Seniors in Casino Land
seniors in casino land
Over the last two years, I have traveled through casinos in Louisiana, Iowa, New York and Florida talking to older Americans to learn first-hand why they come, why they stay, and why it’s so dangerous.
In honor of Responsible Gaming Education Week, let me share what I’ve what learned:
Why They Come: Casinos Cater to Older Americans
seniors in casino land
Casinos make their older customers feel welcome and safe, but their motives are far from pure. People over 65 tend to go to the casino during the off-peak weekday mornings and afternoons. This makes them a highly desirable market. Older people help to keep thousands of slot machines operating during slower daytime hours. Casinos cater to their special needs by providing wheelchairs, scooters, adult diapers, and other amenities for customers with mobility and health problems.
In Baton Rouge, I met Carol and Herb. They are both in the early 80’s and they prefer video poker. When asked why they favor coming to the casino over other forms of entertainment, Carol said, “They take care of us.” If they win any money, a security guard escorts them to their car. They feel safe. This manufactured kindness is especially appealing to people who can be lonely, isolated, or feel invisible in the larger community.
Casinos offer free food, free drinks and “free play” in order to entice older Americans to spend more time and money on the machines. Some casinos make phone calls to older customers to inform them that they are “saving” their favorite machine for their next visit. Some coordinate bus trips from senior centers to take advantage of a “third of the month club:” seniors who head to the casino after they receive their Social Security checks. Psychology Today reported in February 2014 on the predatory practices of casinos towards seniors, surmising:
“Predation involves monitoring older adults’ gambling behavior and promoting both the frequency—through comping—or the amount—through interest-free loans, cashless gambling, free alcohol and medication pills. When you have older adults with obvious cognitive impairment then you need to question if such predatory behavior constitutes financial elder abuse under state laws.”
Seventy-five percent of older Americans favor the slot machine over other forms of gambling. Far different from the old fashioned, “one-armed-bandits” with spinning reels and coins pouring forth, modern slots and similar electronic gambling devices are computerized machines that use light, sound, and repetitive motion to create a hypnotic “zone” where players lose track of time and money.
For example, at the World Resorts Casino I met Judy at the Prince of Lightening slot machine. She wore a retractable cord connecting a player’s card on her belt to the machine. Casinos use these cards to track when gamblers come and go and how much they spend. In return, gamblers get rewards points to keep coming back.
I had to speak loudly over the constant din of machine sound and repeat myself several times to catch her attention. I asked her how to play.
I asked if she came to the casino often, and Judy replied, still staring at her machine, “Uh, two or three times a week.”
“Do you like coming?”
“Oh, I guess … it’s something to do,” she shrugged, still fixated on the screen.
This sensation of “the zone” can be intensely desirable for people who seek escape from their troubles. For older Americans, who may crave relief from boredom or from the pains of aging, the slot machine is their drug of choice. Like other drugs, slot machines can be a fast track to addiction. According to one study, people who play slots are likely to experience more rapid onset of gambling addiction than people who engage in more traditional forms of gambling.
Click here to view original web page at retirementandgoodliving.com
