Three Rivers to serve alcohol on entire gaming floor

Siuslaw News, 11/8/08:

Three Rivers to serve alcohol on entire gaming floor
Florence casino will be first in Oregon to offer service.

Three Rivers Casino and Hotel in Florence is the first Oregon casino to announce it will offer alcohol service on the entire gaming floor beginning Dec. 19.

The announcement was made by Michael Rose, COO of Three Rivers Casino and hotel, who said the new service was being conducted with the assistance and cooperation of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and was in response to numerous customer requests.

"Everything we have done since the facility opened has been geared to enhance the guest experience," said Rose. "And this service has been the number one request from the beginning."

The service will be available daily from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m.

The Hotel and Casino is in the midst of a casino-wide training program conducted with OLCC for frontline employees to upper management, whether they serve alcohol or not.

"there is a large responsibility to the strep we are taking," Rose said, adding that the OLCC has extensive experience in hospitality service and that their programs dovetail nicely with the goals and service standards set by the Three Rivers Casino and Hotel.

At the same time, Three Rivers Casino and Hotel will pen a new non-smoking slot room. The room is designed to hold up to 50 new slot machines with gives players a total of 700 machines to choose from.

"The gold standard for the casino experience is, of course, Las Vegas," said Rose. "And we have been leading the way in bringing that to Oregon."

Rose said that since opening in 2004 Three Rivers has been a leader in providing the most complete gaming experience in Oregon in regards to availability of the various gaming options from slot machines to table games, Keno and major promotions. Gaming began in Oregon in 1992.

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This is unprecedented in Oregon.  The article in the Florence paper last Saturday was apparently the first time the community heard about it. In Lane County,  a recovering gambler from the Florence area wanted to bring this to our group's attention in concern that other casinos in Oregon may soon follow suit. Since this has just now come known even to our community, now is the time to start working. We need help!

Knowing what we know about the high co-occurrence with problem gambling and alcohol abuse/dependence, what effects might we expect from this change?

How would this issue be best addressed, knowing the tribes are under different jurisdiction than state government laws? How could groups in Oregon address this policy change? How could we work with OLCC?

Indiana after-school programs now include problem gambling

'Gambling a top issue for youth prevention programs.'

From Indiana University's "Living Well" News Page
[Source: http://newsinfo.iu.edu/tips/page/normal/3685.html?s=pages]

After-school substance abuse prevention programs in Indiana will incorporate problem gambling prevention initiatives for the first time this year, said Mary Lay, program coordinator of Indiana Problem Gambling Prevention for the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University Bloomington.

"We felt it was important to include this content in youth programming because gambling has become more pervasive in many ways in our culture," Lay said. "There are more gambling venues -- not only casinos, but also on the Internet and in social situations where youth are participating. On television, half the cable stations are carrying Texas hold'em or celebrity poker shows. We have been getting feedback from schools and youth groups that they are seeing more young people developing problems with losing money or personal property through gambling. We hope to get ahead of the curve and educate youth about problem gambling before it becomes more prevalent."

Click here to read the complete article.

Seattle Times covers Oregon DHS news release

"Ore. study shows teen gambling tied to other risky behaviors"
Seattle Times
Printed Sunday, March 19, 2007 Associated Press

Click here to view the article.

News release: New data show correlation between teen gambling, other risk behaviors

DHS news release
March 7, 2007

Contact: Ann Snyder, 503-945-5922
Program contact: Jeff Marotta, 503-945-9709

Source: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/news/2007news/2007-0307.shtml

New correlations from the 2006 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey indicate eighth- and 11th-grade students who gamble also are more likely to be involved in other risky behaviors.

“The data are startling, showing students who gamble are more likely to have had sexual intercourse, consumed alcohol, carried a handgun, been in a fight or attacked someone with an intent to hurt them seriously,” said Jeff Marotta, problem gambling services manager in the Oregon Department of Human Services.

Marotta said the data bolster plans to produce a seven-minute video, expected to be available in April, that will be distributed free to schools, boys and girls clubs, faith organizations, and other sites to encourage youth discussions of problem gambling. The video will feature Oregon middle school students talking about gambling, and will be accompanied by activity and discussion guides.

“The video will focus discussion that will help teenagers understand how to avoid getting into trouble with gambling,” Marotta said.

These were among the correlations in the survey data:

• Sexual intercourse: Eighth-grade gamblers were nearly twice as likely to have had sex as non-gamblers. The difference for 11th-grade gamblers was approximately 25 percent.
• Handguns: Gamblers at both grade levels were three times as likely to have carried a handgun as non-gamblers.
• Physical fights: Eighth-grade gamblers were more than three times as likely to have been in a fight during the prior 12 months, while 11th-graders were more than twice as likely to have been in fights.
• Attacks: Gamblers at both grade levels were nearly three times as likely as non-gamblers to have attacked someone during the prior 12 months with an intent to seriously hurt the individual.
• Alcohol: Eighth-grader gamblers were nearly twice as likely to have consumed alcohol and 11th-graders about a third more likely than non-gamblers.
  

“This isn’t a cause-and-effect relationship,” Marotta said. “Gambling doesn’t cause these other behaviors. But gambling should be a signal to parents that they ought to be talking to teens about risky behaviors including gambling.

Parents and schools both warn about such things as tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, and too often gambling is viewed as a healthy alternative. That isn’t necessarily so.”

In focus groups conducted by Multnomah County and the private nonprofit Oregon Partnership, Marotta noted, a majority of participating teens said they gamble. In contrast, parents, when asked what their kids do for fun, didn’t even mention gambling until they were prompted. Teens said the winner of a weekend poker tournament could take home winnings of as much as $500.

The DHS problem gambling services program, which also offers free treatment, is financed by 1 percent of Oregon Lottery revenues and is among DHS services to prevent and treat addictions. People interested in more information about problem gambling treatment may call toll free 1-877-2-STOP-NOW (1-877-278-6766).

Problem Gambling Linked to Other Problematic Behavior in Florida Students

"Problem Gambling Linked to Other Problematic Behavior in Florida Students"
Released on October 19, 2006 by the Florida Council on Problem Gambling (FCCG).

Full article available here.

Key points:
"The study recognized strong correlations between youth gambling and problematic behavior in school such as truancy, poor grades, and disorderly conduct. According to the analysis of the survey, students that gamble are twice as likely to be drunk or high at school as non-gamblers. High risk gamblers were more than twice as likely to receive D's and F's as their non- gambler counter parts and nearly four times as likely to skip school six or more days during a four-week period."

Youth between the ages of 13-17 are among the fastest growing groups of problem gamblers in the state with rates twice that of the adult population.

FCCG's Department of Education approved Problem Gambling Prevention Program for Middle and High School Students provides basic awareness and assistance for problem gambling and resources for in-school implementation such as workbook, materials, and free training for program administrators.