Regulatory failure? The case of Crown casino

This is a story of regulatory failure, failed implementation of responsible gambling, failed performance against international best practice benchmarks, targeting of vulnerable groups like senior citizens and patrons served drinks to the point of intoxication and then expelled onto the streets of Southbank.

Casino Royale

 Poem

Construction and regulation of “dangerous consumptions” : re-regulating state casino capitalism - an Australian regulatory case study

This paper explores insights into the regulatory state and state capitalism through the lens of how states construct and regulate markets in the area of ‘dangerous consumptions’, in particular, land-based casino gambling. It focuses on what is needed for public interest regulation; with a focus on consumer protection and harm prevention. Gambling constitutes a site of explicit state regulation as the state decides and negotiates license-to-operate conditions along with the degree of significance accorded to impact/harm, regulatory monitoring and enforcement, harm prevention and state/operator duty of care...

“Giving Dracula the keys to the blood bank? Interrogating the Fifth Crown Casino Licensing Regulatory Review

Drawing on narrative analysis, this paper analyses the 2013 Fifth Regulatory Review of the license of an Australian casino as a case study focused on the framing and articulation of ‘responsible gambling’ (RG) in the Review. Part 1 sets out the policy and regulatory context for the licensing review of Melbourne’s Crown Casino. Part 2 overviews the structure/content of the Review; the key messages of the Reviewers’ narrative and its main recommendations. In reflecting on the Review in Part 3, analysis focuses on the investigation and recommendations regarding Responsible Gambling, which has gained recent policy priority. The analysis interrogates the Review’s findings, narratives, processes and evidentiary base in relation to how it presents and assesses casino performance on RG. In doing so, it focuses on the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation’s Review’s framing of RG; sources of evidence drawn on by the Review; an assessment of the casino’s loyalty club feature ‘Play Safe’, as an RG measure; the Review’s assessment of casino performance on RG and its Code of Conduct in particular; and the Review’s framing of RG recommendations. It concludes with reflections on governance issues raised by the Review, the need for more focus on the neglected area of regulatory licensing and enforcement (OECD, 2011; 2012; OECD & European Commission, 2009) and the need for independent regulatory reviews that address conflicts of interest on the part of both Government and the Regulator.

Diversions

The article highlights various books that integrates mathematics in activities and solving problems. The author stated that the novel "The Dice Man" of Luke Rhinehart describes a person who decides to use rolling a dice to make important decisions. Meanwhile, the "Casino Royale" of Ian Fleming highlights the character as an extremely experienced gambler. On the other hand, the "Lieutenant Hornblower" of C. S. Forester highlights the character who support himself by playing whist.

Gambling and corporate social responsibility (CSR) : re-defining industry and state roles on duty of care, host responsibility and risk management

During the 1990s, states embraced legalised gambling as a means of supplementing state revenue. But gaming machines (EGMs, pokies, VLTs, Slots) have become increasingly controversial in countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand, which experienced unprecedented roll-out of gaming machines in casino and community settings; alongside revenue windfalls for both governments and the gambling industry. Governments have recognised that gambling results in a range of social and economic harms and, similar to tobacco and alcohol, have introduced public policies predicated on harm minimisation. Yet despite these, gaming losses have continued to climb in most jurisdictions, along with concerns about gambling-related harms. The first part of this article discusses an emerging debate in Ontario Canada, that draws parallels between host responsibility in alcohol and gambling venues. In Canada, where government owns and operates the gaming industry, this debate prompts important questions on the role of the state, duty of care and regulation ‘in the public interest’ and on CSR, host responsibility and consumer protection. This prompts the question: Do governments owe a duty of care to gamblers?

The article then discusses three domains of accumulating research evidence to inform questions raised in the Ontario debate: evidence that visible behavioural indicators can be used with high confidence to identify problem gamblers on-site in venues as they gamble; new systems using player tracking and loyalty data that can provide management with high precision identification of problem gamblers and associated risk (for protective interventions); and research on technological design features of new generation gaming products in interaction with players, that shows how EGM machines can be the site for monitoring/protecting players. We then canvass some leading international jurisdictions on gambling policy CSR and consumer protection.

In light of this new research, we ask whether the risk of legal liability poses a tipping point for more interventionist public policy responses by both the state and industry. This includes a proactive role for the state in re-regulating the gambling industry/products; instituting new forms of gaming machine product control/protection; and reinforcing corporate social responsibility (CSR) and host responsibility obligations on gambling providers – beyond self-regulatory codes. We argue the ground is shifting, there is new evidence to inform public policy and government regulation and there are new pressures on gambling providers and regulators to avail themselves of the new technology – or risk litigation

From quality assurance to process improvement : an action research project

This action research project was undertaken at the Casino & District Memorial Hospital in northern N.S.W. during 1995 & 1996. The purpose was to utilise the Action Research frameork to enable the participants to improve their problem solving skills in relation to quality improvement strategies within the Nursing Division.

The New Zealand gaming and betting survey : Chinese and Indian people's experience

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse attitudes, understanding of gambling and gambling related harm among Asians in New Zealand using secondary data from the New Zealand 2006/07 Gaming and Betting Attitudes Survey (GBAS).

Design/methodology/approach – This survey interviewed 1,973 nationwide randomly selected youths and adults (=18 years) using structured questionnaire. Chinese (N=113) and Indian (N=122) data were analysed separately to compare between them and with NZ Europeans (N=792). Descriptive analysis was carried out and was subsequently tested for significant correlations by weighted (p<0.01) and un-weighted (p<0.05) variables.

Findings – A higher proportion of Chinese males (66.8 percent) represented in the survey compared to Indian (43.0 percent) and NZ European (48.9 percent) where Chinese consisted of more youthful age structure. Chinese respondents were more likely to be in the lowest income bracket (NZ$10,000) compared to others. Among the ten gambling activities “casino table gambling” and “casino electronic machines” (slot-style machine) were most popular among the Chinese where Indians preferred “gambling/casino evening”. A significant proportion of Chinese were unwilling to refer family or friends to gambling help services despite believing that gambling does more harm than good. Pre-committed gambling sum was the most common harm minimising strategy suggested by participants. They believed education and consultation could deter youths from harmful gambling.

Research limitations/implications – This survey highlighted gambling behaviours and thoughts of the ethnic minority population in New Zealand. Study outcomes would be valuable in formulating ethnic specific preventative programme and may have policy implication.

Originality/value – There has been limited research on gambling behaviour of ethnic minorities in New Zealand. This paper fills some of the gaps.

Problem gambling among international and domestic university students in Australia : who is at risk?

Young people are a high risk group for gambling problems and university (college) students fall into that category. Given the high accessibility of gambling in Australia and its association with entertainment, students from overseas countries, particularly those where gambling is restricted or illegal, may be particularly vulnerable. This study examines problem gambling and its correlates among international and domestic university students using a sample of 836 domestic students (286 males; 546 females); and 764 international students (369 males; 396 females) at three Australian universities. Our findings indicate that although most students gamble infrequently, around 5 % of students are problem gamblers, a proportion higher than that in the general adult population. Popular gambling choices include games known to be associated with risk (cards, horse races, sports betting, casino games, and gaming machines) as well as lotto/scratch tickets. Males are more likely to be problem gamblers than females, and almost 10 % of male international students could be classified as problem gamblers. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that male gender, international student status, financial stress, negative affect and frequency of gambling on sports, horses/dogs, table games, casino gaming machines, internet casino games and bingo all significantly predicted problem gambling. Results from this study could inform gambling-education programs in universities as they indicate which groups are more vulnerable and specify which games pose more risk of problem gambling.

Advanced science and technology letters : advanced researches on security and assurance

We would like to welcome you to the Regular Papers proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Information Security and Assurance (ISA 2013) which was held on April 26-28, 2013 at Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino, Cebu, Philippines. ISA 2013 is focused on various aspects of advances in researches on Security and Assurance. It provided a chance for academic and industry professionals to discuss recent progress in the related areas. We expect that the conference and its publications will be a trigger for further related research and technology improvements in this important subject. We would like to acknowledge the great effort of all the Chairs and members of the Editorial Committee. We would like to express our gratitude to all of the authors of submitted papers and to all attendees, for their contributions and participation. We believe in the need for continuing this undertaking in the future.

In search of best practices in responsible gambling ( RG ) : a report on a comparative study of RG among Macau, Las Vegas, and Melbourne, presented to the MSAR Bureau of Gaming Inspection and Coordination (DICJ).

This is a project sponsored by the Asia Pacific Association for Gambling Studies (APAGS) and supported by funds from the MSAR’s Bureau of Gambling Inspection and Coordination (DICJ). The research team comprises as Chief Investigators: Prof. Zhidong Hao of the University of Macau; Prof. Linda Hancock of Deakin University, Australia, and Prof. William Thompson, University of Las Vegas (UNLV). The project research was conducted between the end of December 2012 and July 2013.
The starting point for the research was to select four out of the six casino companies licensed to operate in Macau that also operate transnationally, that is, either in Las Vegas or Melbourne. Hence, the Venetian, Wynn, MGM, and the Melco-Crown Entertainment are the focus of research. The main objectives of the project are to explore how responsible gambling is framed in each of the three jurisdictions (Macau, Las Vegas and Melbourne); how it is approached cross-jurisdictionally by each of the companies; and to assess current approaches within a broader comparative context against international best practice. The research explores Responsible Gambling measures taken by a range of stakeholders including the government/regulators in each of the three jurisdictions, casino managements, problem gambling counselling services, unions and community organizations. The research emphasizes what problems prevail, and the implications of this research for enhancing Responsible Gambling in Macau.

Culture, media and sport : the Gambling Act 2005: a bet worth taking? Written evidence submitted by Professor Linda Hancock

At the outset, it should be noted that under the watch of the 2005 Gambling Act, there is robust evidence of increasing harms caused by gambling. The increase in problem gambling from 0.6% (prior to the implementation of the Act) to 0.9% of the British population reported in the British Gambling Prevalence Survey (BGPS) (2010) is significant at the .05 level; which is internationally recognised as a robust significance level. This represents a 50% rise in problem gambling since the Act was implemented. It was disingenuous of the Gambling Commission to report the results as “not statistically relevant” and “at the margins of statistical relevance” in its media release concerning the study. This equates to around 451,000 adults aged 16 and over experiencing serious gambling-related problems and significant additional numbers experiencing moderate problems. Regular (approximately monthly) use of gaming machines, fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in betting shops, casino games and online gambling are associated with problem gambling.

Submission to the New Zealand Parliamentary Inquiry : New Zealand Convention Centre Bill 2013

The Bill outlines the overarching purpose of the NZICC Agreement ‘to provide economic benefits to New Zealanders’. It is really a form of PPP (Public Private Partnership) where the beneficiaries are said to be the Crown and SkyCity but the real payment comes from the losses of the (mainly) community members who will gamble on the expanded facilities outlined in the Agreement. The Howeth International Convention and Exhibition Centre study (2009) established a clear business case for an international convention centre; with an optimistic benefit-cost ratio of 1.433 (which translates into a benefit to the economy of $1.433
for ever $1 spent). Aside from the short-term stimulus to jobs of the construction phase, a convention centre with capacity for 1000 delegates would create about 800 new jobs and attract up to 35 additional conferences of between 150 and 2500 delegates per year (an additional 22,000 additional international visitors and more than 200,000 extra visitor days, worth approximately $85.4 million in tourism-related expenditure per year15. It is therefore questionable as to why this venture needs to be captured by gambling interests, which will also dictate the location. This points to the efficacy of a non-casino provider being able to tender for establishment of an International Convention Centre that could be run profitably without being part of the for-profit model based on expanded gambling machines/revenue.