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It has been claimed by a spokesman for a chapter of Gamblers Anonymous in Quincy that since the Mark Twain Casino opened a decade ago there has not been a massive increase of people needing assistance with gambling problems connected with this establishment.

However, there have been a few, he explained.

“One young lady talks to me once every two or three months,” he said. “She realizes she has a problem and is slowly going broke. She has a good job. She had some savings, but she’s really struggling because she can’t quit going over there. She’s over there at least three or four times a week and just can’t seem to stay away.”

The spokesman, who didn’t want to be named, explained that he has spoken to other gamblers who have confessed to their issues with gambling worsening since the opening of the LaGrange Casino.

However, he did not want his comments to appear to be a personal attack against the casino admitting that, “They do some good for the community as far as tax revenue, creation of jobs, etc., but I know there are people out there who shouldn’t be on the boat.”

Mark Twain Effect

Mark Twain opened in 2001. During this period the number of calls to the Gambling Anonymous hotline went up to 2,846. In 2004 the number peaked at 3,527 but then diminished, falling to 1,682 in 2007.

A survey was carried out statewide this year, sponsored by the alliance, which showed that 0.4 percent of the Missouri population admitted to having financial difficulties due to gambling. In 2007, this figure stayed the same.

Gamblers Anonymous

The purpose of Gamblers Anonymous is to provide support for compulsive gamblers. It provides them with a platform on which they can communicate with others who are in a similar situation and therefore understand how they are feeling and what they are going through.

“You understand where they’re coming from,” the spokesman explained. “It’s just like Alcoholics Anonymous. Nobody understands an alcoholic like another alcoholic.”

He went on to tell how he received help around 11 years ago and is glad that he was able to do so before the opening of the Mark Twain Casino.

He explained, “I would drive to St. Louis. I would drive to Peoria. I would go up to the Chicago area. I would go to Burlington. I would go wherever there was a boat. Plus, I did lottery tickets and every other thing for gambling when I didn’t go to the boat.”

After receiving help through counseling, he then decided to assist running the chapter of Gamblers Anonymous in Quincy. The chapter has had troubles over the past few years in operating smoothly and was out of service for a period. However, six months ago it started up again.

Meetings take place on Sundays from 7 to 8.30 am at the Blessing Hospital’s auditorium, 11th Street campus. They are open to everybody and confidentiality is strictly observed.

A fine of $150,000 made against Rivers Casino will include over a dozen charges concerning slot machines which were improperly connected and to underage gambling.

The penalty was issued on Wednesday, the 20th of July by the state Gaming Control Board. This is now the third fine for the operator Holdings Acquisition Co. due to underage gambling. In fact, $80,000, which is over half the fine, involves gamblers under 21 years old being allowed to play in the casino. The individuals were either not asked for any form of identification or only asked once in the establishment.

Underage Accusations

One instance was that of a young man who came to Rivers Casino to celebrate his 21st birthday and was given a duplicate player’s card. It later transpired that he had been granted a card when only 20 years old and had played at the casino nine times previously.

Further situations involved teenagers being asked for their identification once they were already inside the casino. They then presented the security officers with cards which belonged to other players.

Disincentives

A lawyer who represents Rivers Casino, Michael Sklar, says that more blame should be attached to teenagers who try to access casinos illegally as opposed to fining the casinos. He backed up Rivers by claiming that it does not support underage gambling in any way.

“There is no way that you can keep them out 100 percent of the time,” he explained.

Greg Fajt, the Gaming Control Board chairman, said that different disincentives should be used, for example, putting an individual’s name on an excluded list or suspending their driver’s license. However, on the other side, it was also important that casino staff were better trained in recognizing people who are underage.

Fajt explained that, “Our fines are getting more significant, and they will continue to get even more significant until we see the industry responding to this issue.”

Similar Fines

Along with the Rivers fine, Fajt referred to the $160,000 fine given to Mount Airy Casino Resort based in Monroe County. This was issued when seven 16 and 17 year olds were discovered gambling in the establishment. Fajt explained that he believed the fine should have been bigger adding, “There is no reason that 16 and 17-year-olds should be on a gaming floor in any casino in Pennsylvania, especially when there is seven of them.”

Another fine issued on Wednesday was against Hollywood Casino located in Dauphin County. This was for $40,000 and was due to a slot machine, which had not been properly tested or certified, being put into service.

Machine Testing

The other part of Rivers fine, which amounts to $70,000, is due to the same issue. While the machines were being played, they failed to add up particular financial data. However, gaming officials claim that all revenues were calculated and then paid by the casino at a later date.

Since this time, Sklar explained that Rivers Casino has upped its technicians from one to two and both are required to check all machines before they are ready to be played.

Macau, the favorite destination of the world’s gamblers, is broadening its consumer base. It is shifting its focus from the rich and celebrities to the mass market of Chinese gambling. Macau is just a short distance away from Hong Kong. It generated approximately $24 billion revenue in 2010. Seventy percent of this revenue came from affluent Chinese families.

To provide a more rewarding and reliable option, Macau is looking at the newly built world-class casino resorts that target the affluent middle class people of China. This serves the double purpose of promoting Macau as a tourist destination for shopping, sightseeing, and other activities in addition to gambling.

More Affluent Middle Class in China

When Portugal handed over Macau to China in 1999, it became the only part of China where gambling was legal. The wealthy and affluent Chinese started heading for Macau to enjoy a lavish lifestyle and spend money on gambling, which was not possible in the mainland. But this also started the problem of licensed middlemen who financed rich mainland Chinese and they assumed the responsibility of paying off their gambling debts. Due to PRC becoming more active in world trade, the source of funds for gamblers became highly volatile. On the other hand, the Chinese middle class has become more prosperous, therefore a more reliable market for the gambling industry in Macau.

Annual growth of Macau gambling market is estimated to be 27 to 35 percent. Analysts expect that mass market segment will grow by 30 percent in the next three years. It is more than double the growth of the VIP market segment. Michael Joaquim das Neves, the Director of Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), has pointed out, “ the

VIP market depends on a few numbers of people, whereas mass market is a big number. We prefer and encourage the faster growth of mass market.”

Infrastructure Support to Develop Macau

The travel time between Macau and mainland of China will be significantly shortened by a Guangzhou–Zhuhai high-speed railway network. This infrastructure upgradation will help in expansion of Macau as a tourist and gambling resort. Further access will be facilitated by expansion of the Gongbei gate at the border. By 2015, a light transit railway and a bridge will connect Hong Kong to Zhuhai and Macau.

With all these support and changes, analysts are very positive about the prospects of Macau and its gambling industry. In the current scenario, casino-resorts developers and operators are excessively expanding their presence in Macau and building new resorts. Among the latest projects is the Galaxy Entertainment Group’s new facility, opened on May 15, which costs $1.9 billion.

This Galaxy resort has a 350-ton man-made beach, a multiplex cinema, and a sky-top wave pool among other attractions. Within next 9–12 months, the number of hotel rooms in Macau is expected to increase by 41 percent, which means 8200 hotel rooms. In spite of the massive increase in hotels and resorts, it is expected that these will be fully booked once they come into full operations. Other major companies on the expansion scene are Sands china, Wynn Macau, MGM resorts International, and Stanley Ho’s SJM.