Responsible Gambling Toolkit: Casino, Lottery, Social and Charitable Gambling

Summary

The Responsible Gambling Toolkit was developed to support three separate and distinct stakeholders which include: casinos, lottery vendors, and social and charitable gambling venues. These toolkits were developed to help create and establish policy change that positively impacts community norms around gambling.

Through a population-level approach, these toolkits highlight the importance of having a robust and effective responsible gambling strategy in place. Designed to build relationships with casinos, lottery vendors and social and charitable gambling venues in primary prevention efforts, the toolkits focus on the following:

• Raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of problem gambling through staff training.
• Highlight the importance of establishing a safe and positive play environment.
• Promote the benefits of primary prevention strategies to inform and reduce the potential consequences associated with gambling.
• Develop the use of promising responsible gambling practices.
• Mitigate potential harms by staff and patrons by:
  • Dispelling gambling myths.
  • Teaching the true odds and risks (informed play);
  • Promoting the use of limit setting (time/money) and other responsible gambling tools.
  • Linking those impacted by problem gambling to support and treatment.

Core Components

Dosage/Frequency

At least 50% of the identified sector should be engaged in the strategy with at least 50% of that sector implementing policy change by the end of the project period.

Required Key Steps

All policies developed or strengthened through this strategy must be formally written, signed by leadership at the identified location and then provided to the Department as documentation. Contact the Department Project Director/Coordinator for additional grant requirements about this documentation.

Assessment of Available Gambling Opportunities

• Develop a thorough understanding of the current local policies and/or practices related to gambling.
• In collaboration with the coalition and community partners, identify locations in which gambling is allowed.
  • Document the names of each location and the types of gambling offered at each.
  • Discuss how each location supports gambling and note the contact person and their information at each location.
  • Create a schedule of when to meet with the identified contact person to discuss the impact of problem gambling in the community. This should be a two-way conversation to better understand the impacts of gambling in the community based on the assessment data. Also discuss current responsible gambling practices that are taking place.
• After meeting with the contact person, create a plan with the coalition members outlining potential next steps and suggested policy changes for consideration. Steps may include the following:
  • Identification of policy language to support population level change.
  • Ongoing training for employees and supervisors; and
  • Knowledge of referral pathways to community organizations that can assist if an individual needs additional supports.
• Meet with each contact person to suggest ways to develop or strengthen current policies.
  • Remember to utilize the information gathered during the assessment step to discuss the importance and benefits of policy change and/or development.
    • Remind the contact person that having well-trained staff and/or volunteers will benefit patrons who may be experiencing negative consequences due to their gambling.
  • Discuss follow-up plans that may include policy development technical assistance, staff training, and/or additional meetings that may be needed.
  • Develop materials to document changes so staff are aware of updated or new policies and are trained to comply with these policies.

Problem Gambling Policies

A clearly written policy forms the foundation of any environmental strategy. At minimum, the policy should include:

• Purpose and objectives of the program.
•  Rationale for the policy, such as organizational goals and compliance with laws or regulations.
• Definition of problem gambling.
• Which employees are covered by the policy or program.
• When and where the policy applies.
• Prohibited behaviors.
• Employee rights to confidentiality.
• Assistance options to support employees in following the policy.
• Educational opportunities for employees about problem gambling.
• Employee and supervisor training to recognize signs of problem gambling behaviors.
• Outline of how to address work related concerns directly related to gambling behaviors during work hours.
• Provisions for assisting staff who may experience negative impacts due to gambling; and
• The consequences of violating the policy, including disciplinary action.

A sample workplace gambling policy template may be found in the Gambling in the Workplace Toolkit. Adaptations may be necessary.

Once a policy has passed in collaboration with the community:

• Create a plan to educate the community about the policy, as applicable.
• Create a plan that will ensure ongoing monitoring of use and enforcement of the policy.

Implementation Resources

Model Plan for Comprehensive Drug-Free Workplace Program
Sharing Solutions: Businesses Combat the Opioid Crisis
SAMHSA’s Drug-Free Workplace Toolkit
SAMHSA Fact Sheets on Preventing Prescription Abuse in the Workplace
Workplace Prevention Basics: An Interactive Guide for Employers to Identify and Prevention

References

Cook, R., & Schlenger, W. (2002). Prevention of substance abuse in the workplace: Review of research on the delivery of services. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 23, 115–142. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016543300433

Note: While the resources listed above are specific to drug-free workplace efforts, the core concepts will likely be useful when implementing problem gambling prevention policies.