Casino firm to exclude problem gamblers Park Place Entertainment, with three A.C. sites, will keep a list of people to be kept away - some by choice, some not. Wednesday December 10, 2003 By Amy S. Rosenberg - Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer  ATLANTIC CITY - Gaming giant Park Place Entertainment announced yesterday that it would keep a list of problem gamblers who will no longer be welcome to gamble in its casinos and who will remain so barred for life. The company said it would stop marketing to these gamblers, extending them credit, giving them free rooms, and otherwise inducing them to gamble in any of its 18 United States casinos, including Caesars, Hilton and Bally's. The company-wide list will include those who have placed themselves on a self-exclusion list now available in seven states, including New Jersey, as well as patrons the casino identifies as problem gamblers. Park Place spokesman Robert W. Stewart said the casino would place gamblers on the list involuntarily in cases where gamblers make it plain to an employee through specific behavior that their problem is out of control. "This is for folks who tell a casino host they're thinking about killing themselves, or that they're losing their home or automobile," he said. "It's not whether you stay too long at the table." When the casino identifies a problem gambler, the casino would generate a "Responsible Gaming Alert" that could lead to the person's being placed on the casino's "Responsible Gaming List." The patrons on the list will remain there for life, casino executives said yesterday, and in some cases can be kicked off the property and asked to forfeit any winnings. But executives stressed yesterday that they hoped most people on the list would voluntarily agree to be placed there. About 200 people in New Jersey have registered with the state's self-exclusion list. About 6,000 people are on Missouri's self-exclusion list. Park Place already hears from customers who wish to stop receiving gambling enticements or to get other help limiting their play. "We receive requests already," said Bernard DeLury, general counsel for Park Place. "We're trying to offer a means for someone who is trying to get help to get help. We're not going to be part of that person's problem. We'll be part of that person's attempt at recovery." DeLury said identified problem gamblers will receive a letter telling them their patronage is no longer desired, along with information on treatment and state exclusion programs. Arnie Wexler, a compulsive-gambling expert who has been training Park Place employees, praised the program as "the finest in the industry." "It's about time somebody in the industry took a stand like this," Wexler said. "When you've got a gambler that's in trouble, starting to show signs of problem gambling, bouncing checks, that person's going to be a headache to them." Wexler said he was hired by Park Place several years ago, after the casino confronted a problem gambler in its own ranks: former Caesars president Gary DiBartolomeo, who is now barred from working in the industry. Harrah's casinos also offer a self-exclusion list to gamblers, who may register with a Harrah's casino in order to stop receiving promotional offers and mailings. DeLury said the casino was still examining all the legal ramifications, including whether someone who is self-excluded in one state (and agrees to forfeit winnings) can be asked to forfeit a jackpot elsewhere. "What happens if he does attempt to play?" DeLury said. "We'll have to follow local or state law that may limit or enhance our ability to restrict it. Most people come with a good-faith attempt to try to exclude themselves." Casino Control Commission spokesman Dan Heneghan said the state's self-exclusion laws already prohibit Atlantic City casinos from marketing to anyone on this list. But the law does not require casinos to extend this prohibition to people on lists in other states, as Park Place now intends to do. He said the commission had not yet seen details on the logistics of how the program will be implemented. "In general, we think that a program like this is a very positive step," he said. "Any measure that can help people with a gambling problem to deal with that problem is helpful." STORIES PAGE 2   HOME