Workplace influences on the gambling behaviour of gaming venue staff

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Workplace influences on the gambling behaviour of
gaming venue staff

• Professor Nerilee Hing
• Centre for Gambling Education Research
• Southern Cross University Australia

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Acknowledgements

• Funding from OLGR, QLD Treasury
• Jupiter's, Treasury, Townsville and Reef Casinos
• Clubs QLD
• QLD Hotels Association
• QLD Gambling Help
• Gambling counsellors, problem gamblers, managers
  and staff of the clubs, hotels and casinos who
  were interviewed and surveyed
• Helen Breen, also from CGER, co-researcher for
  Study 1.

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Prior research

• 5 studies of casino staff (4 in North America, 1
  in Macau), with varying sample sizes, degrees of
  rigour, aims and methods.
• Overall, they all found higher rates of problem
  gambling than amongst the general population.
• No Australian research into gambling by venue
  staff.
• No research into how working in a venue might
  influence employee gambling, and how responsible
  gambling can be encouraged amongst staff.

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Research aims

• To examine the gambling behaviour of employees in
  QLD gaming venues and how aspects of their
  workplace might influence that behaviour
• In order to identify how gaming venues can
  provide a work environment that encourages
  responsible gambling and discourages problem
  gambling amongst their employees.

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Study 1 Qualitative methods

• Exploratory, qualitative, multiple stakeholder
  perspectives.
• 20-40 minute semi-structured interviews in 5 QLD
  regions
• 73 club, pub and casino managers
• 86 club, pub and casino employees
• 32 gambling counsellors
• 6 problem gamblers who developed gambling
  problems while working in venues
• Clubs QLD, QHA, LHMU, QLD Legal Aid

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Themes from Study 1

• RISK FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING GAMBLING PROBLEMS
• Erroneous beliefs about winning
• Increased interest, familiarity
• Erroneous beliefs about own skill
• Gambling heavy gambling normalised
• Young/ risk-takers/ low pay/ novelty
• High alcohol consumption
• Workplace stress
• Limits on social life
• Peer pressure
• Increased access to gambling - physical, social,
  cognitive
• Exposure to gambling triggers

• PROTECTIVE FACTORS AGAINST DEVELOPING GAMBLING
  PROBLEMS
• Exposed to heavy gamblers
• Gambling boring
• Aware of losses
• More RG knowledge
• Peer pressure
• Limits on access
• Turned off by gambling products, marketing
  promotions

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Themes from Study 1

• RISK FACTORS AGAINST ADDRESSING GAMBLING PROBLEMS
• Unhelpful attitudes to gambling problems
• Reluctance to expose a gambling problem
• Lack of detection of gambling problems
• Lack of social and family support
• Limited financial resources
• Difficulties in addressing gambling problems

• PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR ADDRESSING GAMBLING
  PROBLEMS
• Responsible gambling measures can encourage
  help-seeking
• Management staff support to address gambling
  problem

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Study 2 Aims

• Identify rates of problem, moderate risk, low
  risk and non-problem gambling, and key aspects of
  gambling behaviour amongst venue staff.
• Test whether risk and protective factors from
  Study 1 are associated with development of
  gambling problems and capacity of staff to
  address gambling problems.
• Measure the perceived effectiveness of venue
  interventions identified from Study 1 and compare
  these amongst CPGI groups.

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Study 2 Quantitative methods

• Survey of casino, hotel and club staff in QLD.
• Surveys were conducted
• on-site in 2 of the 4 casinos
• distributed by casino mgt in other 2 casinos
• distributed by mail to hotel and club employees
  via their venue managers
• low response rate from hotel and club employees
  --gt survey then posted online invitation to
  participate via a notice to all hospitality
  members of the LHMU.
• Responses from 511 venue staff
• 319 casino employees, 131 hotel employees, 59
  club employees, 2 who did not indicate type of
  venue.

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Study 2 Characteristics of respondents

• 43 male, 57 female
• 58 perm FT, 17 perm PT, 26 casual
• 54 operational, 28 supervisory, 19 management
• 79 assisted patrons with at least 1
  gambling-related activity
• 96 had done some RG training, from a few hours
  to more than 1 day
• Vast majority cannot gamble in workplace at any
  time on GMs (97) or TAB (86) or keno (illegal)

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The gambling behaviour of venue staff
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Staff gambling participation (prior 12 mths)

• 95 of staff gambled on at least 1 activity
  average 3.5 activities.
• Compared to QLD pop., staff participation rates
  are 7-8 times higher for internet and private
  gambling 2-4 times higher for GMs, keno, races,
  sportsbetting, table games, bingo slightly
  higher for lottery products

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Staff weekly gambling (prior 12 mths)

• Compared to QLD pop., regular gambling amongst
  staff is 10 x higher for sportsbetting, 7 x
  higher for horse/dog races, 5 x higher for keno,
  4 x higher for casino table games, 3 x higher for
  GMs, slightly higher for bingo.

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Gambling problems amongst venue staff

• Amongst the staff, there are lower proportions
  of non-gamblers and non-problem gamblers. But,
  the proportion of problem gamblers is 10 x
  higher, moderate risk gamblers is 6 x higher and
  low risk gamblers is 3 x higher than for the QLD
  population.

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Workplace risk protective factors for gaming
venue staff
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Which staff are particularly at risk?

• Exposure and active work involvement with
  gambling is associated with gambling problems,
  particularly amongst males. Also consistent with
  exposure theory, about 3/4 of PG and 2/5 of MR
  gamblers reported increasing their gambling since
  commencing work in a gaming venue.

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Risk factors for staff in developing gambling
problems analytical methods

• Developed scale to measure potential risk factors
• 41 questions based on themes that emerged from
  Study 1
• Factor analysis to find underlying constructs
• General linear modelling to test for any links
  between these constructs and problem gambling
• Identified 5 sets of risk factors statistically
  related to the development of gambling problems
  amongst gaming venue staff

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Risk factors for staff in developing gambling
problems

• Workplace motivators to gamble
• Staff have a higher likelihood of developing
  gambling problems if they gamble to cope with job
  dissatisfaction, boredom and stress, make friends
  and socialise, win money, improve job
  performance, relax after work.
• Influence of work colleagues
• Staff have a higher likelihood of developing
  gambling problems if they work with managers and
  staff who are regular gamblers, approve of
  gambling, encourage staff to gamble, talk about
  positive aspects of gambling, share gambling tips
  with them.

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Risk factors for staff in developing gambling
problems (contd)

• Workplace triggers to gamble
• Staff have a higher likelihood of developing
  gambling problems if they frequently see large
  jackpots on offer, patrons winning, large amounts
  of cash and by just being around gambling at
  work.
• Limited social opportunities
• Staff have a higher likelihood of developing
  gambling problems if they face limited social
  opportunities due to shiftwork, which can then be
  accompanied by loneliness, a need to find
  solitary leisure activities, and the workplace
  becoming a primary socialoutlet.

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Risk factors for staff in developing gambling
problems (contd)

• Familiarity and interest in gambling
• Staff have a higher likelihood of developing
  gambling problems if they have increased
  familiarity, comfort, knowledge, excitement and
  interest relating to gambling and its potential
  normalisation through frequent exposure.

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Risk factors for staff in addressing gambling
problems

• Discouragement to address a gambling problem
• Risk factors for staff who are problem gamblers
  are fear of job loss if they admit to a gambling
  problem, fear of being blamed for cash
  shortfalls, feeling too embarrassed to admit a
  problem because staff should know better,
  concern work colleagues would not take problem
  seriously.
• This discourages them from trying to address
  their gambling problems.

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Protective factors for staff against developing
gambling problems

• Knowledge of responsible gambling
• Staff are less likely to be a problem gambler if
  they have heightened knowledge about problem
  gambling and its effects, the poor odds in
  gambling, responsible gambling as promoted at
  work.
• Influence of work colleagues
• Staff are less likely to be a problem or moderate
  risk gambler if they have friends at work who
  want to avoid gambling venues when going out,
  advice from work colleagues to not gamble.

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Protective factors for staff for addressing
gambling problems

• Encouragement to Address a Gambling Problem
• Protective factors for staff in addressing a
  gambling problem are being encouraged to
  recognise a gambling problem and to seek help by
  the responsible gambling measures at work, fellow
  staff and managers.

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Possible venue strategies to encourage
responsible staff gambling

• Assisting me to self-exclude from gaming venues
• Not being able to gamble at all in my workplace
• Ensuring that my training emphasises the effects
  of problem gambling
• Training in responsible gambling
• Providing me with information about counselling
• Ensuring that my training emphasises the odds in
  gambling
• Ensuring that my training also focuses on staff
  gambling
• Assuring me that I would not lose my job due to a
  gambling problem
• Providing me with more information to assess if I
  have a gambling problem

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Possible venue strategies to encourage
responsible staff gambling (contd)

• Involving local gambling counselling services in
  my training
• Regular responsible gambling refresher courses
• Not extending advances on my pay
• Putting more emphasis in the workplace on
  responsible gambling
• Promoting alternative social activities for staff
• Training in stress and conflict management
• Having tight security to minimise the temptation
  to steal cash
• Providing me with a non gambling-related job in
  my workplace if I have a gambling problem
• Not paying me my wages in cash

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Conclusion

• venue staff are a group of people with up to 10
  times the risk of developing gambling problems
• who are easily accessed
• with interventions that are readily implemented
• to protect both them and their employers
• opportunity for action