Abstract
AimCorporate social responsibility (CSR) is supposed to play an important part in public health. Critics argue that opposing financial interests can prevent companies from implementing effective CSR programs. We shed light on this discussion by analyzing CSR programs of gambling operators.Subjects and methodsTwo data sets are used: (1) seven responsible gambling (RG) programs of German slot machine hall operators and (2) a survey carried out among 512 problem gamblers in treatment who play primarily in slot machines halls.ResultsResults show that the RG programs list mostly mandatory measures with one major exception: to approach possible problem gamblers with the intention to help them. However, operators’ staff approach only 1% of problem gamblers.ConclusionWe argue that the observed ineffective implementation of voluntary CSR measures is grounded in the strong financial incentive of operators to serve precisely the group they should stop from playing: problem gamblers. We conclude that financial interests reduce the effectiveness of CSR.
Highlights
Voluntary self-regulatory measures often come under criticism for only being implemented to deter stronger mandatory regulations
J Public Health (Berl.): From Theory to Practice (2021) 29:993–1000. We investigate whether this critique is correct by (1) analyzing seven responsible gambling programs to determine if they contain voluntary measures and whether these measures can potentially yield effective player protection and (2) surveying 512 gamblers in treatment, who mainly gamble at slot machine halls, to discern whether the measures within the programs are put into practice
To test Hypothesis HA, we analyzed the content of all seven responsible gambling (RG) programs regarding the player protection measures mentioned, distinguishing between voluntary and mandatory measures
Summary
Voluntary self-regulatory measures often come under criticism for only being implemented to deter stronger mandatory regulations. Alcohol experts have voiced similar concerns about the self-regulatory measures and responsible drinking practices of the alcohol industry (Savell et al 2016). Because of the alcohol industry’s profitability objectives, some studies argue that the alcohol industry is purposively producing responsible drinking campaigns for marketing purposes (Barry and Goodson 2010). These fail to achieve significant behavioral change among drinkers but can be considered harmful, reinforcing current drinking behaviors (Pettigrew et al 2016)
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