Harrah's Commitment to Responsible Gaming

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Harrah's commitment to responsible gaming led to the development of the U.S. industry's first-ever broadcast advertising campaign focused specifically on responsible gaming. Ads featuring CEO Gary Loveman explain the importance of responsible gaming and how responsible gaming is an important part of our Code of Commitment. To view an example of one of the television ads, please click here.

Taking a Leadership Position

Promoting responsible gaming is part of the heritage and culture of Harrah's. It's the foundation of our Code of Commitment, which spells out the principles that govern the way we do business. Our company's long-standing and continuing commitment to responsible gaming is something we take great pride in. Harrah's position on this issue is clear: we want everyone who gambles at our casinos to be there for the right reasons - to simply have fun. We believe that all entities involved in legal wagering have an obligation to promote responsible gaming and address underage gambling.

Harrah's pioneered the casino entertainment industry's first responsible gaming efforts over a decade ago when a group of employees formed a task force to study the issue of problem gambling. After months of research, the task force developed the industry's first initiative to help employees, guests, and the public understand the importance of responsible gaming and the prevention of underage gambling.

Harrah's continues to be the casino industry's chief advocate for promoting responsible gaming. We have implemented two responsible gaming programs, Operation Bet Smart® and Project 21®, as well as an Unattended Children Policy.

Additionally, Harrah's works with the National Council on Problem Gambling, Inc., its local councils, and other service agencies in our markets on a continuing basis to promote a better understanding of responsible gaming and underage gambling. In fact, we provided the initial funding to establish the National Council's twenty-four hour toll free helpline. We also support research on these issues through on-going financial contributions to the National Center for Responsible Gaming. Harrah's launched the casino industry's first broadcast advertising campaign to promote responsible gaming and increase awareness of toll free helpline numbers. We were awarded the National Council's first corporate award, which recognized Harrah's for its proactive efforts on responsible gaming. Harrah's invites other members of the casino industry to join us in promoting responsible gaming.

Operation Bet Smart®

Operation Bet Smart®: Know When To Stop Before You Start® is a program designed to formally train employees about the importance of responsible gaming and the policies and procedures of Harrah's responsible gaming programs. While we recognize our employees are not social service counselors, Harrah's feels that encouraging employee awareness puts employees at a comfort level, helps them understand the company's position on the issue, and supplies them with valuable information and direction to potentially help others.

At all our casinos, we provide responsible gaming signage on the casino floor and back-of-house so that employees always know where to refer customers requesting assistance. We also provide responsible gaming information in brochures, on hold messages, and Harrah's responsible specific media campaign, as well as including helpline phone numbers on all marketing collateral, player cards, and hotel directories. These communication efforts serve to provide our customers an unobtrusive vehicle for obtaining more information about responsible gaming and seeking assistance.

Project 21 ®

This initiative teaches casino employees, minors, parents, and guardians about the consequences of gambling under the legal age. Casinos are not for our kids. We do not hesitate to uphold the laws concerning the legal gambling age in each state.

For more than a decade, Harrah's has been the chief advocate of Project 21®, now an industry-wide program that encompasses employee training and public awareness about underage gambling. Harrah's Entertainment is committed to keeping minors off the casino floor. Project 21® is now a licensed program for any casino in our industry to use, and any casino can contribute to Project 21® scholarship efforts. We are very proud that the success of Project 21®has let it outside our door and into the halls of high schools across the U.S.

Other Project 21® efforts include the front and back-of-house signage, detailed employee training on cues for identifying minors, and the on-going creation of materials to keep employees and players aware. Like Operation Bet Smart®, Project 21® also includes the creation of materials for public education, such as TV public service announcements.

All Harrah's employees are trained to card individuals who appear to be below the age of 30, as well as ways to detect potentially invalid identification. If a minor is trying to gamble under false identification, our security officers will intervene and may contact outside law enforcement. We want all of our customers to have an enjoyable time at our properties, but we will not condone breaking the law. "We care, we card" and we will take action.

Looking Out for Kids

Another educational campaign and policy that Harrah's has undertaken concerns the presence of unattended children on property. Our Unattended Children Policy is a communication effort that encourages parents not to leave children unattended at our properties, and trains employees on the proper approach to use upon discovering an unattended child. Seeking to urge parents not to leave their children without adult supervision, every Harrah's casino has standard procedures to promote parental responsibility and protect the safety of children and minors. Parents are informed through signage and brochures about our policies and employees are asked to keep an eye out and call security for any child that has been left unattended.

National Helpline

In 1995, Harrah's Entertainment helped fund the creation and start-up of the first national helpline (1-800-522-4700) for problem gambling - providing callers with counseling and direction to local assistance in any state. Our funding to assist local health service agencies, councils, and seminars continues yearly through funding efforts by our corporate office and casino properties. Knowing gambling problems can potentially reach the "other side" of the table, Harrah's Entertainment provides confidential counseling assistance for employees through our Employee Assistance Program.

Self Restriction/Self-Exclusion

Our "self-restriction" program allows a person to request not to receive direct marketing by Harrah's owned, managed, or operated properties, as well as be denied credit and check cashing privileges. Our "self-exclusion" program allows a guest to request to have all privileges, including play privileges denied at all Harrah's owned, managed, or operated properties. Forms to request self-restriction or self-exclusion are available at all Harrah's owned, managed, or operated properties or by calling 1-800-694-9960.

Other Resources

For self-help materials for problem gamblers, click here for Harvard Medical School's "Gambling- Your First Step To Change" toolkit.

For additional information about problem gambling, visit the National Council on Problem Gambling's website. If you or someone you know might have a gambling problem, call the National Council on Problem Gambling's toll-free helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Responsible Gaming at Casino Windsor

From the beginning, both Casino Windsor and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC) have taken a leadership role on the issue of responsible gambling. While problem gambling affects a very small percentage of the population, for those people, and their families, it is a serious problem.

A University of Windsor study, supported by the Ontario Ministry of Health, concluded: A comparison of survey responses of people before and one year after the casino opened showed no statistically significant differences in either Problem or Pathological gambling levels. Four years later, another study was conducted and it showed no increase in the rate of problem gamblers. Despite this evidence, Casino Windsor continues to be proactive on the issue.

One of the most important factors in dealing with responsible gambling is to increase awareness of the issue and where people can turn for help. Casino Windsor has implemented a program of responsible gambling awareness which focuses on the customer, community and employee awareness.

Legalized gambling in Ontario is by no means a new activity. Horse racing, bingos, lotteries and charity casinos have been with us for many years, and so has problem gambling.

Problem Gambling is defined as an illness, similar in nature to alcoholism, progressive in its nature, which can never be cured, but can be arrested, and is 100 percent successfully treatable. In short, a person may be diagnosed as a problem gambler if he or she has been unable to control chronic gambling; if the gambling continues despite harm to the family and personal problems; and if other psychological characteristics are present.

The Government of Ontario through its Ministry of Health and Long Term Care has acknowledged that compulsive gambling is an addictive behavior, a direct result of gambling activities of all kinds (lotteries, horse racing, bingo, casino gaming and charity casinos).

The Province of Ontario has committed a minimum of $10 million annually for research, treatment, prevention and public awareness.

As Operator of the first temporary commercial casino in the province, the first riverboat casino in Canada and the first permanent commercial casino in Ontario, Casino Windsor is committed to taking a leadership role in addressing the issue of responsible gambling in the Windsor-Essex County area.

Casino Windsor's Responsible Gambling Program includes the following elements:

Customer Awareness
An in-house campaign comprised of posters which highlight the Ontario Problem Gambling Help Line, and notices on automated banking machine display screens have been produced to raise customer awareness of the issue. The external awareness campaign includes radio, print, billboards and transit bus boards. The message carried by all of the display material is "Know Your Limit, Play Within It". Printed materials that highlight services offered by the Ontario Problem Gambling Help Line (funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health) are also available within the casino.

Casino Windsor also includes the Problem Gambling Help Line in all print advertising.

Community Awareness
To reach the broader community, newspaper and radio advertisements, as well as billboards and transit bus boards which support awareness materials inside the casino, are used to highlight problem gambling as an issue and inform people of where they can turn to get help.

Staff Training
A training program for designated Casino Windsor staff focuses on recognizing the symptoms of problem gambling, crisis intervention and referral knowledge.

Responsibility
Casino Windsor's responsible role was formally recognized when it was named "1996 Casino of the Year" by the Canadian Foundation on Compulsive Gambling (Ontario) [now known as Responsible Gaming Council (Ontario)]. This award is presented to the casino operator demonstrating a commitment to responsible gaming policies, practices and procedures.

Self-Exclusion Program
Each commercial casino has a "self-exclusion program" in which individuals can ask to be denied entry to the casino. The self-exclusion applies to all Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation gaming facilities, including commercial casinos, slot facilities at racetracks and charity casinos.

The self-exclusion remains in effect for an indefinite period.

Casino Windsor recognizes that compulsive gambling is a societal issue which cannot be ignored. The impact of problem gambling goes beyond the casino and can often affect both family and the workplace. Windsor Casino Limited firmly believes that any overall strategy to deal with issues associated with problem gambling rests with the provincial government, and that all those involved in the gaming industry including lotteries, horse racing, bingos and charity casinos, must play responsible roles.