Gambling awareness is not a game

By Ashley Gholampoor

PlaySmart Centre employees at Caesars Casino in Windsor are giving facts, tools and advice on a daily basis.

Rheem McLennan, 38, is the regional manager of the Southwest region for PlaySmart Centres. Workers at the centre inform people who visit the casino about how to play smart, give instructions on how to use slot machines or tables and self exclusion programs.

“Self exclusion is a voluntary process and sometimes people visit because they are interested,” said McLennan. “We take them into a private area and share what the program entails. Nobody is forced to self exclude from the casino. If they do decide this, there are three choices: A six month plan, a one year plan and an indefinite plan.”

Self exclusion from the casino also means people cannot enter the property, go to the restaurants, stay in the hotel and they cannot use any forms of entertainment at the casino. According to McLennan, the indefinite plan is a minimum of six months and not many people know that after their plan finishes, they cannot come back to the casino automatically.

“If someone does self exclude at Caesars, they’re a part of an international Harrah property which means they can’t go to any of the Harrah properties either,” said McLennan. “There’s properties in Las Vegas and in the U.S they cannot go to and we make them aware of it. If they choose to come back to the casino there’s a process called reinstatement that they have to go through. If they do not go through the process, they are still considered trespassing.”

McLennan said, when the centre used to be called the Responsible Gaming Resource Centre, visitors would be hesitant to approach the centre. Many people thought it was a place to go to when they have a problem when in actuality, it is a place to go before the problem begins. She said the centre is a place to get educated and informed about gambling and now more people are coming in now since the name changed to PlaySmart.

People of the Centre also try to connect with casino staff when going on walks during the day on the gaming floor. The service coordinators answer questions and inform others on what the Centre is about.

Service coordinators are people who are part of the team at the Centres. Shelley Waronchak has been a service coordinator at Caesars for almost two years.

“I started off as a program representative, which we do events every so often and reach out gently to our guests and players. Then that morphed into a position that was available which was service coordinator,” said Waronchak.  ”Besides giving a lot of directions to customers on the floor, there are a lot of general inquires which is great because it’s good to have that presence. It’s a big place, a lot of people have a hard time and have many questions.”

PlaySmart Centre is a non-profit organization with a commitment to the prevention of problem gambling. At the Windsor location there is a variety of pamphlets which provide information that includes how to play smarter, tips on how to play certain slot machines or table games and odds for winning prizes.

“A lot of marketing we have had in the past seems to be geared toward the older demographic but the reality is, I would say from my experience, it’s amazing how many young individuals we see in here,” said ­­Waronchak. “From the ages of 19 to 24, our centre discreetly speaks to them and I want them to know that we are here for them everyday regardless of age. Just to know that there’s still help and they are not alone.”

Waronchak said there is no pressure if someone visits the Centre. Some customers have said they have a certain friend whom they are worried about but in the end, it is the people themselves. She said once trust was established the person “comes clean and they feel comfortable.”

Since November 2005, about two million visitors have accessed the Centres. There are also 63 per cent of visitors who participate in one of the six educational events held in the venue throughout the year.

The staff are on-site seven days a week at these times and is located on the second floor of the casino. The operating hours for the PlaySmart Centre at Caesars Windsor are between 10 a.m. and 2 a.m.