Educating Players About Responsible Gambling: MGM Resorts and BetMGM Participate in Public Service Campaigns

Two market leading entertainment companies MGM Resorts and BetMGM have recently announced that they are planning on introducing a Responsible Gambling Education Month every year. The purpose of this will be to spread awareness about mindful gambling and the potential of addictive behavior amongst their players, should the practice become out of hand.  

To start, key responsible gaming guidance and data will be disseminated throughout September by MGM Resorts and BetMGM both through their social networks as well as directly to clients. The “Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly” public service program by the American Gaming Association American Gaming Association, which instructs novice and veteran gamblers on responsible sports gambling, will also see support and participation from the two brands. 

BetMGM and MGM Resorts will Remain Committed to British Columbia’s “GameSense” Campaign

Additionally, MGM Resorts and BetMGM continue to be dedicated to GameSense, a pioneering responsible gaming initiative created and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation in 2017. The program focuses on having open and forward-thinking discussions with participants on responsible gambling.

More than 35,000 television screens at MGM Resorts hotels around the nation now broadcast GameSense messages and ethical gaming advice to visitors. More than 22,000 slot machines on the casino floors of MGM Resorts also show GameSense messages, and 7,000 of them include QR codes that can be scanned to access Game Sense’s information on responsible gaming and educational resources.

Additionally, over 62,000 employees have already received coaching under the MGM Resorts GameSense employee training program, which was scaled up just recently. Of the 62,000, 271 workers have completed the highest level of training offered by the program and have been given the title of ‘GameSense Advisor’.

These GameSense Advisors are on duty at every MGM Rewards desk in the nation, prepared to help and support visitors and their families. At BetMGM, September also represents a turning point for staff training. The business recently certified its first GameSense Advisors and trained close to 1,000 staff member in advanced GameSense techniques.

It is interesting that whilst these public campaigns are being run, adverts for free spins no deposit bonuses are being shown at the same time. It does feel like there should be some type of coordinated campaign which marries both these campaigns together.

Garrett Farnes, Director of Responsible Gaming at MGM Resorts, stated that they are happy to participate in RGEM 2022 and to allow it serve as an extra platform to boost punter health, as well as improve awareness in the localized markets that they serve. Farnes also added that their key priority is training. He said that MGM Resorts staff are the company’s first line of defense when it comes to responsible gaming initiatives, thus the company wants them to have the knowledge and abilities to guarantee that customers are well-informed, assured, and do not lose sight of their gaming sessions or budgets.

Manager of BetMGM’s Responsible Gaming Program, Richard Taylor stated that they were thrilled to be a part of a significant initiative to promote such healthy practices and increase awareness. He said that their main goal is to provide great customer service, and part of their strategy includes encouraging responsible gambling. Through GameSense, they enable their staff and consumers to approach gaming ethically, for amusement and enjoyment.

The annual conference of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey is proudly sponsored by BetMGM as well. The firm is dedicated to collaborating with important players. On September 23, the conference will transpire in West Windsor, New Jersey.

Let’s not Forget About Responsible Gambling at Online Casinos

It is really quite fantastic to see firms like MGM stepping up and taking initiative to protect players from gambling harm. This is a welcome move as an increasing number of states like Kansas begin to legalize sports betting. Gambling should be about entertainment and fun, but too many players fall prey to gambling addiction.

These days, with the advent of popular online casinos and their attractive bonus offers, it is even more accessible. This significantly increases the risk of potential gambling harm or addiction. At least at a land-based casino or gambling venue, players can only go in their free time, but with mobile online casinos, players can whip out their phones and place a bet any time of the day or night.

Thankfully, like MGM, online casino operators (at least the legitimate ones) do offer a slew of responsible gambling features. It is just that players need to make use of these features to ensure they remain in control of their habits. A lot of these features are self-imposed by the player, where they can set customized deposit, loss, and time limits, depending on their budgets and allotted gaming duration.

Online casinos also offer a self-exclusion feature which comes in handy when impulse is starting to take over. A player can ask to be self-excluded for a certain period of time and the casino operator will verify the request before temporarily suspending the account and adding the player’s name to a shared resource list so that other online casinos will also band them from signing up or play for the stipulated time. This way, even if the player wants to gamble again, they will not be able to until they have completed the self-exclusion period. By completing the period, the player gets a chance to cool off and play with a more level-headed mindset.

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