Deal Us In Program

The Deal Us In Program is a mandatory training program for all Casino and Racing Entertainment Centre (REC) staff. It is a very important part of the government’s commitment to responsibility in Alberta’s gambling industry.

The goal of the Deal Us In Program is to help casino and REC staff and management develop knowledge and skills to assist gamblers in their venues who may be experiencing problems as a result of their gambling.

The Program currently has two phases:

Phase One is a three hour awareness training session for all front line staff, which includes role play scenarios. Staff are trained in understanding and identifying problem gambling behaviours and referring to gambling centre management. The rationale for this is that knowledgeable staff with adequate internal support mechanisms are more likely to identify and refer at-risk gamblers to their supervisors.

The objectives of Phase I training are that, upon completion, participants will be able to:

• understand how problem gambling develops,
• identify the key signs of problem gambling,
• identify on-site behaviours that indicate a gambler may be experiencing problems as a result of his/her gambling, and
• identify the staff member’s role in the process of assisting a customer in obtaining help.

Phase Two is more intensive training for management and security staff selected by the casino or REC. Phase two provides intervention techniques and role play scenarios.

The primary purpose of this training is to provide information about how to respond appropriately to employee referrals and to train personnel to conduct interventions. How management and intervention staff respond to employee referrals is critical.

The objectives of Phase II training are that, upon completion, participants will be able to:

• identify criteria for determining whether an intervention is warranted,
• identify intervention strategies,
• perform interventions if warranted,
• know how to respond to employee referrals, and
• identify available community resources.

Clearly posting relevant signage and establishing policies to deal with parents who abandon or leave children unsupervised are mandatory components of the Deal Us In program.

For more information about the Deal Us In Program, please contact the AGLC.