The executive director of the New York State Gaming Commission spoke to lawmakers on Wednesday, urging for more regulatory action to be undertaken to protect players and shield them against the negative effects of gambling-related harm.

NYSGC Wants to Bolster Player Protections, Needs Lawmakers’ Say-so

In his address, Robert Williams asked if enough has been done to ensure that players are benefiting from all the safeguards they potentially could.

“Earlier this year, when I addressed the New York Council on Problem Gambling’s annual conference, I raised concerns with the traditional approach to problem gambling intervention in the United States. In general, we provide awareness of harms associated with problem gambling and improve access to services where somebody may find help,” Williams said.

Williams also believes that the state can do more by obligating operators to become more proactive and start to intervene in cases where players are clearly showing signs of gambling-related harm. By copying a similar proposal that was pitched in New Jersey recently, New York could yet strengthen the way it protects players.

Williams is also skeptical of overly negative descriptions such as the “silent addiction,” arguing that neither could be further from the truth. In fact, companies that run gambling companies are leveraging huge volumes of data that can be further tailored and streamlined to yield meaningful and impactful results when it comes to protecting consumers.

For one, argues Williams, couldn’t data modeling help identify risky behavior that could allow operators to act in a timely fashion and actually prevent addictive behavior before it occurs?

“Does research and modeling suggest that there are behaviors that indicate a tipping point? Is the appropriate funding being directed to answer that question? More importantly, do operators have the fortitude to take actions without being required, or does the government have the fortitude to require operator intervention, as I suggested? Personal responsibility is generally a US thing,” Williams asked.

He similarly elaborated on several points raised by New Jersey counterparts and how player protections can be strengthened. Players who deposit more than $10,000 in 24 hours, for example, or $100,000 over 90 days, would have to be scrutinized closely by the operators for signs of addiction or gambling-related harm.

People who cancel withdrawal requests would also have to be looked into, and access to self-exclusion pages would have to be strengthened, among other similar pitches.