC Response Agenda
- 3. 33 Background & KeyQuestions Industry wide, at risk gambling rates are higher among gaming workers What actions can be taken?
- 4.
- 5. 5 Protective Factors Gambling Policies Training GameSenseAdvisors (GSAs)
- 6. 6 Protective Factors Staff AwarenessPrograms GameSense Excellence Awards
- 7. 7 Risk Factors Interaction withGamblers Frequent Exposure to Gambling Encouragement to Gamble from Work Colleagues
- 8. 8 Risk Factors Exposure toGambling Marketing and Promotions Reluctance to Expose Problems
- 9. 9 Moving From Player… RedFlag Behaviour Appropriate Response …To Employee Higher risk Key resource Our Motivation
- 10. 10 Gaming Worker Survey Objectives Independentethics review Methodology
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- 12. 12 Gambling Participation andProblem Gambling Gaming Workers General Public Gambled in the past year 92% 72.5% At low-risk for problem gambling 14% 7.9% At moderate and high risk for problem gambling 14% 3.3%
- 13. 1313 Why Do TheyGamble? FUN, SOCIAL, WIN BIG, ANTICIPATION, RELAXATION, THRILL / RUSH, ESCAPE
- 14.
- 15. 1515 Responsible Gambling “I ama responsible gambler” Non-problem Low-risk Mod + High-risk 86% Agree/Strongly Agree 99% Agree/Strongly Agree 55% Agree/Strongly Agree There is a sense of reality among Moderate and High-risk gaming workers… Only one-in-two view themselves as a responsible gambler.
- 16. 1616 Responsible Gambling Behaviours Moderateand High-Risk gaming workers are less likely to engage in responsible gambling behaviours
- 17. 1717 Responsible Gambling Behaviours %Sometimes/Rarely/Never Take the Action Non-Problem A Low-Risk B Moderate + High-Risk C I set any gambling winnings aside 34% 59% 78% I set a limit on how much money I am going to spend 7% 18% 41% I considered the amount of money I was willing to lose before I gambled 7% 10% 37% I only gambled with money I could afford to lose 6% 6% 37%
- 18. 1818 Does the workplacehave an influence?
- 19. 1919 Why they choseto work in the industry? Non-problem Low-risk Mod + High-Risk Enjoy the atmosphere Good job security Good benefits Already familiar with games Was a frequent gambler, so thought I would enjoy the work Thoughts before employment in the industry… moderate and high-risk had pre- exposure to gambling before choosing to work in the industry.
- 20. 2020 Has frequency ofgambling changed since working in the industry? 10% 26% 32% 54% 34% 27% 32% 38% 35% Non-Problem Low-Risk Moderate + High-Risk Decreased Stayed the same Increased Frequency of gambling has changed since working in the industry. The direction and magnitude of this change varies by segment.
- 21. 2121 How much doworkplace factors influence gambling behaviour? Workplace factors that may deter from gambling seem to have lower impact on moderate and high-risk gaming workers
- 22. 2222 How much doworkplace factors influence gambling behaviour? % Agree Non-Problem A Low-Risk B Moderate + High-Risk C After work I want to avoid spending even more time in a gambling facility or involved with gambling 64% 47% 32% I see patrons losing money and do not want to do the same 66% 53% 53% I spend so much time surrounded by gambling that it is no longer interesting 56% 43% 22% My friends who also work in the facility rarely or never gamble so I rarely or never gamble 27% 13% 12%
- 23. 2323 How much doworkplace factors influence gambling behaviour? Workplace factors that may encourage gambling seem to have higher impact on moderate and high-risk gaming workers
- 24. 2424 How much doworkplace factors influence gambling behaviour? % Agree Non-Problem Low-Risk Moderate + High-Risk A B C The marketing and advertising that I see at work tempts me to gamble 4% 7% 20% Gambling relieves the stress from my job 2% 4% 23% Due to my shifts, gambling facilities are some of the only entertainment venues open when I am not at work 7% 9% 35% I believe I can win money because I have become more knowledgeable about the games 3% 6% 19% I receive gambling tips from patrons that I feel are worth following 2% 3% 12%
- 25. 25 What actions arewe taking? Enhancing training for gaming workers Developing employee specific materials and resources Updating policies Increasing venue and community support Working collaboratively with service providers Conducting follow up research
- 26.
- 27. 27 2. Developing Materialsand Resources
- 28.
- 29.
- 30. 30 5. Working withPartners
- 31. 31 6. Conducting Follow-UpResearch
- 32.
- 33.
- 34. 34 Sample Profile 54% female 35%19-34 yrs. 45% 35-54 yrs. 18% 55+ yrs. Industry Tenure 12% less than 1yr. 26% 1-5 yrs. 23% 6-10 yrs. 39% 11+yrs.
- 35. 35 Sample Profile Area ofWork 31% Supervisory/management 13% Cage and Coin 10% Security 7% Table Games 6% Customer Service 6% Surveillance 6% Slot Operations 5% Service Staff 16% Other
- 36. 3636 Area of Work Areaof Work Non-Problem Low-Risk Moderate + High-Risk A B C Supervisory / Management 27% 50% 35% Table Games 6% 7% 19% Cage and Coin 13% 18% 9% Slot Operators 5% 7% 7% Security 12% 7% 5% Service Staff 6% 1% 5% Bingo 1% 0% 4%
Editor's Notes
- #4 Industry wide, at risk gambling rate are higher among gaming workers is this true for British Columbia if so, how much higher are the gambling rates? What actions can be taken? Specifically relating to Policy, Relationship Management, education & programming Why does this matter to BCLC? By taking better care of gaming workers, we are taking better care of our players, which in turn is better for the sustainability of our business.
- #5 BCLC is committed to reducing gambling related harm amongst our players and amongst those who work in the industry. It’s important that the right information, help and services are in place for those who need them. Research shows there are a number of factors that heighten certain risks of gaming workers developing gambling disorders To that end, BCLC, through Ipsos, conducted a Gaming Worker Survey in 2016. The results of our survey provide us an opportunity to enhance and tailor our resources for gaming facility workers.
- #6 Gambling Policies Employees at gaming facilities are not allowed to gamble within their own facility, or at any facility managed by their service provider Gaming workers are eligible to join BCLC’s Encore Rewards club with limited program membership– not eligible for membership level upgrades Training Appropriate Response Training, commonly called ART, is a mandatory BCLC training program for all “front of house” gaming workers across British Columbia. It was created to enhance responsible gambling-related knowledge, awareness and skills for all gaming personnel, in order to enable employees to respond appropriately to guests within BC gaming facilities. ART program is comprised of two distinct levels: ART Level 1 is an online course and is intended for all front line gaming workers. ART Level 2 is a four-hour in-person training sessions facilitated by BCLC’s Regional Team Leaders and a GameSense Advisor, if available More than 15,000 gaming workers have completed ART Level 1 and / or Level 2 Regular curriculum updates based on jurisdictional best practices and RG Check recommendations GameSense Advisors GameSense Advisors, commonly called GSAs, are staff at casinos who provide information on responsible play and resources for problem gambling to patrons and staff.
- #7 Staff Awareness Programs GameSense Advisors regularly set up staff educational activities in / adjacent to staff rooms (e.g. GameSense 101, Myths 101) GameSense Excellence Awards Enable gaming employees to nominate their peers who to demonstrate responsible gambling into daily operations.
- #8 Being at higher-risk for problem gambling may stem from factors related to the workplace environment including: Close interaction with Gamblers Distorted views of winning Frequent Exposure to Gambling Normalizes gambling / heavy gambling Encouragement to Gamble from Work Colleagues General acceptance of gambling
- #9 Frequent Exposure to Gambling Marketing and Promotions May act as a trigger and its easy to get caught up in the excitement of promotions Reluctance to Expose Own Gambling Problems and Seek Help Fear of job loss Perceived intolerance in the industry
- #10 To date, the majority of responsible gambling efforts have been focused on the customer We realized it is equally important to turn our attention to gaming workers. The benefits of doing so would help to maintain a healthy and engaged workforce, improve service delivery, and in turn improve player wellbeing.
- #11 Survey Objectives Understand gambling behaviours of BC gaming workers Determine incidence of at risk and not at risk behaviours Understand the impacts of workplace influences Measure awareness, attitudes and usage of RG and PG resources IRB Review Process To ensure confidence and protection of the employees, the research was reviewed by an independent ethics review (Institutional Review Board - IRB) Survey Methodology Online survey Survey invitations sent by email with unique survey link to 1300 of the approximately 7500 gaming workers A total of 547 surveys were completed online between May 4th and June 12th, 2016 (42% response rate)
- #12 One major challenge we encountered was how we were going to reach frontline staff members, as many of them do not have corporate email addresses. In addition, gaming facility workers in BC are not employees of BCLC, but are employees of our service providers. We needed a way to send them the link to the survey, while capturing the appropriate consent GameSense Advisors (GSA’s) set up a table adjacent to or in staff rooms at Casino’s and CGC’s. Opportunity to engage with employees and talk to them about the gaming workers survey At a few remote sites, we even set up a space for employees who may not have computer access at home to complete the survey on site using an iPad – this was encouraged by the site management as an added opportunity to ensure engagement with the survey 59% of the surveys were completed via this open-link method Over 50% of those who completed the survey were front line staff NOW THE RESULTS
- #13 Our research indicates that 92% of gaming workers gambled in the past year. In comparison, 72.5% of the general adult population participated in gambling. Top three gambling activities for gaming workers were: Retail lottery purchase (79%) Retail Scratch & Win purchase (66%) Gaming facility slot machine play (49%) Furthermore: 7.9% of the adult population is estimated to be at low-risk for problem (in comparison to 14% of Gaming workers surveyed) 3.3% estimated at moderate and High risk (in comparison to 14% of Gaming workers surveyed) participated in gambling. *Classified using the Canadian Problem Gambling Index
- #14 Gaming workers provided a variety of reasons why the gambled Responses were similar across the three categories of gambler: non-problem, low risk and moderate / high risk
- #16 We asked survey respondents how much they agreed with the statement “I am a responsible gambler”
- #17 We asked survey respondents about their responsible gambling behaviors Findings indicate that moderate / high risk gaming workers are less likely to engage in responsible gambling behaviors
- #18 For example, if we look at the first two rows: 78% of moderate / high risk gamblers RARELY set aside gambling winnings ---- compared to 34% of non-problem gamblers 41% of moderate / high risk gamblers RARELY set a limit to how much they spend----- compared to 7% of non-problem gamblers
- #20 Individuals in the moderate and high risk category had previous exposure to gambling before working in the industry For example, they were significantly more likely to be familiar with the games Were significantly more likely to be a frequent gambler
- #21 Individuals classified in the moderate and high risk categories reported the highest increases in gambling since starting work in the industry For example, 32% of moderate / high risk gamblers said their gambling increased since working in the industry Overall, the frequency of gambling changed since working in the industry for all workers. However, the direction and magnitude of change varies by segment *Doesn’t add up to 100%- 4th category = “Don’t know/refused”
- #22 We asked survey respondents about work place factors that influence gambling behavior The findings indicate that workplace factors that may deter from gambling seem to have lower impact on moderate and high-risk gaming workers.
- #23 For example if we look at the first row 64% of non-problem gamblers agreed that they want to avoid spending more time involved with gambling after work -------compared to 32% of moderate / high risk gamblers
- #24 Continuing to look at the factors that influence gambling behaviors: We can see that workplace factors that may encourage gambling seem to have higher impact on moderate and high-risk gaming workers
- #25 For example if we look at the first two rows: 20% of moderate / high risk gamblers said that marketing at work tempts them to gamble----- compared to only 4% of non-problem gamblers Also, 23% of moderate / high risk gamblers said that gambling relieves stress from their job-------- compared to 2% of non problem gamblers.
- #26 Given the research findings, BCLC has introduced additional responsible gambling measures. These enhancements are part of BCLC’s ongoing, proactive strategy to identify and support special populations that may be at higher risk of developing problem gambling behaviours.
- #27 BCLC is revising ART Level 1 training to include information on: Gambling participation and problem gambling behaviors among gaming workers Resources and supports available for gaming workers.
- #28 BCLC is creating employee specific materials to be displayed in staff break rooms highlighting some of the heightened risks for gaming workers and available resources Resources available for employees Voluntary Self-Exclusion program Problem Gambling Hotline GSAs and GSICs Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) *Most importantly – emphasize that seeking help or assistance will not negatively impact their employment
- #29 BCLC is revising the VSE policy and agreement to reinforce that self exclusion is available for employees and for individuals whose employment requires them to enter a gaming facility. Entry to gaming facilities will be granted for the purposes of employment. Security and Surveillance, and gaming employees who administer the program, may be alerted to the presence of an individual who has VSE’ed but are required to protect that individual’s privacy.
- #30 BCLC and Government Policy and Enforcement Branch are working closely to enhance awareness and access to local counseling services for gaming workers BCLC is exploring the opportunity to expand the GameSense Advisor (GSA) program from casinos to include all community gaming centres
- #31 Relationship with Operators: Shared the results of this research Exploring how we can continue to work together and reach gaming workers early and often Look for opportunities to leverage Orientation Onboarding Look to engage higher risk employees (based on exposure to players, type of work etc.) early and often
- #32 We will conduct follow-up research in three to four years to measure the progress of reducing the proportion of gaming workers who are at risk of developing problem gambling behaviours.
- #33 BCLC is committed to reducing the harm that can come from gambling amongst our players and those who work in the B.C. gambling industry. By taking better care of workers in B.C.’s gambling industry, we are taking better care of our players, which in turn is better for the sustainability of our business.