Stop Predatory Gambling

To achieve our potential as a nation, we need to disrupt these practices

by spgadmin

A former casino employee was arrested yesterday for hacking into a Pennsylvania casino’s computer system. He is accused of disrupting the Mount Airy Casino’s computer system, including access cards used for gambling.

These access cards are more commonly referred to as consumer loyalty cards and they are a critical marketing tool used by the predatory gambling trade to track a person’s wagering and the speed they gamble. The faster you gamble, the more you lose. When you add in how much you wager each time, the casinos develop a revenue model for each person using the card which they call “their predicted lifetime value.

Because the casino business model relies on 90% of its gambling profits coming from 10% of the people, the casinos need out-of-control gamblers to survive. The player cards are how they identify who has the potential to reach the out-of-control category and then the casinos aggressively market to them using free slot play, free food and lodging, telephone solicitations, direct mail and other marketing techniques to stimulate these people to reach their “potential.”

For our democracy to achieve its potential, America needs to disrupt these practices.