Gamblers' self-ban rules may get tough

The Mississippi Gaming Commission wants a statewide list of people who have voluntarily banned themselves from casinos.

It also wants violators of the self-imposed ban to be convicted for criminal trespass, which could lead to a year in jail, a fine of $1,000 or both, if they try to enter a casino.

"We are keenly aware that compulsive gamblers do exist out there," said commission director Larry Gregory. He said the commission is obligated to do more than handle economic development issues for the gaming industry.

The commission is accepting public comment at today's meeting on an amendment that will strengthen the self-exclusion regulation.

The amendment allows a problem gambler to voluntarily exclude himself from all Mississippi casinos up to a lifetime, but no less than five years, by completing a single form, Gregory said.

About 1,500 people have voluntarily barred themselves from Mississippi casinos, Gregory said.

Barring oneself from all gaming-related activities means a person cannot receive gaming credits or have check-cashing privileges at casinos. They will not receive direct marketing and promotional information, junkets, player club memberships or complimentary goods and services. Any winnings will be forfeited during the exclusionary period and the casino will keep any money lost.

Under the current self-exclusion regulation, a problem gambler can sign two-year agreements with individual casinos. The only penalty for breaking the self ban is that any winnings must forfeited.

"We felt like two years was not long enough," Gregory said. "We felt like if you had an addictive behavior with gaming five years would be the minimum you need to stay out of a casino."

The amendment will require anyone who wants to complete a self-exclusion agreement to visit a commission office in Jackson, Tunica, Vicksburg or Biloxi, rather than the casinos.

"If a person is serious about self-excluding, I want them to get away from the gambling environment," Gregory said. "They'll have to come into our office, fill out the paperwork and we'll have someone discuss all the details."

The commission will keep track of self-exclusion agreements and provide casinos with a list of people who signed the agreement, he said. The self-exclusion list could be shared with the Louisiana Gaming Commission and the Choctaw Gaming Commission, which operates two casinos at Pearl River Resort, he said.

Gregory said the commission is encouraging casinos to prosecute violators.

Curt Follmer, general manager and senior vice president at Rainbow Casino in Vicksburg, said he believes the intent of the amendment is positive but refinements are needed.

"The part that concerns me is an individual's privacy when you start disseminating information to a broad base of people," he said. "If we have any hope of keeping people out, information has to be disseminated to our entire security and surveillance team."

Follmer, who is president of the Mississippi Gaming Association, said the gaming industry recognizes that compulsive gambling is a serious issue and that each casino trains its employees to recognize problem gamblers.

"We do it in new-hire orientation, before employees get on the floor," he said. "At Rainbow, we've always excluded for life. Addiction is addiction, and I want to be pro-active. I don't want that kind of customer."

Gregory said commission employees have studied self-exclusion policies in gaming jurisdictions across the nation.

"Each state is so different that it's hard to give one scenario," he said. "The best way to describe it is more states are looking at self- exclusion very closely. They range from a minimum of one year to some states going as far as lifetime and giving no other options."

Gregory said a casino may ban a patron who is suspected of a problem.

"A casino is a business and it is private property and they can ban anyone for any reason," he said. "If they suspect anyone of drinking too much or cheating, they have the option of banning them."

Gregory said last year he ordered casinos to contribute a total of $80,000 to charity. The money came from winnings by gamblers who had signed self-exclusion agreements but disguised themselves, used cash and won jackpots.

"I get the phone call after that from irate gamblers insisting it is their money," he said. "If a person self-excluded himself, he should not be in a casino. If he happens to win a jackpot, that money goes to charity and not to continue a gambling problem."

Victor Smith of Jackson, a gaming commissioner for the last eight years, said he considers changes in the self-exclusion agreement one of the greatest things the commission has done.

"When I started on the commission, I said, 'What can I do to make a real difference,' " said Smith, whose term expires in September. "I went to a lot of national seminars and tried to learn something about gambling addiction. I've tried to contribute that way. What the commission wants to do is help people with an addiction."

Ann Homer Cook of Jackson, chairwoman of the Mississippi Council for Problem and Compulsive Gambling, said the amendment is a positive step not only for problem gamblers but for the gaming industry.

"Compulsive gamblers will often exclude themselves from one casino to satisfy family or spouse and then go to another," she said. "I think it's good for the gaming industry as a whole because the casinos will share the same list."

Cook, a counselor who has treated problem and compulsive gamblers for seven years, said there are two schools of thought about how to treat gambling addiction.

"There are those who feel like abstinence is the only way to go," she said. "You have to quit gambling forever and ever. There's another school of thought called harm reduction that works with an individual to limit the amount of gambling he does and the amount of money he spends."

Cook said she's never treated a problem gambler who could learn to gamble responsibly. "I haven't had any where that's been the case," she said.

http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0308/20/m01.html

yeah but, how do you keep them off the internet?

Gambling addicts share tales of struggle




By Lynn Safranek

Published: Saturday, February 21, 2009 4:12 AM CST
World-Herald News Service

OMAHA - The former gamblers sit in a circle, united by an old love and the lies they told to maintain their addiction.

Each took a different path to this point.

One man would rush home to intercept the mail before his wife could find incriminating bank statements. He reshuffled the rest to make it look like it hadn't been touched.

Another man would write self-loathing journal entries after gambling binges, calling his life "one big screw-up." But he rebuffed relatives who showed up at the casino begging him to leave.

They quit only when the consequences grew too great, but say they might have stopped sooner if family or friends had intervened earlier.

Gambling problems ensnare people from all walks of life, as demonstrated by at least 11 theft cases in the metro Omaha area that made headlines in the past five years. The people involved included a Catholic nun, a special education teacher and a Douglas County Treasurer's deputy. Two recent cases involve a middle-aged accountant from Gretna and one of Omaha's richest and most charitable men.

Terry Watanabe, former owner of Oriental Trading Co., this week appeared in a Las Vegas court and posted $1.5 million bail. He faces four felonies after two casinos accused him of failing to repay an eye-popping $14.75 million in gambling debt.

Watanabe's family issued a statement expressing their love and support for him "without reservation." His sister, Pam Watanabe-Gerdes, accompanied him to the court appearance.

A local counselor for gambling addicts says people need to stop questioning whether Watanabe can pay his debts and start viewing his situation as a consequence of an addiction.

"What Mr. Watanabe has shown is it doesn't matter how rich you are or how successful you are," said Harlan Vogel, clinical coordinator of Heartland Family Service's compulsive gambling program and leader of the weekly group therapeutic sessions. "Anyone can get in over their head with gambling."

The first step to helping a compulsive gambler is recognizing the signs, said Jerry Bauerkemper, executive director of the Nebraska Council on Compulsive Gambling. The next should be seeking professional help.

Counselors who specialize in gambling addictions help families protect themselves financially. They assist in moving property out of gamblers' names and discovering credit cards and second mortgages that spouses weren't aware of.

Bringing an outside party to mediate also eases the pain, he said.

"If I find out my spouse has a gambling problem and I'm $90,000 in debt, I'm not in a position to think clearly because I'm mad," Bauerkemper said.

Crisis calls to the Nebraska hotline have increased steadily in the past five years, Bauerkemper said. In Iowa, an average of nearly 2,000 crisis calls have been placed annually since 2000. That's much lower than the average of 3,836 in the late 1990s.

Callers to hotlines - funded by a share of each states' gambling proceeds - are put in touch with counselors statewide. Counselors' fees are based on a person's income and indebtedness.

If you confront the gambler on your own, don't respond emotionally.

"Be straightforward with the facts and put things in writing," Vogel said. "Fact: You took a $400 cash advance at the casino the other night. Not just, 'you took money.' "

Willing gamblers could request to have themselves banned from casinos. They then face arrest if they return.

Ameristar Casino uses a standard form that bans gamblers for life from all Iowa casinos. At least 3,200 have signed the form since 2004, the year Iowa opened the option of a statewide ban.

That form also is available at Horseshoe and Harrah's casinos, which are run by Harrah's Entertainment Inc. But people also can sign a form banning themselves for life from Harrah's-owned casinos nationwide. This ban would not apply to all Iowa casinos.

Harrah's and Horseshoe will stop sending mailings to anyone's home and can restrict a person's check-cashing abilities on request, said Jeff Graber, chairperson for responsible gaming at the two casinos.

Some employees of those casinos also are trained to discuss professional counseling options that are available if a gambler expresses having a problem. Those occasions, however, are rare, Graber said.

Counselors also work with compulsive gamblers to teach them how to fill the time they usually would spend gambling, Vogel said.

On average, out of 10 gamblers who are evaluated, three won't return, three or four will attend a handful of counseling sessions to learn they can kick the habit on their own and the remainder will enter long-term treatment.

One graduate of the program was a professional living a comfortable lifestyle with his wife and children. He considered his gambling - blackjack at casinos, sports betting on the side - an expensive habit rather than a problem.

Eight years ago, he lost his job when he stole money from someone to feed the habit.

"I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever cross the line and do what I ended up doing," said the man, who asked to remain anonymous because he is putting his life back together.

"This addiction allows you to do things that you absolutely know are wrong. You somehow justify it."

His wife knew he was a heavy gambler and guessed his problem was worsening. One day, she confronted him and told him to get help. Though she didn't say it, the man knew his marriage was on the line.

They attended counseling together. While he was in group sessions with other gamblers, she talked with the other gamblers' spouses.

Now he considers her his second set of eyes, the person who spots his addictive behavior first.

"The fact that my wife was dedicated enough to learning about the addiction and trying to understand, I don't have any doubt in my mind is a very, very large factor in my success," he said.