Prairie Band Casino & Resort

Chris Garrow

Player Protection Champion

When gaming became legal in the United States, there were no responsible gaming practices in place. When the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was enacted by Congress in 1988, it allowed for tribes to negotiate gaming compacts with the state on whose land they are. The first responsible gaming practice was established in law in 1988, when the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe negotiated the first tribal gaming compact with the State of Minnesota. In 1989, Caesars Entertainment launched its responsible gaming practices.

Casino operators have access to free tools to assist gamblers who may need a little help, whether it is taking a break from gambling, calling for counseling, or limiting how much cash or credit they can access in a specific time frame. The same is true for online gambling. As a casino operator, it is crucial to me to ensure that our gamblers set their limits and gamble responsibly and also that our team members are appropriately trained so they can assist gamblers when they want to set limits or admit to having a problem and need to take a break.

Placing slot machines and selecting themes on a casino floor is not always easy and there is a balance. Gamblers enjoy playing games that we call persistence, or persistence perceived. Games that have persistence are those that may have a “must hit by” progressive that has a guaranteed payout. Perceived persistence concerning a slot game is a game that displays graphics with bags, coins, or a meter that grows as you place a wager. All of these types of games stop growing and become ‘full’.

  As a casino operator, it is crucial to me to ensure that our gamblers set their limits and gamble responsibly and also that our team members are appropriately trained so they can assist gamblers when they want to set limits or admit to having a problem and need to take a break.   

Some games add gems or orbs and when the gambler enters a bonus round with one of the above-mentioned items, they aren’t guaranteed a payout like a gambler may think. In my opinion, some slot manufacturers are developing games that are crossing the line of responsible gaming. Some games always display a bonus bag with gems, or a coin cup with orbs and if a gambler may have a problem, they may think that the next bonus is going to have a greater payout, which again isn’t always the case and chase that payout by using funds that might have been saved to pay their bills.

Gambling has been legal in Europe for many years. I was fortunate to attend a convention in London last year and while I was there, I visited a few casinos. I noticed some of the slot machines had a window pop up asking the gambler if they wanted to set a time or loss limit. As of now, slot manufacturers in the United States have not offered these features to casino operators and in my opinion, it is long overdue.

Where the technology side of responsible gaming comes into play is with slot influencers. Many people don’t wager a lot when creating content. Many show both their wins and losses. Some influencers wager hundreds or even thousands of dollars per spin and only show their bonus payouts, which are almost always jackpots.

Some influencers have paid channels or are paid by slot manufacturers, allowing them to monetize and produce more content. This may create an unrealized expectation for potential gamblers that wagering hundreds or thousands of dollars once or twice will guarantee a jackpot, which is almost always not the case. In my own opinion, this is not responsible gaming. The content creator or influencer has no requirement or obligation to offer help to those who may have a problem.

There are many ways to receive help. If you or someone you know may have a problem gambling, the number for the National Council on Problem Gambling hotline is 1-800-GAMBLER and the website is www.ncpgambling.org