One time at the Tropicana years ago, I saw a gambler have some sort of public meltdown, moaning about how he'd just lost his life savings. It would not have surprised any onlookers if this guy had run out onto the Strip and thrown himself in front of a moving bus. Do any casinos have guidelines for the staff about how to handle someone who looks like they're in need of help on a human level?
[Editor's Note: This answer is provided, as these types of questions usually are, by our "man behind the curtain," Andrew Uyal, a floor supervisor at a major Strip resort-casino.]
In Nevada, a regulation requires all casinos to have programs to address problem gambling. The program is commonly referred to as "responsible gaming," but can be called variations of that depending on where else in the country you are, which we'll get into in a minute.
I've been a responsible-gaming ambassador in the past, which means it was my job to conduct mandatory training of staff who interact with gaming patrons. Training includes how to recognize the signs of problem gambling and what to do if a guest is showing those signs. The training also covers the resources available to problem gamblers, such as When the Fun Stops.
Pamphlets with information on available resources are always found at or around the cage, as well as in other places around the casino.
Once you get out of Nevada to the casinos around the country, the rules vary. No federal regulation requires responsible-gaming programs to be offered, but they usually are anyway. Some states do require that RG be a part of the training that front-line casino employees receive. These states are: Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
and of course, Nevada.
Once you get to the tribal casinos, the rules vary even more, as each tribe operates its own regulatory gaming commission. Most of them, though, have a responsible-gaming program that is at least loosely based on the industry standard program.
This all makes it sound so impersonal: rules, regulations, training, pamphlets. Customers and casino staff alike must remember that problem gambling is a very real and very human issue.
Tomorrow: We discuss the human part of the issue.
