Many gamblers tell Hoosier Park: Keep me out

Many gamblers tell Hoosier Park: Keep me out
129 in county request voluntary exclusion; racino happy to oblige
By Melanie D. Hayes
The Herald Bulletin The Herald Bulletin

ANDERSON, Ind. — Gambling at Hoosier Park and other Indiana casinos is a source of entertainment for many. But for some, it is a problem, an addiction and a downhill spiral to the point that they request that casinos not allow them in.

In 2004, the Indiana Gaming Commission created the Voluntary Exclusion Program where people could choose to be prevented from entering casinos across the state. People have to sign up on their own accord and can choose to be on the list for one or five years, or for their lifetime.

Madison County has the third highest number of participants in the state with 129 members.

In Indiana there are 1,846 active members and the counties with the highest memberships are Lake County with 471 and Marion County with 202. And although the program only deals with Indiana casinos, residents from other states can sign up too, which brings the total number of active members to 4,184.

John Shipley, manager of compliance at Hoosier Park, sees the high enrollment in Madison County as a positive thing because it means more people are getting the help they need for their gambling problems.

“The last thing we want is to have folks here who have problems,” he said. “We are an entertainment venue. Some people go see movies, some go play golf, some go to fancy restaurants, and some like to come to Hoosier Park for a night out. But other folks who have problems, they have the program which is a means by which they can help themselves.”



Hoosier Park is close by

Tom S., who runs two of the three weekly Gamblers Anonymous meetings in Anderson, believes the high numbers in Madison County are due to the fact that Hoosier Park is so accessible to residents. People who have serious addictions to casinos can more easily avoid their urges if they don’t have a casino nearby. Those who do live near one can give in more easily.

“I would say with something that close, individuals do have to say ‘I’m ready to stop,’” said Tom, 60, who, like other Gamblers Anonymous members, prefers to withhold his last name. “They think, ‘I know the casino is going to be there.’ Just like with alcoholics, they know the bars are going to be there.”

Lake County, which has several casinos and a large population, has the most residents signed up for the program, which makes sense, Shipley said.

Shelby County, where Indiana Live! Casino is located, only has 18 participants in the exclusion program, according to the programs statistics.

The casino, though, is located in a rural area and is not highly populated, so its clientele is largely from outside of the county, Shipley said. A majority of visitors are from Marion County, which is one explanation for why so many Marion County residents are on the exclusion list.

Meanwhile, Madison County is more populated and Hoosier Park is more centrally located in the state, so more resident from Madison County and surrounding counties go there, Shipley said.

Having a casino nearby can make the path to recovery tough for gambling addicts. But having them nearby also helps them join the exclusion program since anyone can walk into any Indiana casino and asked to be placed on the list.

When people ask about the program at Hoosier Park, employees contact on-site state gaming commission representatives who help them through the process and add them to the statewide database, Shipley said. People can also call or visit the gaming commission office in downtown Indianapolis to be added to the list.



Signs of a problem

Hoosier Park employees also provide people with information and resources for where they can get help for their problems. But once they are on the exclusion list, casinos cannot contact those people in any way or send them any promotional material, Shipley said.

Employees are also trained to help people who ask for help. They interact with clients and can ask gamblers several questions to see where they stand. That list of questions is on the Hoosier Park website for people who want to determine how serious their problem is.

Among those questions that people need to ask themselves are: Do you lose time from work due to gambling? Does gambling make your home life unhappy? Do you ever feel remorse after gambling? Do you often gamble until your last dollar is gone?

Casinos don’t actively enforce the program by stationing guards or checking everyone’s IDs, Shipley said. But the names and personal information of people on the list are available at all Indiana casinos. So, if people on the list go to Hoosier Park to play, and try to use their player cards to use slot machines or other games, employees are notified. And if they need to make a transaction at the cashier, they will also be found out. Or if they try to claim their winnings, employees will be notified and gamblers will lose their winnings.

“Sometimes we have team members who recognize a regular customer and know they have signed up, so that’s another way to control it,” Shipley said. “When you have 4,000 people on a list, you don’t expect everyone to know them each by face.”

It’s not a foolproof program, and there are probably people on the list who make it into casinos, but overall its an outstanding program that helps people control their problems, he said.

Tom, who lives in Anderson, said he has on average three to five people at each local Gamblers Anonymous meeting.

About 80 percent of his members have signed up for the Voluntary Exclusion Program, he said. According to gaming commission statistics, 38.5 percent of members sign up for a one year exclusion, 23.6 percent for five years, and 37.8 percent for lifetime.

“Some say it helps them because they know that technically, if they go (to a casino) they are trespassing,” he said. “People said they have gone and casino employees were nice to them and escorted them out.”

Being on the exclusion list is a deterrent for gamblers. They know they will be asked to leave. Or, if they make it in and win, they will be found out and won’t be able to claim their winnings, adding to their frustrating addiction, Tom said.

Some gambling addicts attend the Gamblers Anonymous meetings for support and help, but are not quite ready to bar themselves from casinos. Or some feel they can change their lifestyle on their own.

And some who do sign up say it doesn’t help because they can still go in to the casinos and play on slot machines without having to show an ID.

“Of course, the program doesn’t help if you’re into scratch-off tickets or Hoosier Lottery or bingo,” Tom said. “There are all kinds of gambling.”