As we mark the start of responsible gaming education month, this seems the appropriate time to reflect on the relative merits and the challenges of the term “responsible gambling) itself.
Responsible gaming (RG) was brought into the world hoping to communicate a message that was both positive and preventative. It seems clear that 30 years on, it has done neither.
We currently face an environment in which responsible gaming and problem gambling have become all but conflated into the same concept in the minds of customers, regulators, legislators and, possibly, even the industry itself. Further, there has always been a striking lack of specificity about how to achieve “responsibility.”
While the reasons for this may be due to the inconsistent use of the term, widely varied definitions and debate over stigma related to responsibility, for many customers, the messages are simply irrelevant.
The results of research from around the world suggests that consumers are tuning the message out. They believe that they are gambling within their financial or social means. While that may be true for most customers, it doesn’t account for individuals who may be on a dangerous pathway to problems or address preventing otherwise healthy players from crossing a line.
Looking at almost any website in the industry, the RG pages immediately transition into advice and programs for someone who is experiencing problems. Rarely is there any mention of how to avoid problems in the first place.
As the industry benefits from the growth of legalized sports gambling, the expansion of legalized online gambling and the continued vibrancy of commercial and tribal gambling, it is important to better understand the arguments surrounding responsible gambling as well as its terminology.
RG as a construct was first introduced by the Harrah’s Corporation in the 1980s. It was intended to describe gambling behavior that was enjoyable and affordable. It was thought that the term would be seen by consumers as similar to responsible drinking. However, it lacked any specifics or guidelines such as how much gambling was safe, or even exactly what a consumer should do to effectuate “responsibility.”
Responsible drinking messages first appeared more than 100 years ago including “Budweiser Means Moderation.” Anheuser Busch’s first major responsible drinking campaign, “Know When To Say When,” was introduced in 1982, more than a decade before RG messaging was introduced.
For the alcohol industry, messages such as not overindulging, not driving while drunk or using designated drivers offered some specificity even if left to the individual to decide how best to implement such practices.
While RG remains a ubiquitous term in the gambling world, if we are to clearly support healthy or non-harmful play, it must be made relevant for consumers, regulators and the industry if anyone is to benefit.
RG should be about fun, positive experiences, sharing quality time with friends, meeting new people and enjoying life. And the language we use must meet customers where they’re at, meaning that it should address their objectives, cares and concerns.
In this regard, I’m fascinated by gambling and health: the idea of understanding what gambling is doing for people besides giving them an opportunity to win. What are the impacts of gambling on socialization, brain activity, physiology and lifestyle?
Something is happening to cause tens, maybe hundreds of millions of people around the globe to gamble, lose their money, go home, and return to gamble again.
They’re getting something from it. So what is it?
How are social interactions impacted? Does self-image play a role and, if so, in what ways? How do gamblers and non-gamblers view their friends and themselves and what differences exist? Do they view their friends and themselves differently while they’re gambling or if they gamble at all?
This exploration may also lead to potential safety messages that will ring true to customers and that they’ll gladly implement.
And that’s an RG message as opposed to a problem gambling message. After all, underscoring all RG is the notion of prevention before any harm sets in.
We all hear a regular stream of platitudes about RG from the industry. That’s great. But for the industry to make this impactful for its stakeholders, we have to discover new ways of speaking about RG beginning with the creation of a clear consensus definition of RG, one that all stakeholders can use as the basis for creating their own unique responses.
The terms responsible gaming and problem gambling must be decoupled. Interspersing the two terms on company materials and websites simply adds to the confusion of who RG messages are intended for and what anyone is to do about it.
The industry must find new ways of communicating how to enjoy its products safely. This gaming community has the creative power and keen understanding of its customer base to develop some exciting new campaigns embodying the brand values and reputation of each company.
By making progress in these areas, we can create an environment for increased enjoyment for our customers, increased protection for those in need, greater clarity to help in the prevention of problems and an effective framework for industry to thrive.
*Note: Recently, along with my colleagues Dr. Marla Stafford, Dr. Anastsia Hronis and William (Ted) Hartwell we published an article in the Gaming Research and Review Journal entitled, “Evaluating Language and Communication Surrounding Responsible Gaming.” This editorial reflects some of the points raised in the paper, however the complete version is far more detailed and, in my opinion, well worth the read! The published paper can be found at https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/grrj/vol28/iss1/2.
