1. 1
Supporting Gaming Workers:
Research Insights and Program Outcomes
Lindsay Richardson, BCLC Senior Responsible
Gambling Specialist, Special Populations
February 20, 2017
2. 22
Responsible Gambling and Gaming workers
at BCLC
Workplace Influences
Gaming Worker Survey
BCLC Response
Agenda
3. 33
Background & Key Questions
Industry wide, at risk gambling rates are higher
among gaming workers
What actions can be taken?
12. 12
Gambling Participation and Problem 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 They Gamble?
FUN, SOCIAL, WIN BIG, ANTICIPATION, RELAXATION,
THRILL / RUSH, ESCAPE
15. 1515
Responsible Gambling
“I am a 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.
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%
19. 1919
Why they chose to 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 of gambling 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 do workplace 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 do workplace 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 do workplace 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 do workplace 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 are we 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
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 of Work
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
Area of 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%
Notas do Editor
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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)
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
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
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
We asked survey respondents how much they agreed with the statement “I am a responsible gambler”
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
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
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
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”
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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.