MGM celebrated a new milestone in its responsible gaming efforts when, following the completion of a two-hour training session on Tuesday, it officially certified over 1,000 employees in the GameSense program in 2024 alone. GameSense is a program designed by the British Columbia Lottery that educates employees about the importance of responsible gaming and how best to present that information to guests.
Garrett Farnes, director of responsible gaming at MGM Resorts International, spoke about the company’s commitment to this area at the Tuesday workshop. “We want it to resonate with them, and we want to leave them empowered after these (training) sessions to make responsible gaming an integral part of their daily job duties,” he said, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
This year marks a landmark one for MGM in its responsible gaming efforts. For comparison, from the time MGM first introduced GameSense in 2017 through 2023, the company had certified roughly 350 employees in total.
“We are trying to set a precedent within the industry as to what it means to be a responsible operator, and you will be hard-pressed to find any other brick-and-mortar operator who promotes responsible gaming, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days out of the year the way that we do,” Farnes said.
John Flynn, MGM’s Senior Vice President of Global Security and Aviation, was among the first company employees to be GameSense certified in 2017. Flynn said sustainability for the gaming industry is paramount, particularly as MGM and others look to expand their operations globally.
“This felt like one of those programs that would absolutely help us do that,” Flynn said of GameSense and achieving sustainability through responsible gaming measures, as per the Review-Journal report. “Programs that you can invest in, that your employees love, that the guests love, are going to integrate well into most other cultures that are looking to bring our product, our industry into their culture, too.”
Stephen Martino, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for MGM
Stephen Martino, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for MGM, said employees who volunteer to be GameSense certified have responded well to the training. The program teaches them about the signs of problem gambling and how to approach sensitive topics with guests.
GameSense also educates casino employees about what resources are available to players and how to connect guests with those resources. Customers can also find information about GameSense by scanning QR codes at slot machines or on the ATM/ticket redemption machines on the casino floor.
The GameSense program also has a practical function for gamblers. It teaches players the rules of casino games and the odds associated with the games. It’s also designed to dispel commonly held gambling myths (such as thinking a slot machine is “due” to hit or that the next spin on the roulette wheel “must be” black because the last several spins have been red) so that gambling remains a form of entertainment.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2024/12/11/88233-mgm-resorts-certifies-over-1000-employees-in-the-gamesense-responsible-gaming-program-in-2024
