The gaming industry and regulatory community need to explore the responsible gaming impacts of legalized recreational marijuana use, a member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board said Thursday morning at an event held at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
“We have existing regulations that talk about impairment from alcohol and gambling, but the statutes and regulations are silent on… what happens when the persons might be impaired from marijuana intoxication and continue to gamble,” said Terry Johnson, who has served on the NGCB since 2012, after explaining that an operator had been recently fined for allowing a patron to continue to gamble while visibly intoxicated from alcohol.
“Those are some continuing issues that we’re going to have to address and work on,” he said.
The remarks came at the American Gaming Association-hosted event, which promoted the rollout of the group’s new responsible gaming model code of conduct.
“[Responsible gaming] is an everyday, year-round responsibility that we have to (extend to) every player that walks through our doors and onto our casino floors,” said Elizabeth Cronan, senior director of gaming policy at the AGA, who heads the group’s responsible gaming program.
“At the AGA, responsible gaming is a critical priority,” she said. “We are investing more of our time and our resources in this issue. I’m spending more time in Las Vegas, working more closely and directly with our members across the country and in gaming markets industry-wide.”
The event was kicked off by local elected officials who lauded the commitment of the AGA and the gaming industry writ large to take a proactive approach on the topic.
Congresswoman Dina Titus, recalling her days in the state legislature when she helped pass a requirement to set aside a portion of gaming revenues for problem gambling treatment, praised the AGA’s model code of conduct. “We are raising the bar and setting the standard.”
Chris Giunchigliani, a Clark County commissioner, lauded the industry’s commitment to furthering education on the issue.
“As long as there has been gaming, there’s been problem gaming. Most of us know people who have had their lives turned upside down,” she said. “This is a problem too many Las Vegans don’t want to talk about, but as a teacher I believe education is key.”
Alan Feldman, executive vice president at MGM Resorts, emphasized the importance of making responsible gaming a fundamental part of organizational culture, rather than a box-checking compliance activity.
“We believe very firmly in the notion that responsible gaming is not just an important issue, it’s a very real construct,” he said. “There are very straightforward, practical things that we can and need to be doing to engage our customers so they in turn can incorporate those behaviors into their daily lives as customers at our properties.”
Feldman, who also serves as chairman of the National Center for Responsible Gaming, also iterated that the focus of prevention needs to be expanded beyond the universe of just people who are facing some sort of immediate harm or consequence.
It can’t just be about when the fun stops, he emphasized.
“Where MGM is going, and where a lot of us in this community need to go, is we need to expand the focus to before the fun stops. Let’s have the conversation earlier,” he explained. “We don’t need to identify problem gamblers. What we should be doing is having regular ongoing dialogue with our customers and make certain that what they are doing is safe and fun for them and their families.”
