The Business Times , 17 May 04

How gaming mecca tackles problem gambling
by Vikram Khanna

MANY of those who object to Singapore - or any place - opening up to casinos (or who want such establishments confined to tourists) do so on the grounds that this would accelerate 'problem gambling'.

'Too often, people pretend that if you don't legalise gambling, you won't have a problem. And that is plain wrong. Problem gambling happens whether gambling is legalised or not.' - Carol O'Hare, executive director of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling. They fear that individuals would become pathological gambling addicts, run up huge debts, maybe even go so far as to gamble away their homes - with this leading to social problems.

How does the mecca of gaming, Las Vegas, address the issue of problem gambling? 'The first thing I must tell you,' says Carol O'Hare, executive director of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, 'is that too often, people pretend that if you don't legalise gambling, you won't have a problem. And that is plain wrong. Problem gambling happens whether gambling is legalised or not.'

The council is a non-profit group which helps problem gamblers and their families, through measures including public education. It is largely funded by the gaming industry.

Ms O'Hare said: 'We do know that when gambling is legalised and regulated, you have an opportunity to address the problem that you don't otherwise have. And you have to legalise gambling knowing that there will be a problem for a small number of people. If you're going to build a ski slope and invite people to come and have a good time, you'll have to accept that a few people will fall off the slope and break their legs.'

Ms O'Hare stressed that problem gambling is a medical issue, citing a 1998 Harvard Medical School report, which recognises it as such. The report, which synthesised all the studies done on problem gambling in the US and Canada, indicated that 1.6 per cent of adults in both countries have experienced pathological gambling at some point in their lives, while 1.1 per cent had experienced it in the past 12 months. It also estimated that an additional 3.9 per cent of adults had experienced mild to moderate problems with gambling at some stage, but had not progressed to the pathological level.

Moreover, problem gambling is closely associated with other mental health problems like alcoholism, depression and mood disorders. 'If you don't recognise problem gambling as a medical issue, you'll get stuck in moral debates and some people will hold problem gamblers up as poster children for sin and degradation - which is a disastrous way to deal with the issue,' said Ms O'Hare.

However, doesn't easy access to casinos worsen the problem? 'We have found that access to gaming is the last ingredient in the recipe that makes for problem gambling,' said Ms O'Hare. 'The percentage of those at risk is the same whether you have more casinos or less casinos; people simply go elsewhere.' But she acknowledged that access to gaming does play some role, albeit a small one.

The casino industry in Las Vegas is wise to the issue of problem gambling, she said, and helps to deal with it. Apart from prominently displaying helpline numbers for problem gamblers (which are well used), casinos train their staff to recognise symptoms of problem gambling. In keeping with Nevada law, they are also required to enable patrons to voluntarily limit their own access to casino facilities - and many patrons do.

Why has the casino industry joined the battle against problem gambling - even to the extent of funding non-profit groups that deal with it? 'Enlightened self-interest,' said Ms O'Hare. 'The gaming industry says 'we have to address this or else we'll be defeating ourselves. So let's become an active part of the solution.' 'These are companies run by bright, educated people. It didn't take them long to figure out that problem gaming doesn't help them and that there's no point trying to avoid the issue.'

Michael Stirling, senior vice-president at Caesar's Entertainment, one of the world's largest gaming companies offered this perspective on problem gaming from the industry. 'This is a business,' he said. 'If our customers run out of money, we don't have a business. So we don't want patrons who come in and lose everything they've got.'