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Opinion: Barr Offers Forward-Thinking Policy on Problem Gamblers

by Wallace R. Barr

When the management team at Park Place Entertainment began crafting an updated policy to promote responsible gambling at our casinos, we thought that our announcement would attract some attention, both inside and outside the gaming industry.

But when we unveiled the new program earlier this week, we were not fully prepared for either the intensity -- or the variety -- of the reaction.

We were heartened by unexpected support from editorial writers in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, who called the program a step in the right direction toward corporate responsibility. And we were disappointed -- but not surprised -- by a few columnists and critics who derided our efforts as an exercise in cynicism and hypocrisy.

The centerpiece of the program is a "one-stop" computerized system that will prevent our domestic casino resorts from marketing, mailing, extending credit, cashing checks or awarding complimentary services through our player loyalty program to any customer who has registered with a state or one of our casino resort's individual Park Place casino self-exclusion program.

We also said that we will give individual casinos the power to involuntarily place customers on the companywide exclusion list if, for example, they tell a casino employee that they have a serious gambling problem that has led to depression or thoughts of suicide. Once instituted, the companywide ban will continue for life, subject to regulatory requirements.

Some critics suggested that the new program does not go far enough. They argue that we should use confidential customer information to identify those who spend too much time at the gaming tables or the slot machines and place them on our responsible gaming list. Others complained that our new program is Draconian and that any form of involuntary exclusion violates a customer's individual rights.

As the dust begins to settle, it seems to us that the strength of the past week's tempest is a measure of the fundamental importance of the role that casino resort companies should play in promoting responsible gaming behavior.

For the record, Park Place Entertainment -- which will change its name to Caesars Entertainment on Jan. 6 -- is one of the world's largest gaming companies. We operate 29 casinos in five countries on four continents. And we offer what we and many others regard as legitimate entertainment for millions of customers who visit our casino resorts every year.

For the vast majority of those customers, gambling is an enjoyable diversion, one that is planned and budgeted, in the same category as a meal at a fine restaurant, a visit to an upscale shopping mall or a night out at a world-class concert.

But for a small percentage of people who visit casinos, gambling can become a habit that spins out of control. According to research funded by the National Center for Responsible Gaming at Harvard University, an organization that is supported by Park Place Entertainment and other casino companies, about 6 percent of the adult population of the United States has some type of gambling problem. About 1 percent of the population is said to suffer from pathological gambling, a more serious disorder.

Researchers have concluded that one of the most important determinants of success in dealing with a gambling problem is accepting responsibility for the problem behavior. That acceptance can take many forms. It can mean entering counseling, joining Gamblers Anonymous or signing on to a state or individual casino self-exclusion list. Often, the act of admitting to another that you have a gambling problem becomes the first step toward recovery.

At Park Place Entertainment, our new responsible gaming policy is built upon the premise of personal responsibility -- our customers' and our own. As a casino company, we believe that we have an obligation to help those -- no matter how small their number -- who have stepped forward to take responsibility for their gambling problem.

In other words, we believe that we have a responsibility to change our behavior toward those who have let us know that they want to change theirs.

We are not researchers or psychologists. We are not interested in administering complex psychological tests or analyzing individual customer data to determine if we have a problem gambler on our hands. We are not interested in "profiling." We possess no special ability to determine when someone has become a problem gambler.

But when a customer tells us -- directly or indirectly -- that his gambling has gotten out of control, we have a duty to listen. If a customer places himself on an exclusion list, that is good enough for us. If a patron confides to one of our employees that gambling has brought on depression, financial problems or thoughts of suicide, that also is good enough for us.

Once put on notice, we have a responsibility to act. And we will act, by withholding those gaming privileges that are in our power to control -- marketing, mailing, check cashing, player club membership and complimentaries.

If we recognize a customer whose name is on our responsible gaming list at a table or a slot machine, we will invite him to stop. Once a customer is on our list, we believe it is our responsibility to keep him on for life.

We do not pretend that our new policy will end problem gambling. But we believe it will help. We recognize that this policy is controversial, and that it will be the subject of much debate.

But instead of debating forever, we decided to move forward with this program because it is something that we can do, right here, right now, to address a problem that is assuming increasing importance in our industry. In our view, it is a simple matter of responsibility.

Wallace R. Barr is president and chief executive officer of Park Place Entertainment Corp.

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