Game Sense -- Does it Make Sense?

Game Sense - Does it Make Sense?

The Los Angeles Times ran an article in its travel and entertainment section Sunday, March 12, that I’d like to share with you.  It was sent to me by a good friend and fellow gamer who goes by the YoutTube moniker wlwal1 .  The report concerns MGM casinos and a new program they are rolling out this year to provide on-site help for problem gamblers.  The program is called Game Sense, and MGM hopes it will make sense to game players who are unable to control their urge to gamble when it’s time to stop. The company plans to put trained advisers in its casinos to share the message that gambling can be a dangerous and costly addiction. 

They will be installing kiosks inside the Bellagio, Excalibur, Luxor, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, and other MGM properties.  Trained advisors will educate visitors about problem gambling and try to dispel some of the myths and fallacies that surround casino games and how they work.  Gamblers need to understand that there is no such thing as a hot machine, or one that is ready to hit because it hasn’t paid out recently according to Alan Feidman, executive VP of MGM resorts. Instead of merely providing gamers with a brochure with the toll-free addiction help-line number 800-522-4700, Game Sense plans to set up staffed booths at MGM casinos nationwide.  

They will also donate $1 million to to research projects at the University of Nevada Las Vegas’ International Gaming Institute.  Data will be gathered at the casinos to help determine the effectiveness of the program.

 Recently, last December, the Atlantic magazine ran an eleven page article by John Rosengren titled “Losing it All”  pointing out that Americans now spend more money on casino gambling than movies, music, and sports events combined. The largest share of that money goes to slots and video poker they say. In the lengthy article, the Atlantic details true-life stories of addicted gamblers, many of whom ended up losing their jobs, their families, and even in one instance their lives. The story of Scott Stevens’ inability to overcome his addiction and resultant suicide causes the author to ask his readers to consider whether perhaps he was the victim of a system carefully calibrated to prey on his weakness … in much the same way as the tobacco industry, knowing their product was addictive, preyed on smokers’ weakness.

Less than 40 years ago casino gambling was illegal everywhere in the United States outside of Nevada and Atlantic City New Jersey,  But since Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, tribal and commercial casinos have rapidly proliferated, and today patrons bet more than 17 billion dollars annually in over 1,000 casinos in over 40 states in almost a million machines nationwide according to the Atlantic article. —  machines that are deliberately designed, some say, to lull players into the trancelike state known to manufacturers as as “continuous gaming productivity” and to writers as “the zone.”

Gambling affects some people in the same way that drugs or alcohol affects other addicts.  And like many other addicts,  users develop a tolerance. When they are unable to gamble, many show signs of withdrawal such as panic attacks, insomnia, headaches, and heart palpitations.  Some, they say,  have genetic predispositions to gamble.  And the National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that one in five gambling addicts attempts suicide.   You can read some of their stories in the Atlantic Magazine article.

According to some researchers 20% of regular gamblers are problem or pathological gamblers and studies show that 30 to 60 percent of gambling revenue comes from these problem gamblers.  Natasha Dow Schull, an NYU professor who spent over 15 years studying the addictive gambler, wrote a book in 2012 “Addiction by Design, Machine Gambling in Las Vegas”, detailing how casinos track their customer’s play and entice them to play more often and longer. We all know how this is done - we all receive their offers and free-play, and we know what draws us to these machines and what makes us stay long past the time we should have cashed out and gone home.  We know about frequent small rewards that make us feel we are winning all the time we’re losing our money.  We all experience the near-misses when 2 of 3 bonus symbols tease us into thinking a win is imminent. We eat their free buffets and stay the night in their free hotel rooms, and rationalize our losses by comparing these freebees to what we would pay to play at a similar resort.  We’re not addicted to gambling — we can quit any time we want —addiction is the other guy’s problem, not ours. Sure it is, 

Well, maybe Gaming Sense will help us make some sense out of problem gambling. I hope so.  But more likely it will be just like everything else — smoke and mirrors and the illusion of providing help to those players who deny they need any.  We’ll see.

Video Poker - Hospital Therapy Patients Enjoy

   Need an excuse to play a little video poker?  Here’s an article that was just published today about the medical benefits of the mental therapy of video poker slots for hospital patients.  I didn’t write the article.  It came to me from CDC to share with my readers.   

    “ Video poker machines are commonplace in Las Vegas and can be found in bars, supermarkets and even high-end restaurants. Now you can add hospitals to that list.

     The HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Henderson treats people who are recovering from a number of issues, including traumatic injuries, strokes, amputations, spinal cord issues and neurological disorders.

Against one wall of the facility’s busy 7,400-square foot gym, alongside the weights and exercise machines typically found in physical therapy rooms, sit two video poker machines, one with a chair you’d find in casino and one without.

     Because playing video poker is a sedentary activity, video poker machines in a rehab hospital may seem counterintuitive. But therapists at HealthSouth say the games help patients in a number of ways.

Sarah Tempest, a speech-language therapist at HealthSouth, said the video games help patients, many of whom require help with both mental and physical acuity, improve their cognitive abilities.

     “One of the areas (of the brain) we know is stimulated by gambling is the prefrontal cortex,” Tempest said. “The frontal lobes of the brain can be damaged by traumatic injuries; they can be damaged by substance abuse; they can be damaged by strokes.”

     If the brain can be considered an orchestra, Tempest explained, then the frontal lobes act like the conductor. When her patients play the video poker machines, they are retraining that conductor.

“What we’re really looking to improve with the games are executive-functioning skills,” she said. “The things we are really addressing with that are attention, mental flexibility, self-regulation and working memory.”

     Because the patients are playing video poker, she explained, they have to be able to retain information and then manipulate it in ways that can help them win. They also have to make different decisions based on the information, and they also get to relearn impulse control.

“They get to think about if it’s worth placing another bet,” Tempest said. “Should they see if they can get a full house or is it better to stay with a pair of kings?”

     And while video poker is certainly not the most physically demanding activity, it can also help patients with significant mobility issues.

“Sometimes we’ll have patients stand and play the video poker machines to work on standing tolerance,” said Sandy McGinnis, one of the hospital’s occupational therapists. “We can also have them put wrist weights on, and they’re playing for a whole 15 minutes (a session). It can get you tired after doing it for 15 minutes.”

     A bonus? The patients are working on their physical and mental skills while doing something they enjoy, McGinnis said. Tempest said 10-12 patients use the slot machines, which HealthSouth CEO Sam Billig purchased for $1 each in November. The patients don’t need money to use them, and they can’t win money either. The games are set to run 15 minutes at a time, regardless if the “credits” accumulate or dwindle.

     “Sometimes, it helps the patients come down to their sessions,” McGinnis said. “They could be in pain or having a bad day and you can tell them, “‘Hey, you know what? We can play video poker as part of your therapy.’ And they are more likely to engage in it instead of refusing because of medical issues that are going on.”

     HealthSouth is a 90-bed hospital that, according to its website, “provides care for people who are ready to be discharged from a hospital but not ready to return home.”

It’s why the gym includes a full-size supermarket checkout counter, a machine built to resemble the interior of a car and a replica of a cafe. It’s also why the gym has skee ball, an air hockey table and other activities patients can enjoy while developing cognitive and physical skills.

     Angela Ingerson, a special-needs teacher in the hospital who is dealing with several health issues, said the video poker and other activities motivate her to participate in her therapy.

“The things they are doing here, especially with the new games, give me an opportunity for me to do things I enjoy,” she said. “For example, they want me to sit up more. But if all I’m doing sitting in a hospital bed, what’s motivating me to sit up more?”

Scientific Games to showcase slots featuring James Bond

By DAVE MCNARY
REUTERS

LOS ANGELES — The owners of the James Bond franchise have struck a multi-year licensing deal with gambling products specialist Scientific Games Corp., which will lead to the super-spy’s image being used on casino slot machines.

The exclusive agreement was announced Wednesday between Las Vegas-based Scientific Games with Eon Productions Limited, Danjaq LLC and MGM Interactive, a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The deal gives Scientific Games the rights to leverage all past and future James Bond films, as well as the film’s talent portraying James Bond.

Scientific Games said it expects to showcase the first James Bond-themed slot games at the Global Gaming Expo on Oct. 3-5 in Las Vegas. That means the first machines could begin appearing in casinos next year.

Created in 1953 by novelist Ian Fleming, Bond was a frequent patron of high-end casinos in the books and two dozen films that followed — including two versions of “Casino Royale.”

Seven actors have played Bond, starting with Sean Connery in 1962’s “Doctor No,” followed by David Niven in 1967’s “Casino Royale,” George Lazenby in 1969’s “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. It’s unclear whether Craig will sign on for another Bond film after starring in the last four.

Scientific Games Chief Executive Officer Kevin Sheehan said, “The Bond franchise is clearly a long sought-after and incredibly exciting brand for our industry. James Bond is synonymous with action, excitement, and next-generation technology. We look forward to harnessing the power of the Bond brand to drive innovation across the company in the years ahead.”

Ronald Perelman, chairman of Scientific Games, said, “We have been excited about this license opportunity for a very long time and are thrilled that Kevin Sheehan and his team at Scientific Games were able to secure the exclusive licensing rights.”

Variety reported in 2015 that another studio could supplant Sony as MGM’s distribution partner for the franchise. Sony’s has handled distribution on “Casino Royale,” “Quantum of Solace,” “Skyfall” and “Spectre.” “Skyfall” was the highest-grossing 007 film in franchise history.

Danjaq LLC is the holding company responsible for the copyright and trademarks to the characters, elements, and other material related to James Bond on screen. It’s currently owned and managed by the family of Albert R. Broccoli. Eon Productions is a sister company of Danjaq and the production company responsible for producing the James Bond films.

Tribal Gaming Legalized 30 Years Ago This Month

30 Years of Tribal Gaming

March 2, 2017 at 3:52 pm

By David G. Schwartz, Green Felt Journal, Vegas Seven

February 25, 1987, was a milestone date for gambling in America. On that day, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, a verdict that paved the way for the rapid expansion of casino gambling on tribal lands in the decades to follow. Thirty years on, the Court’s decision still reverberates throughout the casino industry and Las Vegas.

First, an important note: Neither the Cabazon decision nor the following year’s Indian Gaming Regulatory Act created or legalized tribal gaming. On the contrary, tribes had been offering various kinds of gambling for years, which is how the Cabazon Band ended up in court in the first place. A small tribe of Cahuilla Indians located between Indio and Palm Springs in Riverside County, California, the Cabazon offered bingo games to the general public, as did the nearby Morongo Band; the Cabazon also opened a card room.

The state of California and Riverside County sued to shut down these gambling operations, arguing that the tribes’ bingo games flouted state bingo betting limits. After a lengthy legal battle, the Supreme Court found that, although the state had legitimate concerns about possible organized crime infiltration of high-stakes bingo, any state regulation would “impermissibly infringe” on tribal government.

The decision affirmed a ruling previously enunciated by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Butterworth: If a state permitted gambling, tribes were allowed to offer that type of gambling without state regulation or interference. Unless a state made gambling illegal, it could do nothing to prevent tribal gaming operations.

It is worth saying that government figured deeply into California v. Cabazon. In his majority decision, Justice Byron White specifically noted that California, far from barring gambling, operated a lottery and “daily encourage[d] its citizens to participate in this state-run gambling.” The state, far from exercising police powers to restrict undesirable behaviors by its citizens, was in the gambling business. Since the state was a promoter of gambling, the Court held that it regulated rather than prohibited gambling, with a few enumerated exceptions.

It is also worth pointing out that this decision did not come from an envelope-pushing activist court. As White noted in his decision, President Ronald Reagan’s 1983 Statement on Indian Policy had endorsed bingo as a method of reducing tribal dependence on federal funds, and that the Department of the Interior had promoted tribal bingo. Public-interest gambling had been expanding in the United States since 1925, when Florida legalized racetrack pari-mutuel wagering, and successive waves of racing, bingo and lottery legalization have made gambling an essential contributor to many state budgets.

California v. Cabazon’s impact was immediate. The following year, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act provided a framework for tribal gambling operations and for the compacts (treaties) between tribes and states necessary for Class III gambling, which included Las Vegas–style casinos. These compacts allowed for revenue sharing between tribes and states, which greatly incentivized states to broker deals with tribes. By 1996, tribal casinos nationwide were earning more than Atlantic City or the Las Vegas Strip, and tribal casinos have grown even as commercial casinos have multiplied. Today, Indian casinos make about $30 billion annually in revenue, about three-quarters the total of their commercial rivals.

Tribal gaming has had a twofold impact on Nevada casinos. Its spread in California, the Pacific Northwest and Arizona has slowed revenue growth from Lake Tahoe to Laughlin, although Las Vegas has proven more resilient. With California’s total revenues estimated near $7 billion, it’s easy to see Indian casinos as the winner of a zero-sum game: Every dollar wagered in the Golden State is a dollar not bet in Nevada.

But there’s another dimension to that growth. Tribal casinos offer career opportunities at every level, increasing the value of job skills specific to the gaming industry. It used to be that casino employees and managers would face a substantial career readjustment if they wanted to move outside of Nevada or Atlantic City. Now, leaving Las Vegas doesn’t necessarily mean exiting the casino business, as tribes from California to Connecticut have hired line employees and managers with Las Vegas pedigrees.

In the early years of tribal gaming, it didn’t seem that way—industry attitudes were more likely to be hostile or dismissive—but time has proven that a mature tribal gaming industry and Las Vegas can not only coexist, but can bolster each other. Back in 1987, few Strip pit bosses could have imagined that a Supreme Court decision about tribal bingo might create an alternate career path for them, but today it’s taken for granted. Thirty years after California v. Cabazon, there might be fewer people coming to Nevada to gamble, but there’s a little bit of Las Vegas planted in the most unlikely soil.