Hippodrome Casino, one of the UK-licensed online casinos, and EPIC Risk Management have joined forces and signed a two-year partnership as part of a plan to launch a pilot staff training program at the London venue.
The initiative will see the two companies work together on a program that will include 20 workshops for both licensed and unlicensed staff.
Hippodrome Staff to be Trained for Real-Life Casino Scenarios
Employees will be trained in identifying risk and harm in a player’s gambling activity and aided in boosting confidence when discussing topics such as vulnerability and stigma with bettors.
Hippodrome staff will also take part in four group evaluation sessions and learn how to have meaningful interactions with customers around responsible gambling. The EPIC Risk Management training will also allow workers to gain insight into applying the knowledge they learn to real scenarios at the casino.
Casino Creating a Safer Environment for Hippodrome Players
The Hippodrome Casino is taking steps to create a safer setting for its players and help gamers enjoy gambling at the venue responsibly.
Director of Business Services Sam Douglas said: “We are thrilled to partner with EPIC Risk Management to help our employees build empathy and understanding through lived experience.
“The training they provide is invaluable and we have already seen a positive impact on our team. We are happy that this partnership will assist us in creating a safe environment for our players in the years to come.”
EPIC Risk Management Providing New Knowledge to Hippodrome Staff
EPIC Risk Management offers training to casino staff so that they can help gamers they may feel require support when it comes to gambling and also currently runs a gambling harm awareness program at the University of Michigan.
EPIC’s Sustainability Manager Joanna Whitehall said: “We’re very pleased to have further strengthened a very close working relationship with The Hippodrome Casino.
“We hear examples of the gambling-harm journey experienced by several of our facilitators throughout the company.
“Training of this nature hasn’t been the standard practice previously in casinos, so it stands to reason that customer-facing staff who may have felt an urge to intervene in cases of harm may not have had the knowledge on how to deal with such clients.
“Now we can provide specific examples of markers of harm and how to bring up the conversation with confidence and empathy with the intention of identifying risk and preventing gambling-related harm before it happens.”
As more operators look to support players and promote responsible gaming, it’s important casino staff are fully aware of how they can help and support patrons.