How casinos train staff to spot addiction

Shortly

An effective training program is based on three whales:

1. Knowledge (what is behavioral addiction and its signs), 2. Skills (how to safely and respectfully intervene), 3. System (protocols, escalations, records, audits).

The goal is to identify the risk early and ethically, not "catch the offender."

1) Training Content: What Every Employee Should Know

Basic theory (2-3 hours):

How addiction works: variable reinforcement, tolerance, the role of "hot" emotions.
Risk factors: night sessions, single player, lack of sleep, alcohol.
Employee role limits: help and routing, not diagnostics.

Policies and Laws (1-2 hours):

Age/ID, prohibition of intoxicated service.
Self-exclusion and timeout procedures, VIP control.
Privacy and data protection (minimum, need-to-know).

Responsible Play Tools (1 hour):

Limits, timeouts, reality-check, delay in raising limits.
Where they turn on at the checkout/lux, how to show the guest.

Communication and de-escalation (practice, 2-4 hours):

Unobtrusive contact, "I-messages," short neutral phrases.
Work with emotions (anger, shame, euphoria), pauses and transfer to a private zone.

2) "Red Flags" (land casinos and online)

On-site behavioral signs:

Long game without interruption, especially at night; skipping food/water.
Frequent cash exchanges/cashouts and "back-to-play" returns.
Raising rates after losing ("dogon"), trying to borrow from guests/staff.
Irritability at the table/machine, visible fatigue, arguing with loved ones on the phone.
Neglect of hygiene/appearance after long sessions.

Online signals (for support/host):

A series of deposits in a short time, cancellation of withdrawal, requests to remove limits "right now."
Letters/chats with the wording "return your," "last chance," complaints about debts.
Frequent closure of warnings, night activity 2 + nights in a row.

💡 Principle: a set of features is more important than an individual episode.

3) Ladder of interventions for personnel (step-up by risk)

Level 0 - No Contact Prophylaxis

Offer water/break; remind about recreation areas.

Display hours on screens, display session duration.

Level 1 - soft contact (neutral tone, private)

💡 "Good evening! I notice you have been with us for a long time. Want to take a break? We have free water and a seating area"

If the guest opens: offer limits/timeout, show how to enable.

Level 2 - Support Communication

💡 "If you feel that it has become difficult to play, we can put a limit together or arrange a timeout for a day or a week. I can swipe"

A card with help contacts and QR for the "Responsible Game" section is awarded.

Level 3 - Escalation to RG Specialist

In case of multiple flags/conflict/alcohol: transfer to a quiet zone, connection of the RG duty manager, brief recording of the incident.

Level 4 Service Restriction

Denial of service in case of apparent intoxication/aggression.

Help with safe transport home; documentation.

4) Communication scripts: short and respectful

Discovery (no charges):

💡 "I am for the safe rest of the guests. It seems you might benefit from a pause - bring water or show where to rest?"

If a person is angry:

💡 "I understand, I can be wrong. My task is to offer options. If anything, I'm there"

About limits/timeout:

💡 "A limit is a ceiling, not a goal. It can be reduced immediately, and increased only tomorrow. It helps not to make decisions based on emotions"

About self-exclusion (on request):

💡 "This is a pause for a longer period. I will explain the steps and give contacts where to restore access later"

5) Practice: How skills are trained

Role-playing games: 5-10 scenarios (night spiral, "dogon," conflict at the checkout, denial of service).

Debrief: what they said, where it worked, what to improve; individual feedback.

Micro-drills: 60-second exercises - "say the phrase without shame," "neutral tone," "ask to pause."

Chat/call simulator (for online teams): recognition of key phrases, correct routing.

6) Documentation and data protection

Card incident: date/time, observed facts (no assessments), measures taken, consent to further contact.

Role Access - Only RG/Shift Management has access to notes.

Storage and audit: a unified system of records, regular random quality checks.

7) Training and quality metrics

Coursework: completion of modules, results of quizzes, passing role-playing games.

Process: number of soft contacts per 1000 guests, share of accepted offers "break/water/limits."

Outcomes: an increase in the number of voluntary limits/timeouts, a decrease in night sessions of 90 + minutes, and a decrease in conflicts.

Customer experience: NPS on RG-assisted guests, no complaints of "shame/pressure."

8) 30-60-90 day implementation plan for casinos

First 30 days

Appoint an RG lead, approve the policy and the "ladder of interventions."

Run basic e-learning (theory/policies/tools).

Prepare guide cards and QR codes for resources.

Days 31-60

Conduct offline training with role-playing games for all shifts.

Enter an "incident card" and a short interchangeable RG planning.

Start weekly analysis of 2-3 cases (20 minutes).

Days 61-90

Cross-training of cash desk/floor managers/service/online support.

Mini-audit: secret guests, checking tonality and actions.

Adjusting scripts, publishing first metrics and improvement plan.

9) Shift checklists

Before opening a shift

Help cards for each employee
RG Lead and Duty Manager contacts available
Water/recreation/navigation checked

During shift

Offer Long Play/Night Sessions Break
Neutral language, no shame/marks
With Flags - Short Record to Incident Card

After the shift

Analysis of 1 case (5-10 minutes)
Update Knowledge: What Worked/What to Improve

10) Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Accusatory tone. → Use neutral facts and sentences, not labels.

"Rescue" or dispute. → The task is to offer options and a route, not to convince by force.

No record. → Any significant contact - briefly record.

Unprepared escalation. → Always know who the RG specialist is on duty and where the quiet area for conversation is.

11) Role of management

Personal example: the leader undergoes the same trainings, participates in debriffs.

RG KPIs are separate from commercial personnel metrics.

Quarterly audit and program updates; recognition of employees for high-quality RG cases.

12) Mini-FAQ

The employee is afraid of "offending the guest."

Focus on care and safety: "offering options" instead of "banning." Short, private, respectful.

When to call security?

Only in case of safety hazard/aggression/intoxication. First - RG duty manager and transfer to a calm place.

What about online players?

The same principles: neutral messages, proposal of limits/timeout, warm routing to the RG agent, documentation in the ticket system.

Staff training is not a one-time lecture, but a continuous practice: understandable "red flags," respectful scripts, a clear ladder of actions and regular analysis. When knowledge, skills, and the system work together, the casino notices the risk earlier, acts ethically, and helps guests stay within the safe confines of the game.