My name is Brianne Marie Doura-Schawohl. A mouthful of a name for sure, and it’s one that I find myself apologizing for, to every panel moderator at every event that I’ve ever been a part of. My first name was given to me by my parents, after they heard the name in passing and fell in love with it. My middle name, I share that with my mother. My first last name is my maiden name, held by my late father and it carries Syrian origins. My second last name that I proudly carry comes from my German born husband. I love my name, I love its history, and all that it symbolizes. However, I am so much more than my name, and it’s evolved too.
My name has changed three times as a matter of fact. I was born with a name, married and changed my name, then later divorced, and now remarried. Like me, my name changed and evolved with my life circumstances. My name of course being the outward ‘face’ of my identity but it’s only one facet of me. It’s what is behind the name that tells you the bigger story about me. I am a mom to two incredible children, a proud military spouse (Go Coast Guard!), a daughter, special needs advocate, first generation college grad, travel enthusiast, pasta lover, holiday obsessed, problem gambling expert, and an accidental entrepreneur. All those things you’d never know about me just by my very long and hard to pronounce Syrian German name.
What would happen though, if sometimes, I decided to go by my middle name “Marie” or got quoted as “Bri”? There’d likely be confusion, lack of context or worse lack of consistency and thus lack of credibility. That is what I’d like to get at here, today. I believe that this industry is facing an interesting inflection point and going through a bit of an identity crisis when it comes to “responsible gambling”. I believe this will come at a real cost if course correction is not made.
Let’s start there, with the name. How many of you read and may have subconsciously replaced the word “gambling” with “gaming”? Or perhaps you didn’t notice or care what I wrote because these two words are interchanged often. Perchance some of you know me and my work and anticipated that I was going to write about “problem gambling”? They’re all the same, right? What’s the big deal? But they’re not the same.
Tucker Carlson, a rather unlikely candidate to speak about such a topic, recently and unexpectedly chimed in on the “gaming” versus “gambling” discussion in an interview with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy. He said, “I always feel like the people lobbying for the industry call it gaming and everyone else calls it gambling.”Could that be true? Is Mr. Carlson, right? As someone who walks the halls of many State Capitol buildings alongside friends and fellow gambling lobbyists, folks let’s just say the quiet part out loud, he’s not entirely wrong. And then there’s this anecdote from notable author Marty Neumeier, “your brand isn’t what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.” So how does the industry reconcile the two? How does this relate to responsible gambling or gaming? If everyone is calling it gambling, how much longer do we go on calling it “gaming”? And if we call it something different from them, is it working?
Like all industries, the gambling sector has its fair share of challenges. Something that seems to be plaguing the industry more and more is an ever-growing conflation of three labels: “responsible gambling”, “responsible gaming” and “problem gamblig”. Is this that big of an issue though? I say yes, yes, it is. I’ve spent the last decade as a lobbyist in the problem gambling space and I’d like to offer up this observation. Responsible gambling commitments are getting used more often than ever to help justify legalization. Yet the utter lack of consistency in terminology is leading to confusion amongst policymakers, consumers, and with the media. Worse, the substance and inconsistencies in efforts behind all these terms being thrown around hasn’t been outstanding either.
I often say, as an industry, we’re only as strong as our weakest operator. We’re only as protected as our strongest set of regulations. You get my point, right? And far too often operators are only doing what’s required of them for licensure, rarely carrying those efforts across state borders. And some jurisdictions really don’t require much of anything by way of responsible gambling. This is a problem. For the record, this isn’t just an operator/industry issue either. The governments, who also profit from legalized gambling, aren’t doing their part either. Rarely are policy makers calling upon one another and asking what’s working well in preventing gambling related harm and what’s falling flat. Some states have decided to take an interesting approach of not acknowledging that a problem might even exist.
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) “problem gambling-or gambling addiction–includes all gambling behavior patterns that compromise, disrupt or damage personal, family or vocational pursuits.” Big and important stuff. No doubt. For twenty years and counting now, every March NCPG sponsors National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Thus, it seems logical that we talk about all things relating to problem gambling during March and talk about something else, like responsible gambling (or how we prevent problem gambling) during September. So that should remove one of the three names/labels being conflated here.
So, what should this month be all about and what are we calling it? We should be talking about responsible “gambling”. Why? Well let’s start with the fact that gambling is defined as “playing games of chance for money”. Last I checked, casinos, sportsbooks, lotteries, online casinos, etc. all include some element of chance (nothing is certain) and all require the utilization of money. (I don’t think I have enough space in this article to opine on free play) And then there is Tucker’s point, “gambling, it’s what everyone else calls it”. If we were to ask the average bystander on the street “so you’re headed off to the casino, are you ‘gambling’ or are you ‘gaming’?” I imagine overwhelmingly we’d hear “gambling” and then be met with some perplexed look, like why would you ask such a ridiculous question. I surmise, having had conversations like this over the years, some people might even offer up in the same breath that their children are the ones that “game” meaning video gaming, and then perhaps lament about how often their children are on their devices.
I’ll hand it to all the lobbyists and brand strategists and even the historical precedence that exists, the term “gaming” has had its place and its day and its time. It most certainly appears from a public affairs standpoint to be friendlier, it exudes a perception that this is a “fun”, “happy”, and far less risky activity compared to the term “gambling”. It’s also undoubtedly, and I’ve seen it firsthand, is an easier “sell” when it comes to engaging policy makers. Maybe you disagree, maybe it’s clear as day to you why it should be called “gaming” and not “gambling”, but for me, well, I’m sticking to “gambling” from here on out.
Now what about the substance behind these labels.
So many in the gambling sector still don’t seem to know, understand, or appreciate what responsible gambling means or entails. Maybe some of that is a result of having to scale up a workforce so quickly with all the new gambling happenings across the country. However, gambling is not new, it has been around since the early days of this great nation. How is this still an issue? Some assert that the industry presents responsible gambling as the sole responsibility of the player. Others will state that the industry has no business talking about responsibility and it’s an inherent conflict of interest.
I disagree. I strongly feel that it is your duty, as part of the privilege of holding a gambling license or regulating gambling, to prioritize responsible gambling. There is no conflict. And it’s not solely on the player to take measures to stay safe.
Responsible gambling is meant for everyone, and it’s supposed to be a positive thing. When executed well, responsible gambling protects players, breeds consumer and employee trust, propels business opportunities and innovation, and ultimately creates the safest and most sustainable gambling market. All while minimizing and preventing gambling related harm. All who profit from legalized gambling must be a part of this.
Some of the biggest mistakes that I have seen of late is that the industry seems to unintentionally communicate that responsible gambling tools, disclosures, etc. shouldn’t be used. Perhaps it’s born out of fear that it will deter business or perhaps folks don’t see the necessity of these tools. Whatever the rationale, when tools and resources are resorted to the bottom right-hand side of a platform in size 10 font or listed in a pamphlet located behind a security desk, it’s no surprise that players perceive it to be a bad thing. Language matters and branding and placement too. The way you as an operator speak about and message these tools, programs, and commitments to your players has a direct impact on how your players respond to them.
Right now, players overwhelmingly seem to feel that these responsible gambling tools are meant only for people with a problem, not for them. The irony of course being, they’re designed to be used by everyone to help prevent a problem from ever developing.
So, what do we do? Do we all just debate it out, yell, pout, and eventually agree upon some arbitrary name and move onward. I’d say that these unique times, lessons learned from other countries, well, they call for an evolution. Both in namesake and approach to responsible gambling.
Everything happening in the responsible gambling space isn’t doom and gloom. Some government agencies are stepping up to the plate and pushing for more comprehensive regulations to protect players. Some operators are superseding regulatory requirements to serve the best interest of player welfare. Some industry stakeholders have made meaningful financial investments in responsible gambling technology and research. This is to all be celebrated and hopefully replicated. Real impactful change begins with the inception and adoption of an authentic and sincere culture of responsible gambling. Not something that can be faked, bought, or packaged in spin by a PR agency and touted in a 3 min pitch to legislators. Responsible gambling sometimes means making uncomfortable and hard decisions, putting players before the bottom line, and sometimes this very thing ultimately helps your bottom line. We’ve done a lot; there has been a tremendous amount of growth in the past decade, but we can and must do better; too much harm still exists.
Maybe like my evolved name, maybe the day has come for the industry to authentically evolve with an agreed upon name with a mission behind it that truly puts player wellness at the heart of all decisions. I am team “responsible gambling” especially if the substance behind the name means we all actively embrace our obligations in preventing and minimizing gambling related harm, not just in name but for real.
Brianne Doura-Schawohl is founder and CEO of Doura-Schawohl Consulting LLC, a boutique global government relations firm that specializes in problem and responsible gambling policy. She most recently served as vice president of U.S. policy and strategic development for EPIC Risk Management, a global harm prevention consultancy, conducting work in over 24 countries. Prior to her role at EPIC, Brianne served as legislative director for the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). Her experience includes over a decade of leadership in advocacy, public policy, government affairs, and communications.
