Gambling

Even though there are many different ways of gambling, in hospitality it is usually slotmachines. These machines can offer different kind of games but none are in anyway subject of human influence. Now let’s see where the problem is.

What do you need to know?

• How long have they been gambling in your establishment and how much have they lost?

• What would be their estimated financial situation?

• Can they handle a certain loss?

Some tells to see when someone is on a ‘losing streak’:

• Stressed behaviour

• No social etiquette

• Cursing and/or talking to the machine

• Repeatedly inserting money in a short period of time

How do you address them?

• Approach them and ask them if they are sure they want to continue playing since they are obviously are not having any luck.

• Try to see how much they already lost; most machines show the balance.

• Explain it is their own choice, but they can not break anything, curse or annoy others.

What to do when they continue playing?

• Try and talk to them every few minutes, you would rather have them complain to you

• With any win suggest them to quit now to minimize their losses

• Eventually it is their own responsibility

Personal note:

Just like alcohol and drugs, gambling poses a significant financial risk and gets addictive easily. But unlike alcohol or drugs, gamblers are more predictable. This usually means they will not get overly aggressive towards people and they do not bother others as much until they start cursing for example.
You can try and talk to them, explain the obvious risks which I am sure they know already. If you know the gambler on a personal level you could consider discussing the problem with someone close to them but be careful not to get involved too much. In the end, gambler have to help themselves.

Sincerely,

Den The Man