Copyright (c) 2009 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing Recent documents in Nerilee Hing en-us Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:26:14 PST 3600 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/86 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/86 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:51:03 PST Helen Breen http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/85 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/85 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:48:27 PDT Queensland introduced its Responsible Gambling Code of Practice in May 2002. The Code was based on six practice areas related to the provision of information, interaction with customers and community, exclusion provisions, physical environments, financial transactions, and advertising and promotions. The practices were developed from the Productivity Commission's (1999) recommendations for harm minimisation and extensive stakeholder consultation. This paper reports on a study investigating the level of implementation of the Code's practices in casinos, hotels and licensed clubs in three regions within Queensland. The study also examined the perceptions of managers and employees about the Code's adequacy. The study was undertaken in Longreach, Townsville and southeast Queensland and involved on-site inspections of 30 venues and qualitative data gathered from semi-structured interviews with their managers and staff. The investigation established that some practices had a higher likelihood of being implemented than others. In addition, the level of implementation varied considerably between venues. For example, a small number of venues had implemented most practices, a small number had implemented very few, while most had implemented between 40 and 60 percent of the practices. It appears that the number of gaming machines in a venue, the type of venue, regional location and management attitudes to the Code may influence the level of compliance with the Code. Managers' perceptions of the adequacy of practices included in the Code varied considerably. Some practices, such as physical layout, were considered more effective by most venue managers than others, such as the provision of information and signage. Helen Breen http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/84 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/84 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:48:24 PDT Barry Evans http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/83 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/83 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:48:23 PDT Sharen Nisbet http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/82 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/82 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:48:22 PDT Helen Breen http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/81 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/81 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:48:21 PDT Nerilee Hing http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/80 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/80 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:48:20 PDT Helen Breen http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/79 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/79 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:48:19 PDT This study investigated levels of implementation and perceptions of adequacy of the volun-tary Queensland Responsible Gambling Code of Practice with thirty managers and staff in selected casinos, hotels and licensed clubs in three regions in Queensland. This particular paper examines those factors that act as facilitators of, and impediments to, implementation of the Code and reflects on how organization size has influenced implementation of the Code. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, venues with small gaming in-stallations had a lower implementation rate (56%) of the Code's practices than venues with large gaming installations (85%). Facilitators included: adequate staff training and educa-tion; industry association membership; understanding of the philosophy of the Code; ap-propriate support materials; legislative overlap; prior experience with responsible gambling; regular audits; and links to community support networks. In contrast, impediments in-cluded: high staff turnover; managerial apathy; remote location; and being a busy small business manager. Helen Breen http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/78 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/78 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:48:18 PDT In reviewing potential harm minimisation and consumer protection measures for gambling, the Productivity Commission (1999) noted that informational strategies such as awareness raising, education, consumer information, changes to venue design and gambling technologies assist consumers in making choices with informed consent and reduce the risk of some people experiencing gambling-related problems. The Productivity Commission (1999) floated a range of harm minimisation strategies for use in gambling operations. However, scant attention has been paid to investigating the actual implementation of such strategies or their potential effectiveness. This research gap prompted the current project that examines the extent to which the Queensland Responsible Gambling Code of Practice has been implemented in casinos, hotels and licensed clubs and the attitudes of managers and employees towards various aspects of the Code. This paper reports on initial findings from the project. It draws on qualitative data gathered from semi-structured interviews with managers and staff in four venues in Longreach. The investigation found that the managers and staff generally had a poor understanding of the Code, except for its legislative components. Whilst showing genuine concern for their customers, managers and staff believe that most of the strategies in the Code are unlikely to have a major effect on encouraging responsible gambling. Helen Breen http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/77 http://works.bepress.com/nerilee_hing/77 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:48:17 PDT Helen Breen