Casino & Gambling Affiliate Programs

CLAIMING that scholars and pseudo scholars are exploiting the real sufferings of problem gamblers to tarnish the gaming industry, the chairman of Harrah's Entertainment Inc, one of America's largest casino operators, is imploring governments and regulators to rely on scientific data to inform their decisions.

"The long-term growth and sustainability of the casino industry is threatened more by misinformation and fear than by answers to any applied research questions that are evaluated in a comprehensive and objective research manner," Philip Satre told researchers, regulators and gaming industry operators attending the recently concluded 12th International Conference on Gambling and Risk-taking in Vancouver, Canada.

According to Satre, the regulatory and political processes need not only the data, but also the openness and transparency that science can provide.

Fearing the almost knee-jerk reaction of the church which has led a long campaign against the introduction of casino gaming here, the Jamaican government has shied away from officially sanctioning casinos.

But as economic growth remains elusive, the casino lobby, headed by the umbrella grouping of tourism interests, the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, has gained greater momentum, arguing that the addition of casinos would add quality and diversify the island's tourism product. The hoteliers insist that those against casinos had often overstated claims that it brought more harm than good.

"We welcome unbiased research on our business because we recognise the opportunities it provides to set the record straight," Satre told the Vancouver conference, adding that a gambling impact study conducted in the United States some years ago helped dispel a number of myths and stereotypes about the industry, many of which, he said, were spread by gambling's opponents.

According to Satre, a majority of the commissioners who conducted the study had acknowledged, before joining the commission, that they were opposed to gambling.

"Still, the commission could not deny the facts that commercial casinos, particularly destination type resorts, do indeed bring important economic and social benefits to their home communities," he said. "The commission recognised the industry's place in mainstream culture and the recreational experience it provides. The commission confirmed that the prevalence of pathological gambling is about one per cent, regardless of the availability of casino gambling, and the commissioners determined that casino gaming in the US is not associated with higher rates of bankruptcy, crime or many other social ills critics like to blame on our industry."

Despite this positive feedback, Satre said, the gaming industry was looking for new ways of providing leadership in the field of responsible gambling.

With that in mind, he added, the National Centre for Responsible Gaming (NCRG), which was established in 1996, adopted a new objective last December to fund fresh research on gambling and its consequences that, they expect, will result in practical education and prevention in treatment applications.

Satre said that his company was seeking "guidance and counsel from academic researchers and treatment professionals" in enhancing its responsible gaming programmes and defended the decision of the gaming industry to fund research.

"Thanks to the NCRG, we now have promising drug and behavioural treatment options; a new understanding of the brain's reward system and how dysfunction in this area can contribute to pathological gambling; further evidence on the genetic factor of pathological gambling; and a clear picture of how and why some adolescents develop gambling problems," said Satre.

The industry, he added, was well aware that studies funded by it would raise suspicions, therefore it put in place a system to ensure that only the highest calibre of research grants would be approved; that scientific experts, not industry representatives, would be responsible for making those decisions; and that scientists would have complete autonomy in conducting and publishing their research.

"All of this was a risk for the industry," the Harrah's boss said. "But ultimately we believe that public policy, problem gamblers and their families and our own businesses would be best served by objective science, conducted by the world's premiere researchers."

Satre appeared particularly proud that the casino industry, equipment manufacturers, vendors, related organisations and individuals had committed more than US$12 million to the NCRG which, since its founding, has awarded US$3.7 million to more than 20 leading research institutions in the US and Canada and an additional $4.6 million to the Harvard Medical School in support of the institute's research on pathological and related gambling disorders.

He noted that gaming critics often cited advocacy research results to buttress their arguments and said that while he believed advocacy research has played a valuable role in public policy decisions, it would be a shame if the study of pathological gambling were to fall prey to that dynamic.

Making a stronger case for the use of pure science in gaming research, Satre said the industry needed the data to "develop standard operating procedures in areas such as self exclusion, warning and helpline signage and brochures and underage gambling prevention".

Added Satre: "Regulation too often seems to be made in the social scientific vacuum as are public decisions on how to address pathological gambling."