A recent study, commissioned by Lottoland.co.uk, has revealed that a significant portion of British adults have dabbled in gambling at some point in their lives, yet nearly half of them have never played popular card games like poker or blackjack. 

29% of Brits Cite Knowledge Gaps, Study Finds

The study, conducted on 2,000 adults, uncovered that 29% of respondents felt intimidated by the prospect of stepping into a casino. This intimidation primarily stemmed from a lack of understanding about betting games, deterring 37% of the participants from trying their luck.

Fear of being judged for not knowing the rules of a betting game (19%) and the anxiety of doing ‘the wrong thing’ (23%) were also cited as reasons for their apprehension. As a consequence, 29% expressed a preference for the comfort of online casinos, while only 18% favored physical ones.

The research exposed the gaps in knowledge among British adults. The study found that 23% of participants lacked a basic understanding of slot machines, while the same percentage was clueless about betting on horse racing. Additionally, 30% felt mystified by roulette, and 37% were out of their depth when it came to betting on boxing matches.

Surprisingly, while a large portion admitted their lack of gaming know-how, Brits showcased familiarity with simpler card games. For instance, 62% knew how to play a basic game of snap, and 61% were familiar with Solitaire. However, when confronted with the prospect of learning a new card game, a third expressed dread.

Study Reveals 32% Prefer Games Requiring Skills

Moreover, the study disclosed that 32% of those who had ventured into gambling preferred games that involved an element of skill, indicating a proclivity for strategic betting over chance-based games. Additionally, a whopping 45% of participants expressed a desire to visit iconic casinos like Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, highlighting a latent interest in the world of gambling.

A spokesperson for Lottoland’s casino noted, “It is interesting to see how many people believed they’d be a dab hand at poker if they just gave it a try. And for those who do think they’d have a secret mastery of card games but aren’t quite ready to hit the casinos, then dipping your toe in with an online version can be a great test of your skills.”

Intriguingly, even without experience, 34% believed their ability to remain calm would make them proficient at poker. Furthermore, 19% considered themselves adept at bluffing, a skill valuable in card games. Yet, 28% confessed their shortcomings in ‘reading’ other people, a disadvantage in games like Texas hold ’em.

Despite their hesitations, 23% found watching poker games entertaining, even if they were not card game aficionados themselves, as revealed by OnePoll data.

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Kentucky officially embraced in-person sports bets on September 7, followed by the much-anticipated launch of an interactive platform for mobile and online wagers three weeks later, on September 28, a date that coincided with FanDuel’s launch of its mobile sports betting app. 

Ever since, sports betting in the Bluegrass State Sports has generated millions in state taxes while coinciding with an increase in the number of people asking for professional gambling addiction help.

While a portion of the wagered money is used to support the public pension deficit in Kentucky, among others, some will also reach the special fund that the state has dedicated to problem gaming. 

According to the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling’s president, Dr. RonSonlyn Clark, the respective money will be actively used to serve their purpose, in the context of the new problems rising in the state. 

Limited Number of Certified Counselors 

Clark spoke about the need to adjust to the ongoing technology advent that has been adopted by the gambling industry in the past years, which now allows gambling “from the comfort of your home in your pajamas 24/7, every day of the year.”

The president also raised the problem of the limited number of certified compulsive gambling counselors. At the moment, Kentucky only hosts five such certified counselors. 

In the context of a potentially large influx of fresh sports bettors brought in by the legalization of the activity, it is safe to assume that there will also be an increase in the number of players seeking problem gambling support. 

Quoting statistics, Clark spoke about the fact that up to 2% of gamblers will require “some treatment”. The council’s president strengthened this idea by mentioning the rise in the number of calls to the 1-800 hotline for gamblers while anticipating an exacerbation in the future.  

Also commenting on the current systems built to assist people with problem gaming, Clark said that while “some infrastructure” is currently available, she would like to see it get stronger. 

In this context, the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling has announced its intent to perform blitz training at the head of 2024 as a means of getting people who want to become gambling counselors the necessary.

Gambling Addiction Leads to High Rates of Suicide 

Another important issue raised by Clark regarded the high rate of suicide recorded among those affected by gambling addiction or disordered gambling. 

As explained by the therapist, “20% of people will attempt or complete suicide” once they are faced with gambling-related problems caused by financial issues, shame, secrecy, guilt, and the involvement of their families.

Clark further mentioned the “addictive quality” that goes hand in hand with gambling, mentioning substance and alcohol use as well as a variety of other types of behavioral addictions. While some of these are tied to genetics, others are triggered by people’s lifestyles, the things individuals are exposed to, or as a way of developing new coping mechanisms to escape daily problems. 

Accordingly, Clark expressed her desire to see a rehab center built to assist with recovery. Such a center would incur between $2 and  $3 million dollars in yearly costs.

The council, whose vision is to “be the focal point for problem gambling issues in the Commonwealth of Kentucky”, was set up almost three decades ago in an effort to promote prevention activities, raise awareness, and educate gamblers and individuals confronted with disorder gambling issues.

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As the bidding and pitching process for new casinos to win licenses in and around New York City heats up, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the local potential impacts. Known collectively as the “downstate New York” casino license tender, at least one new casino will open with two other full-fledged casino licenses possibly going to existing lottery casinos in the area.

The first and second licenses are “widely believed” to be destined for the walls of Resorts World New York in Jamaica, Queens, and MGM’s Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway in that city. Both locations already host large and popular video lottery terminal-fed (VLT) slot machines and table games and could conceivably garner one or both of the first licenses while a third license is entirely up for grabs under costly terms and potentially huge financial benefits.

The Minimum Bid is $500 Million

The minimum bid for each of the three licenses is half a billion dollars, however, as observers have noted in the past, the NYC area could be the biggest untapped casino market on earth with a populace of some 19 million people.

The Brooklyn Paper will be the main source for our article today along with our own reporting and a bag of facts generated by gambling authorities in the state, the World Casino Directory, and other sources as noted throughout the story.

Thor Equities is looking to develop property it owns on Coney Island, a historical icon as well as a southern Brooklyn neighborhood where opinions run hot and cold as well as tepidly indifferent to the prospects of a large new Las Vegas-style casino and entertainment complex there.

Developers believe some 4,000 new jobs would be directly and indirectly created in Brooklyn if the consortium’s eventual bid is ultimately accepted. Not only jobs but good-paying union jobs according to former New York City council member and a pro-casino task force member, Robert Cornegy.

According to the local paper, Cornegy believes that jobs with a decent wage and year-round employment would be created in the neighborhood between gaming, hospitality, and hotel operators opening doors to the middle class for many people who have not had such opportunities in front of them in some time.

Cornegy reportedly told Brooklyn Paper: “Being able to bring decent paying, year-round jobs is something that I feel like I am compelled to push and demand.

“For people of color, black people in particular, labor has created a pathway to the middle class in a lot of different industries. The hotel trade is one of the more lucrative opportunities.”

While some people don’t hold these sorts of jobs in high esteem, Cornegy says they can pay as much as $30 per hour and offer a chance at upward mobility as well as enticing benefits.

He particularly focused on the fact that the neighborhood already has its own “brand” and that built-in advantage could be wasted if it’s not used.

Community Board 13 is a New York City government entity that serves the areas of Brighton Beach, Coney Island, Gravesend, and Sea Gate. Public meetings are still held via Zoom rather than in person but the Board is still active.

Community Board 13 chair, Lucy Mujica Diaz seems to be wary of that number and told the Papoer that she wonders what percentage of those jobs would actually go to community members and stated that the jobs might not be the best match for many community members.

Mujica Diaz is quoted as saying, “I don’t see someone in hospitality lasting that long,” according to Brooklyn Paper. “I don’t think it would be a good fit for some of the people because there are still unanswered questions.”

Statistics for the neighborhood show a slightly higher unemployment rate than the rest of the city overall with 5.6% in Kings County compared to 5.3% for NYC overall.

A member of the “casino bidding team” purportedly stated that recruitment and job training would be preferentially provided to locals. Local job fairs and other “pipelines” of opportunity would also be afforded to local citizens. It may be of interest to note that when Bally’s was pitching its Chicago Casino, the first real casino ever in the nation’s third-largest city, a promised number of jobs and matches was part of the package.

According to Carnegie’s thinking: “I think it’s important to note how far, even when we talk about the disparities in the city, those disparity numbers are always increased in a place like Coney Island,” he said.

Diaz noted that the neighborhood’s current seasonal nature can feed into the lack of job opportunities as well. The Coney Island poverty rate is reportedly 24% while that of the city overall stands at 20%. She worries that locals wouldn’t apply for the obs as even making a single dollar more in salary can increase the rent people in public housing must pay. Over 100,000 New Yorkers live in one of the 79 developments operated by the New York City Housing Authority with about 11,000 Community Board 13 area residents being part of that number. C13 also serves Brighton Beach.

Better Pay is Not Always Attractive

Diaz explained in more detail how the current structure of eligibility for that housing complicates matters and asserted she was confident that not even 50% of the jobs would go to locals. Some senior residents simply don’t want or need full-time “lucrative” employment as the income would simply lower the income insurance benefits they already receive from Social Security.

There are regular community members who are opposed to the casino being located there as well. However, when it comes to “grassroots” organizations it’s not always easy or even possible to know true motives as casino license competitors and other “stakeholders” can easily influence the voice of opposition movements when checks and balances are not established prior the bidding process getting underway. Preliminary bidding for the licenses has officially been underway for several months.

The Paper noted that casino proponents are still in the process of “workshopping” a proposal and haven’t completed their RFP or Request for Proposal which city casino planners began offering in early January.

The state has still not published a submission date for the proposals being sought by the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board.

Cornegy maintains the project would be good for job creation. “This project looks to be one of the largest job creators in southern Brooklyn,” he said.

Source: Developers say proposed Coney Island casino would bring 4,000 new jobs to the People’s Playground, The Brooklyn Paper, June 15, 2023

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