Casino operator Hard Rock International (HRI) has unveiled a new responsible gambling program while the curtain may be coming down on the company’s integrated resort project in Spain.
On Tuesday, HRI launched its new PlayersEdge program, which the company claims is the “first comprehensive gambling literacy and education program designed by a US-based gaming company.” The program will be rolled out across all HRI and Seminole Gaming casinos using a mix of print, digital, web and social media as well as live activations.
(The “designed by a US-based company” bit appears to be a reference to US rival MGM Resorts, which in 2017 struck a deal to utilize the British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s GameSense responsible gambling program at MGM’s US casinos.)
Anyway, HRI says PlayersEdge will school gamblers on “game facts and casino etiquette,” while helping them develop “positive play habits” by identifying the warning signs of problem gambling and understanding their own behavior. PlayersEdge will also offer voluntary self-exclusion options and referrals to problem gambling counseling services.
HRI expects PlayersEdge to succeed where other programs have failed in part by offering its messaging in “the lively voice of casino gamblers” with a “positive, fun and entertaining” tone. For those seeking help, the tone will be “supportive and non-judgemental.”
HRI VP of global social responsibility Paul Pellizzari said HRI’s employees will be “critical” to the success of PlayersEdge, and around 15k of HRI’s “guest-facing” staff will be schooled on how to interpret player behavior and encourage players to “talk openly” about “what’s healthy and fun, and what’s risky.”
HRI’S SPAIN PROJECT IN DOUBT
Risky might be the best way to describe the future of Hard Rock Entertainment World, HRI’s €2b project in Spain’s Catalan region. The project was given the green light in May 2018 and construction of its first phase was supposed to start this June but HRI has been unable to secure a deal for the land on which it hopes to build.
The land in question was expropriated from its owners for construction of a theme park and the deed is currently held by the investment arm of the La Caixa bank. The former owners have since demanded a higher payday now that HRI is set to turn the land into a bigger moneymaker.
HRI’s local gaming license requires it to boost capital in its Spanish subsidiaries to 10% of the total planned outlay – €200m if you’re talking about the whole shebang or €65m based on the first phase’s projected cost – by Thursday, December 5. HRI has so far balked at making this investment until the land issues are resolved.
Catalan officials have reportedly been working on a plan to extend HRI’s gaming license to allow more time for land negotiation. But there’s no guarantee that this dispute will be resolved anytime soon, and if HRI was to win the Greek integrated resort derby in the meantime, it’s hard not to think it would be more than happy to pull its Spanish ejection lever.
