This study, funded by the Responsible Gambling Grants Program of the Queensland Government, focuses on gambling by employees of Queensland gaming venues. Of central concern is how aspects of their workplace might influence the gambling behaviour of these staff, in order to identify how gaming venues can provide a work environment that encourages responsible gambling and discourages problem gambling amongst their employees. It focuses specifically on employees of Queensland clubs, hotels and casinos and encompasses staff employed in gaming and non-gaming related positions, in front-of-house and back-of-house areas, and at operational, supervisory and management levels.
More specifically, the project addresses the following research objectives:
1. To investigate the gambling behaviour of Queensland gaming venue employees, particularly in terms of responsible gambling and problem gambling.
2. To examine how Queensland gaming venue employees perceive that aspects of their work environment influence their gambling behaviour in terms of responsible gambling and problem gambling.
3. To examine how Queensland gaming venue managers perceive that aspects of their venue’s work environment influence their employees’ gambling behaviour in terms of responsible gambling and problem gambling.
4. To identify how gaming venues can provide a work environment that encourages responsible gambling and discourages problem gambling by gaming venue employees.
Little prior research has been conducted into gambling by gaming venue staff. In fact, only four prior studies have focused on this, all conducted amongst casino employees in the United States. As such, this is the first known research project in Australia to examine the gambling behaviour of gaming venue employees. It is also the first to examine how working in a gaming venue might influence the gambling behaviour of gaming venue employees and to identify potential venue interventions. Given the paucity of research specific to this area, the study is informed by a general public health perspective of gambling that recognises that contextual factors can influence gambling behaviour and that interventions can often be developed to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors.