B.C. casinos could use loyalty programs to target problem gamblers

Artificial intelligence could be used to identify problem gamblers so casinos can withhold online ads, suggest gamblers take a break or suggest they get help before they reach a critical addiction stage, an artificial intelligence specialist predicts.

“If someone who signed up for the loyalty program is exhibiting signs of problem gambling based on patterns identified in algorithms of problem gamblers who voluntarily self-excluded, you can cut out marketing and communications to that person,” said Katy Yam of Element AI, who was speaking on Wednesday at a conference on artificial intelligence and its potential to spot problem gambling.

People at the multi-day conference, organized by the B.C. Lottery Corporation and held at the Parq Hotel and Casino in Vancouver, will also hear about the casinos’ responsibility for players impaired by cannabis now that it’s been legalized.

Yam said casinos use voluntary loyalty programs to reward their best customers by offering perks or special treatment to ensure they return.

“You can also (use the loyalty program data) to do the reverse,” said Yam, who worked for eight years for Lotto Quebec. Players with potential problems could be sent messages suggesting they may want to take a break or visit one of the Game Sense kiosks that offers help to problem gamblers, she said.

BCLC has had a Game Sense adviser at B.C.’s 17 larger casinos for the past decade and is scheduled to have one in each of the 18 community gambling centres, those in smaller towns, by September, said Jamie Wiebe, BCLC’s director of player health.

She said it isn’t always easy to identify problem gamblers in the same way you can if someone is abusing alcohol. And the players must take a shared responsibility for identifying their problem gambling and get help, she said.

Operators do have a responsibility not to allow players to continue to play while intoxicated. That’s become more complicated with the legalization of marijuana because recognizing the effects of THC (cannabis’s active ingredient) is different than recognizing alcohol impairment, said toxicologist James Wigmore, who will speak at the conference on Thursday.

He said someone intoxicated by THC would have trouble with the skills necessary to gamble, including memory and motor skills.

He said operators will have to learn how to identify the signs, including bloodshot eyes, repetitive speech and staggering, without having the benefit of the tools police can use to test for cannabis impairment.

The conference, which also included topics on sports betting, first aid for mental health patients, and how to contact high-sending gamblers, also heard about the “gambling-like” quality of so-called loot boxes.

Loot boxes are offered as incentives and rewards in video gaming, usually for a price, said Gabriel Woods, a clinical psychology doctoral student from the Centre for Gambling Research at UBC.

Gamers playing for loot boxes engage in the same behaviours as gamblers, such as loss-chasing, preoccupation and the inability to stop, according to an online survey of 144 adult gamers and 113 UBC undergraduates that co-related the behaviours.

Woods said the loot boxes are based on random or near-random chance, offering varying desirability of prizes and money is required to play, the same as with gambling.

Most of the players spent $10 to $12 a month but some were spending hundreds of dollars a month, he said.
China since 2016 has mandated the games report the probability of winning and te The Netherlands and Belgium have banned players from trading or selling the loot boxes, he said.

“Our data suggests it would be sensible to regulate loot boxes,” said Woods.

According to a 2014 BC government report on the prevalence of problem gambling, 3.3 per cent of adult British Columbians were moderate- or high-risk problem gamblers (2.6 per cent of them were moderate-risk), or about 125,000.

Another 7.9 per cent were considered low-risk problem gamblers, for a total of 11.2 per cent of the population, according to the report.

Gambling is considered a problem when it gets in the way of work, school or other activities, harms the person’s mental or physical health, hurts the person financially, damages the person’s reputation or causes problems with family or friends, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association website.