Compulsive gambling is a very difficult habit to kick. Like all addictions, there is constant temptation so it is important for many problem gamblers to completely cut themselves off from any association with casinos. To aid in this process, online casinos offer self-exclusion programs – but one operator’s program recently backfired terribly.
In the American state of New Jersey, where online gambling is currently legal, the Caesars Entertainment Corp has been sending out gambling promotions to self-excluded players. From 16 February to 28 May 2014, 250 problem gamblers that had banned themselves from the online casino received several promotional emails from WSOP.com (operated by Caesars).
As part of New Jersey’s gambling legislation, players must be given the option of permanently or temporarily banning themselves from online casinos. They can impose 1, 2, 3 or 5 month bans, during which time casino operators are prohibited from contacting them with any promotional material. As you can imagine, there was a huge backlash at the casino operator.
Responsible gambling advocates accused Caesars of targeting vulnerable individuals in order to boost their own profits; however, representatives from the company maintain that it was not intentional.
“We can assure the public that this lapse on our part was not an intentional targeting of these patrons, but simply a back-end software issue that failed to properly scrub our database before certain mailings,” says Seth Palansky, the Vice President of Corporate Communications at Caesars Entertainment Ltd. The company has expressed deep regret for the error, but an apology is not enough.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) has imposed a $10 000 fine on the casino operator.
While it may not be the steepest fine for a company that earns millions of dollars in gambling revenue every year, it is certainly acts as a deterrent to discourage other casino operators from letting these types of mistakes happen.
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