Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
IT takes a village to do almost everything including leading a society towards a pathway to responsible gaming.
But how did the village earn the burden of collectively addressing the social issue of gaming and gambling in the first place? According to author David G. Schwartz in his book, "Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling," gaming is the second oldest preoccupation of humankind. Archeologists have found primitive 'dice' and other gambling paraphernalia in ancient tombs around the world and if you want to go Biblical, in the Gospel According to Matthew (27:35), there is an account on how Roman soldiers cast lots for the garments of the crucified Christs right at the foot of the cross. And Schwartz did argue that gambling or gaming "has had a role in virtually every civilization" past and, of course, present.
Even in the Philippines, gambling, according to Greg Bankoff of Murdoch University, has been practiced since as early as the 16th century.
Why do people gamble?
According to the UK-based Mental Health Foundation, people gamble for the following reasons: thrill, the promise of monetary reward, a platform for socialization, and to relieve stress and other worries.
Gambling or gaming, therefore, is both part of culture and a natural inclination of any single individual person and by nature is actually good. This historical and cultural human activity, though, sheds off its natural good when it turns into something that now produces an entirely different set of results: thrill becomes terror, monetary reward becomes dependency for livelihood, socialization becomes anti-social, and stress reliever becomes a source of depression.
When gaming or gambling turns from leisure to addiction, that is when things turn from bad to worse, for the individual, the immediate family, and society in general.
The village has to take over
The ultimate guardian for responsible gaming in the country is the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor). Established in 1971, Pagcor is mandated to address the manner as to how Filipinos have been consuming gaming and to ensure that social costs associated with gambling is properly controlled, directed, and supervised. While government is aware of the tremendous revenue potentials from responsible gaming, which in turn help support various social and civic programs and projects, there is the social responsibility of ensuring that gaming or gambling does not turn into a social menace.
As guardian and bearer of this social responsibility, Pagcor gets a lot of assistance and help from the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in terms of regulating gaming or gambling. The efficient and sustained implementation of gaming or gambling regulations is in fact the first step towards minimizing and eventually eliminating gambling addiction in our society.
World-class casinos operating in the country are also part of the social support system that ensures less and less individuals become victims of the pitfalls of irresponsible gaming or worse, gambling addiction. These world-class casinos, aware of their social responsibility, are not only using human-driven checks and balances to ensure responsible gaming but are also employing technology to help individuals become responsible gamers.
For human-driven responsible gaming support mechanism, there is the 'Self Exclusion and Family Exclusion Programs' that are strictly implemented and monitored in coordination with Pagcor. These two exclusion programs will bar any individual suspected of having the tendency to "fall into gambling addiction" from entering all Pagcor operated and regulated gaming facilities for a determined period, from 6 months to 5 years, and the exclusion period can be extended if needed.
Casinos in the country also, as strictly required and mandated by Pagcor, have tie-ups with professional counseling centers and rehabilitation centers that have licensed psychologists and psychiatrists who can offer human intervention for individuals on the path towards irresponsible gambling.
On the other hand, a technology-driven applications called the "Cost2Play Calculator" is also being promoted and encouraged by casinos to guide their patrons into becoming responsible gamers. This application allows individual gamers to check on their gambling bets per hour, per month, and per year, specifically when they are playing Slots, Blackjack, or Roulette.
In terms of online casino sites operating outside of the Philippines but can easily be accessed within the country via the web, Pagcor admits these are not within their regulatory arms or just simply outside of their jurisdiction. However, Pagcor has made it sure to coordinate with responsible government entities and private companies, specifically in the Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) sector to employ Internet Protocol (IP) blocking against these foreign online casino sites.
The global gaming industry is also lending its able hand in institutionalizing responsible gaming, making it not only a community effort but an initiative of worldwide-scale as well. For instance, there is the RG Check, which is an international responsible gambling accreditation program developed by the Responsible Gambling Council based in Ontario, Canada. Before receiving the global mark of RG Check accreditation, a particular casino has to prove that it has responsible gaming policies, including human intervention and technology assistance, extended to its patrons. Having an RG Check accreditation is a clear message that a particular casino is serious about upholding responsible gaming.
For online gambling, the Global Gambling Guidance Group (G4) is aggressively promoting a worldwide accreditation program for the remote and e-gambling industry and its operators. The G4 has successfully drafted responsible gaming programs as well as training programs for operators and staff of remote and e-gambling companies.
Responsible gaming also means that gaming revenues are properly monitored, turned-over to government coffers, and not in any way used for illicit, illegal, or terroristic ends. Pagcor works round-the-clock with government agencies and private entities in the financial and banking sectors to protect the system of our gaming and gambling industry from money laundering and from being illegally used as a conduit for terrorism financing. In fact, a recent Memorandum of Agreement with the Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) allows Pagcor to tap on the assistance of AMLC in ensuring that dirty money and that money financing terrorism do not infiltrate the Philippine gaming industry.
Family support
According to a 2018 study led by Dr. James Bank of the Law and Criminology Department, Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom, 70.3 percent of those who have succumbed to gambling addiction is either married or living with a partner. This shows the importance of family support and guidance in helping individuals embrace responsible gambling.
The advice of UK's Mental Health Foundation is to check for these tell-tale signs on family members who are into gaming or gambling: gambling spending money should be within one's financial means, gambling is a spare-time activity and not a passion, gambling should relieve you of stress and not attract stress, gambling is leisure and not an escape from problems, lying and stealing just to gamble is already trouble. If any family becomes concerned about a member showing these signs and symptoms, seek help immediately.
In the Philippines, Pagcor and our authorities are more than willing to lend their hands, and the village will take a collective stand, so to say.
The importance of responsible gaming for nation building
It is not all about the revenues that the country derives from the gaming industry. It is about how the gaming industry is able to contribute tremendously to the needs of financially supporting nation-building.
Through a responsible gaming industry, 33,000 food pails were distributed for free to community frontliners, volunteers, and indigent individuals while the pandemic rages. In 2021 alone, despite the pandemic, the responsible gaming industry in the country was able to contribute the following: P1.5 billion for the construction of 64 Multi-Purpose Evacuation Centers (MPECs) across the country; P300 million for the construction, refurbishment, development, and new equipment, for various health care facilities across the country; P7.37 billion to finance the country's sports development programs and fuel the training of national athletes in their participation to international sports competitions; and P200 million in financial aid to help ameliorate the conditions of workers who lost income opportunities during the series of lockdowns due to the pandemic.
Responsible gaming is seen on the game table, yes, but it is also reflected on the gamer's behavior and on how the gaming industry helps in shaping society.