Did you know that, no matter how many times you pour quarters into a slot machine, the odds of winning never change?
And that goes for the online, virtual versions of the one-armed bandits as well, which are the focus of Responsible Gambling Awareness Week in Richmond.
A “myth-busting” kiosk, sponsored by BCLC, is making its way around various high-traffic Richmond locations this week, dispelling common conceptions and imparting facts about the world of gambling.
“Many people believe the odds get better the more you play a slot machine,” said Jenn Fancy de Mena, prevention specialist with the BC Responsible and Problem Gambling Program, who was staffing the kiosk at Kwantlen Polytechnic University on Monday.
“But the reality is the machines are programmed; it doesn’t matter how long you sit there playing it.”
As part of the second, annual BCLC week — also involving the B.C. government, the City of Richmond and River Rock Casino Resort — the kiosk is one of a series of events that seeks to engage the community and raise awareness of responsible gambling practices.
The main event on Wednesday — a workshop at the River Rock Casino, which is open to industry and public health professionals, as well as members of the public — will focus on the advent of online gambling and the issues surrounding the people who use it.
The workshop’s keynote speaker, Dr. Kahlil Philander, BCLC’s director of social responsibility, said when online gambling first started to emerge, there were a lot of concerns about the product because it was “more convenient and there was less control over it.”
“A lot of the early studies indicated that there was a higher share of problem gamblers playing online than in other areas, such as casinos,” said Philander.
“But we’ve been asking, ‘is it problem gamblers that are drawn to this form of gambling or is it something else that’s producing online problem gamblers?’
“We don’t see any actual evidence that online gambling is producing more problems than any other form of gambling.”
At home, said Philander, there’s also more things to do, more distractions than, say, a casino. “People playing at home are more inclined to risk less than at a casino.
“For example, in poker at a casino, the overheads are high for the casino, so the minimum amount to play in the game is higher than it would be playing online at home.”
Over on the River Rock Casino floor itself, 900 or so gaming staff are trained to look out for abnormal customer behaviour, whether that be gambling out of character or actual signs of distress.
If staff identify a marked change of pattern, they can call in a manager or the on-duty GameSense representative, both of whom have more training in dealing with the issue.
“For example, a customer, who maybe only comes in once a week is now coming into the casino several times a week and is spending much more than they used to, might come to our attention,” explained Chuck Keeling, vice president of Stakeholder Relations and Responsible Gaming at the casino’s owners, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation.
“Our staff would engage in conversation with that person and try to find out if there’s something going on.”
Casino managers and GameSense staff can then, if necessary, plug the customer into the relevant help, some of which used to be provided by the Richmond Addiction Services Society (RASS), but has, for the last four years, come under the auspices of the BCLC-funded BC Responsible and Problem Gambling Program.
Richmond is one of five communities hosting a Responsible Gambling Awareness Week. The others are Kamloops, Vernon, Greater Victoria, and Langley.
The Richmond Problem Gambling Steering Committee is helping to coordinate and deliver the week’s events.
The kiosk, complete with interactive games, will be at the River Rock Casino on Wednesday, March 4 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, March 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Richmond Centre and from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Cambie Community Centre; Saturday, March 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Brighouse Library and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Parker Place, 4380 No. 3 Rd.
The week will culminate with a free public skate at Minoru Arena from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
