For the November 16 Gambling with an Edge podcast, Richard and I welcomed David Clary, author of the book Gangsters to Governors: The New Bosses of Gambling in America. That podcast speaks for itself and I’m not covering here what we talked about on the podcast.
The last chapter of the book, called “Double or Nothing,” discussed something we didn’t talk about — problem gambling. It’s a real thing. While exact numbers are elusive, millions of Americans suffer from it.
In many jurisdictions, casinos and government agencies chip in to provide some help to these gamblers. There are a number of “self-exclusion” programs in various states that sometimes are more-or-less effective in keeping some of these people out of casinos. A strong case could be made that more needs to be done.
With some players for whom gambling is not a problem, it’s easy to conclude that having a problem is simply a self-control issue. Like, if you have a gambling problem, just stay out of casinos. Like, alcoholics should just stop drinking. And obese people should just show restraint at the dinner table. And tobacco addicts should just plain stop smoking. It’s like, “I don’t have a problem with this and you shouldn’t either!”
I personally don’t believe anything of the sort described in the preceding paragraph. I believe these are real problems with real pain and costs associated with them. What it’s caused by, I don’t know. Bottom line, though, is that I’m not at all certain what to do about it.
I regularly write things like, “If the pay schedule combined with the slot club and promotions isn’t good enough, don’t play.” I know that’s a key part of success at video poker. Players who don’t follow that advice basically have no chance of being a long-term winner. I think this is considerably different from, “If you have a problem with gambling, just stay out of casinos,” but it’s easy to envision disagreement on how different the two phrases are.
My writings assume that people CAN refrain from playing. But I also assume that very few problem gamblers read my scribblings. I have no idea how valid this assumption is, but surely some problem gamblers occasionally read my works.
Every reputable and conscientious how-to-gamble-effectively writer faces this dilemma. How do you provide information to players who can benefit from it without simultaneously giving problem gamblers false hope? If I knew the answer to that, I’d do it. But I just don’t know.
I am NOT planning on stopping my writing. Whatever your opinion on the matter is, I believe I help more people than I harm. I do not believe that the problem would be cured or even lessened if I stopped writing.
I do donate to Gambler’s Anonymous. Is that the best place to give? I don’t know. How much I give is none of your business. I’m not giving out of guilt. I do not feel guilty for being a video poker teacher. But it bothers me that in at least a few cases, my writings have ended up being harmful rather than helpful.
Most people who read my columns are players in the video poker community. While I’m more famous in that community than most of my readers are, the “how-to-deal-with-this-issue” problem is not mine alone.
You may turn a blind eye to this problem or you can try to do something about it. You’re going to have to decide for yourself. The only thing that is certain to me is that the problem isn’t going to magically disappear just by ignoring it.
I know this column is a bit of a downer, but sometimes the real world is like that. Sometimes it’s important to shine a spotlight on problems and, for me, this is the day to do it for this particular problem.
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Great column! I was a “Problem Gambler” for a while….I loved the action and after my divorce I found myself at the casino EVERY night playing with money that I didn’t have. I finally excluded myself from all casinos in Washington state for 2 years. I walked in and told security of my intentions and they brought me into a back room, took photos and a copy of my ID. I did sneak back in at least twice during those 2 years without getting caught but it did work for me. I go 3-4 times a year now and only play with money I can lose. Now…..just need to kick this smoking habit….
Without reading the book, I don’t know if this was mentioned, but it seems to me that casinos actively, thoroughly, and tirelessly promote and encourage problem gambling. From the way casino environments are constructed (deliberately walled off and insulated from the outside world) to the way they promote themselves (Leave your brain and your sense of personal responsibility at home! What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!), the industry actually does as much to DELIBERATELY create problem gamblers as it can. Why? Because a problem gambler is a casino’s fondest wish–a reliable cash cow (at least until he/she becomes a dried-up, broken husk). The way casinos market themselves is very much reminiscent of tobacco companies sending free cigarettes to G.I.s in WWII. It wasn’t an act of generosity.
As to the question of whether gambling writers exacerbate this problem, I’d say that they do–simply because not one in ten thousand persons actually assimilates the advice given. How many people skimmed “Beat the Dealer” for half an hour and then rushed off to Vegas, clutching the kids’ college tuition fund? More than would have if the book hadn’t been written, that’s for sure. The good intentions of the author notwithstanding.
I remember Ted Binion saying his job wasn’t complete until the customer’s final check bounced.
What Kevin said.
The tier concept was the most brilliant move…for the casinos. Tier achievement becomes a compulsion in itself. The rewards (RFB, cruises, etc.) are fun. The joke on us is that these things don’t replace income, which becomes more relevant as one enters retirement.
Just to bounce off what Kevin said, pretty much all the other addictions Bob mentioned are the same way.
Casinos WANT people to come in, addicted to the flashy slots and big wins.
Tobacco companies WANT people to smoke up, going through in some cases multiple packs per day.
Fast food companies WANT you to become addicted to their salty, fat-laden, cheap food.
When you become broke/die of lung cancer/die of diabetes, those companies aren’t going to be sad. Actually, I’ll take that back – they’ll be sad – but only because they’ve lost a source of income. Oh well, onto the next.
They can say how they support responsible gambling/eating/drinking/whatever, but that’s lip service that any reasonable person can see through.
On the other hand, I actually do think Bob is doing a valuable service for gamblers. As far as I know, he’s not encouraging people to head into a casino and just blow cash on random machines. Quite the contrary – he’s providing a way in which to do it by minimizing the house edge as much as possible, thereby enabling you to play as long as possible on your bankroll.
I think Bob is similar to a nutritionist who lists out the healthiest options at the fast food drive-thru. They’re not encouraging you eat fast food, but if you do, you may as well make the best decisions available.
Greetings from Switzerland 🙂
I absolutely agree with what Bob was saying and also I like the readers’ comments. My Little add-on input is that if a Player doesn’t realize that he’s playing too much and in his head he doesn’t try to change his behavior and his lifestlye, then it can’t be the casinos fault if he’s running into the fire. There are so many ways of self destruction in this world and some of them are well-described above. You can’t blame the world for your action. The first step must be done by yourself before you can change your life, but this society Needs to give you support if you really want to do so.
James Grossjean made a great comment awhile back that if casinos wanted to help curb problem gambling all they had to do was take the ATM machines out of the casino but we know that will never happen.
I don’t know if this still goes on, but one of the most appalling signs I used to see at locals casinos was “LET US CASH YOUR PAYCHECK FOR FREE!” I always wondered how many kids didn’t eat dinner due to that thoughtful amenity.
Casinos used to advertise cashing the tax refund check, offering a small dollar amount or percentage to the player to do so. Think of the poor wife (or husband), planning to use the refund to catch up on a bill or get the kid some braces or something; then “Oh, sorry honey, I lost it at the casino.”
Most casinos still have paycheck or check cashing promos where they actually pay you to cash a check at the cage, either through freeplay or action chips or drawings. To be fair, this is a better service than walmart, which I think will cash checks for free, and other services that charge to cash checks or charge outrageous advance fees of several percent per month, but you have to get by all the one armed bandits and smiling pit dealers.
“Addiction By Design” written by Natasha Schull is one heck of a read.
Total Disclaimer: I am not selling books. I bought my copy of “Addiction By Design” on Amazon and I paid through the nose for it.
“Give me some of the yellow and don’t be cheap on me.”
I saw the author on an episode of On Contact with Chris Hedges on the RT Network. Seemed interesting and someday I’ll come across the book at a library sale and read it.
If I’m brutally honest with myself, I have to admit that for the most part I tend to have zero compassion for addicts of the big three: booze, drugs, gambling. I personally know a few alcoholics, drug addicts, and gambling addicts who eventually stopped their destructive behavior–some of whom did it without the help of organizations like NA, GA, or AA. That said, I have no problem with that fact that those organizations exist and though their success rate is probably very low, if they help even a small percentage, then to me that’s still a good thing. From what I know of them, they seem to be horrible programs (really the same program altered for the featured addiction) but as we speak they’re most likely the best we have.
One thing to be said about the casino industry is that it is totally upfront about it: THE MORE YOU LOSE, THE BETTER WE’LL TREAT YOU! Or, at least they are for the most part; they do couch their upfrontness in the form of seemingly wholesome, family-friendly entertainment and their intelligence-insulting mantra that the house edge is the price paid for such entertainment. However, the industry’s somewhat veiled ruthlessness aside, casinos are still much more honest than the medical and pharmaceutical industries, the tobacco industry, the advertising industry, mainstream media, and the U.S. government.
In fact, casino rules are so simple and clear that even the stupidest among us can and do understand them. Therefore, if for whatever reason we still decide to play knowing the odds are against us, then WE are 100% responsible whether we lose very affordable amounts of money or our life savings. The fact that some of us are more susceptible and vulnerable to overdoing it doesn’t shift responsibility.
To me either you regularly or occasionally patronize, work for, write about, earn your living from (AP’s), and/or enjoy the benefits of taxes raised by casinos or you vehemently oppose their proliferation across the country. To do any of the former and then consider casinos predatory or even evil is hypocritical. A soft hypocrisy that many find perfectly acceptable but hypocrisy nonetheless.
By the way, a very good book I’ve read on gambling addiction is ‘Double Down: Reflections on Gambling and Loss’ written by two brothers Frederick and Steven Barthelme. Both were academics–college professors– and not professional gamblers. They started gambling in middle age and went through a bundle of money in a few short years. The best part about the book is that they constantly try throughout to explain/figure out why they might have become gambling addicts. An added bonus, especially now in light of listening to Bob’s & Richard’s podcasts (Bob Nersessian, Russel Fox) is that they also get themselves into some potentially serious legal issues with a casino they frequented the most; and ironically where they lost most of their money. Very interesting and skillfully–almost poetically–written (not surprising since they both teach creative writing).
I’m a low roller – nickel triple play (5/line JB) – no big wins or losses – no problems – just fun!!
It is true that the hotels are built and maintained on gambling losses. However, I believe that Bob Dancer and other writers provide an amazing free service than can be very helpful. I am a cash player and I never have used a casino ATM. By learning about proper play and always maintaining a sufficient bankroll, I play more now than I ever have. VP is an enjoyable hobby if played responsibly.
Gambling is an addiction, just like alcohol, or cigarettes. We can all agree on this. Any addiction rewires the pleasure neurons of the brain. That is why it is so much fun…..win, lose, or draw. I am retired and play VP on a daily basis. Yes, some people call me addicted. i don’t care as long as i have the enjoyment of playing. BTW i keep my household expenses separate from my gambling money, so i will never be out of house and home.