00:00:05:01 - 00:00:34:10 Announcer Hi, and thanks for joining us today. Whether you're new to responsible gambling or not, we hope this brief session will enhance your understanding of responsible gambling and maybe give you a few smiles along the way. To start, let's look at a few facts about responsible gambling, or RG. Research consistently shows that the vast majority of adults in the US, about 85 to 90%, have gambled at some point during their lives. 00:00:34:13 - 00:01:04:21 Announcer Most people who gamble do so responsibly, sticking to limits of time and money that keep this an enjoyable recreational activity. However, gambling is also recreation with a risk. Some people may experience difficulties as a result of spending more time, money and effort on lottery games than they can afford. We can think of everyone falling on a continuum, from no gambling to responsible gambling to problem gambling. 00:01:04:23 - 00:01:41:13 Announcer Responsible gambling acknowledges all parts of the continuum. Most adults want to have gambling opportunities and enjoy gambling safely. And yet, there can be harm related to lottery play. So we should always strive toward fostering responsible actions. RG is a key element in the lottery's social obligations to customers, business partners and communities. From a broad perspective, the gambling industry provides benefits to individuals and communities in the form of entertainment, employment, and fiscal contributions to state and provincial programs. 00:01:41:16 - 00:02:07:13 Announcer As such, the gambling industry is a leading stakeholder in any discussions about responsible gambling. Let's also include anyone who either benefits from gambling activities or suffers from the effects of problem gambling. In other words, we are all stakeholders. Of course, we are not here to put pressure on anyone, but rather to spark your interest and curiosity surrounding this subject. 00:02:07:15 - 00:02:35:26 Announcer How can you add to the responsible gambling conversation in your workplace and community? Responsible gambling is good for business and is positive customer service. Promoting RG also contributes to a sustainable business model. It helps achieve our goal of having lifelong customers who play at levels they can enjoy and afford. When people gamble more than they should, we may actually lose them as customers. 00:02:35:28 - 00:02:51:03 Announcer Responsible gambling provides our staff and partners with the tools they need to proactively respond to common situations. Increasing employee confidence and morale. Let's look at a few scenarios. 00:02:51:05 - 00:02:52:04 Lottery Employee How can I help you? 00:02:52:08 - 00:03:08:03 Caller My wife has been playing lottery scratch offs ever since she won $1,000 three years ago. She's been playing nearly every day and digging us into a huge hole. She told me she stopped, but then I found tickets in her car. We can't afford to pay the mortgage this month. I don't know what to do. 00:03:08:06 - 00:03:27:13 Lottery Employee You are doing the right thing by reaching out. There is help available. I'm not an expert, but I can connect you with people who can help. Our helpline offers free and confidential advice for anyone who might be struggling with gambling related problems, including financial difficulties. Would you like the number? 00:03:27:16 - 00:03:30:22 Caller Thanks. I just didn't know where to turn. 00:03:30:25 - 00:03:57:07 Announcer In this scenario, what did the lottery employee do well? The lottery employee realized an opportunity to have a brief conversation to promote responsible gambling. She was friendly and respectful and asked for the customer's permission to give him information. What's more, she had accurate resources readily available. The answer is D. Here's another example. 00:03:57:09 - 00:04:03:04 Upset Customer That store clerk lied to me. I know at least one of these tickets is a winner. Can you double-check them for me? 00:04:03:08 - 00:04:12:00 Lottery Employee Of course I'd be happy to double-check your tickets. I'm sorry, but the clerk was correct. You don't have a winner this time. 00:04:12:03 - 00:04:24:01 Upset Customer You're all liars! I just keep buying more and more tickets. I have lost so much money in the lottery. I have to get it back. I don't know how I'm going to pay my brother back all this money! 00:04:24:03 - 00:04:50:12 Announcer Sometimes individuals struggling with gambling problems can be upset or angry. In this scenario, what should the lottery employee do? Never try to convince someone they have a gambling problem and don't confront or engage a customer if you feel threatened or feel the situation will escalate. The answer is d. None of the above. Now let's look at how this employee responded appropriately. 00:04:50:14 - 00:04:56:06 Lottery Employee I know you're very upset right now, and I'm sorry you didn't get the results you wanted. I'd like to help. 00:04:56:08 - 00:05:00:06 Upset Customer I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get upset at you. I'm just having a tough time. 00:05:00:12 - 00:05:10:21 Lottery Employee Would it be okay if I gave you some information? This is a free and confidential helpline. You can talk to professionals some other players have found helpful. 00:05:10:23 - 00:05:37:19 Announcer Lottery staff can also support our retail partners by helping them recognize opportunities to promote responsible gambling. As before, this means a chance to start a conversation. Refer to our information about how lottery games and odds work. That way, customers can best decide for themselves how to play. Remind retailers that responsible play includes setting limits on frequency, time, and money. 00:05:37:21 - 00:06:02:21 Announcer Gambling for entertainment, not as a way to make money or solve financial problems. And balancing gambling with other leisure activities. Lottery staff can also reassure retailers that they're not expected to be a therapist, a judge or the lottery police. Instead, they're just regular people having conversations with other people. Here's one more scenario. 00:06:02:23 - 00:06:23:06 Lottery Retailer Hey, I wanted to talk to you about one of my daily customers. James comes in about this time every day to buy Powerball tickets. He's been increasing his bet each week, and he thinks that that will increase his odds. I've explained the odds of the game to him several times, but he just keeps spending more and more and getting more aggressive each time. 00:06:23:08 - 00:06:34:26 Upset Customer Hey, this is my last 50 bucks. You better give me the lucky Powerball tickets for tonight's drawing. I have to win because these bills are way overdue. 00:06:34:29 - 00:06:51:00 Lottery Retailer Hi, James. You've been a very loyal customer, and I'm sorry you're feeling stressed. Would it be okay with you if I gave you some information that other customers have found useful? This is a confidential and free helpline available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 00:06:51:02 - 00:06:55:22 Lottery Retailer They can talk to you about getting things back on track. 00:06:55:25 - 00:07:15:00 Lottery Sales Rep You did a great job with James seeing his comments as an opportunity to have a conversation. You were friendly and respectful and you didn't make him feel singled out. It may take several conversations for someone to realize they have a gambling problem. Thanks for encouraging your customers to play responsibly. 00:07:15:03 - 00:07:43:09 Announcer Now let's take a look at some other aspects of lottery work that don't involve customer contact, but still have significant community impact. For example, underage lottery play and advertising that doesn't target vulnerable groups. Persons depicted in lottery advertising should never be, nor appear to be under the legal purchase age. Advertising should not contain symbols or language primarily intended to appeal to minors. 00:07:43:11 - 00:08:10:14 Announcer The use of animation should also be monitored to ensure characters do not resemble any existing children's programing. Preventing underage gambling is important because research has shown that the younger a person begins gambling, the more likely they are to develop a gambling problem. Here's a good example with a relevant message. It seeks to educate parents and even grandparents that lottery tickets are not appropriate gifts for children. 00:08:10:16 - 00:08:34:26 Announcer Similarly, other RG guidelines include prohibiting the sales of lottery tickets to minors and ensuring that all lottery vending machines are within a direct line of sight of the retailer. We hope this video has provided you with some good ideas about how responsible gambling can be a key part of your lottery’s mission and business. 00:08:34:29 - 00:08:53:20 Announcer As in our examples, you may have the chance to start an RG conversation with coworkers, retailers, customers, or community members. We hope your role as a responsible gambling ambassador adds to your enthusiasm, creativity, and enjoyment of your job. Thanks for all you do.