Motives for playing social casino games and the transition from gaming to gambling (or vice versa): social casino game play as harm reduction?

Social casino games (i.e., online, free to play casino-like games) share many similar visual, auditory and structural game mechanics as gambling games. Given the similarities between the two activities, it is not uncommon for people to migrate from social casino gaming to gambling or vice versa. In the current work, we investigated whether motives for playing social casino games may play a role in the transition from gaming to gambling. We also assessed whether motives for playing social casino games as a way to reduce gambling cravings was predictive of self-reported changes in gambling behaviour 30 days later and whether this relationship was dependent on the activity first played. In a community sample of people who gamble and play social casino games (N=228), those who played social casino games before beginning to gamble were more likely to report playing social casino games for social motives, or as a way to reduce gambling-related cravings, than people who gambled before playing social casino games. Additionally, we found that using social casino games as a tool to moderate gambling cravings was associated with self-reported decreases in gambling behaviour one-month later, but only among those who played social casino games before beginning to gamble. Results suggest that what game was played first (social casino games or gambling games) matters, especially for the clinical utility of social casino games as a harm reduction strategy.Résumé Les jeux de casino sociaux (qui sont offerts gratuitement en ligne) partagent avec les jeux de hasard un grand nombre de caractéristiques visuelles, auditives et structurelles définissant la mécanique de jeu. Vu les ressemblances entre ces deux types de jeux, il n’est pas inhabituel pour les joueurs de passer de l’un à l’autre et inversement. Nous avons cherché à savoir trois choses : premièrement, si les raisons qui motivent la pratique des jeux de casino sociaux influent sur la transition vers les jeux de hasard; deuxièmement, si ces motivations peuvent, en tant que moyen de réduire l’envie de jouer, être un prédicteur de changements de comportement au bout de 30 jours; et troisièmement, si ce lien dépend de l’activité adoptée en premier. Notre échantillon recruté dans la collectivité comptait des adeptes des deux types de jeux (N=228). Ceux qui s’adonnaient aux jeux de casino avant d’adopter les jeux de hasard ont été plus nombreux que ceux qui avaient fait l’inverse à évoquer des motivations sociales ou la recherche d’un moyen de tempérer leur envie de jouer. Le recours aux jeux de casino dans un but de modération est associé à une diminution de la fréquence de jeu un mois plus tard, mais seulement chez les personnes qui s’adonnaient aux jeux de casino avant de passer aux jeux de hasard. Selon nos résultats, l’activité pratiquée en premier joue bel et bien un rôle, en particulier en ce qui touche l’utilité des jeux de casino sociaux en tant que stratégie de réduction des risques.

Indian Gaming

Indian gaming, also called Native American casino gaming or tribal gaming, is tribal government gaming. It is government gaming built on sovereignty and consequently is a corollary to state gambling such as lotteries rather than a corollary to corporate gaming. While the types of games offered in casinos might differ in format from ancestral indigenous games, gaming itself is a cultural tradition in many tribes, including those who operate casino gambling. Native American casino gaming is a $33.7 billion industry operated by nearly 250 distinct tribes in twenty-nine states in the United States. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988 provides the framework for tribal gaming and the most important case law in Indian gaming remains Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Butterworth, in the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the US Supreme Court decision over California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians.

Casino development and regulation in Asia: the experience of Macau and Singapore for Japan and other destinations

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the casino development and regulation in Macau and Singapore. The paper also seeks to assess the potential for casino development in Asia, with a particular focus on the prospects of Japan's casino resorts.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the gaming history, gaming/tourism policies and casino regulations of Macau and Singapore. The key aspects concerned with the casino development in Asia are also examined.FindingsThe paper identifies the fundamentals that have contributed to the prosperity of casino resorts in Macau and Singapore, as well as highlights the potential and challenges for the casino developments in Japan and other Asian destinations.Research limitations/implicationsA number of legal and tourism-related factors are identified to be the determinants of casino development. However, more research is needed to examine the political, economic and socio-cultural factors associated with casino gaming.Practical implicationsThe paper, discussing the casino development and regulation in Macau and Singapore, provides practical implications for the design of gaming/tourism policy and casino control in Japan and other prospective gaming jurisdictions.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the growing body of literature on the gaming law and casino development in Asia and provides insights for policymakers contemplating the adoption of casinos as a strategic policy for tourism development and economic growth.

Regulating Macao's casino gaming: two decades of development and prospects

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review Macao's gaming regulation from 2001, when competition was introduced into the gaming market, to the present and discuss the potential methods to improve the regulatory system in the future.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts the qualitative approach, investigating and studying the contents, changes and enforcement of the gaming legislations.FindingsThe gaming regulation in Macao has made great progress in the past two decades. Before 2001, the gaming market was monopolized, and the gaming regulation was merely a concession system. Law No. 16/2001, together with the other laws and regulations promulgated later, established a regulatory framework containing rules of suitability check, casino entry, competition, internal control, gaming promotion, credit gaming and antimoney laundering. The implementation of the rules has also drawn attention of the international community.Originality/valueThis paper reviews the gaming regulation in Macao in all its major aspects for the first time and argues that a framework of gaming regulation has been established in Macao although it needs to be improved.

Double down: economic downturn and increased competition impacts on casino gaming and employment

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to create a more balanced, comprehensive and valid illustration of the relationships between casino gaming volume and employment during economic downturns in urban and rural locations in nondestination gaming states.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes gaming volumes and employment prior, during and after the recession of 2007–2009, using a time series with intervention analysis on a monthly coin in, table drop and regression analysis on employment impacts of casinos.FindingsFindings indicate that while there was a slight drop in gaming revenue and employment figures during the economic downturn, nondestination gaming locations such as Indiana proved relatively resilient to an economic downturn.Originality/valueThe Great Recession had no significant impact on gaming volume because gamblers chose to spend their more limited entertainment dollars on less expensive gaming options; in other words, casinos closer to home requiring the expenditure of fewer dollars on travel and/or hotel rooms. The current pandemic and pressures of the macro-environment again threaten the US gaming and casino market with an economic downturn and the results of this study are as timely as ever for hospitality professionals and social scientists to understand the behavior of casinos in recessionary environments.