The Hong Kong Jockey Club's best practices in promoting responsible gambling have received recognition from the World Lottery Association (WLA) with its employee training programme being cited as the best in the industry worldwide.
The Club was presented with one of the inaugural WLA Responsible Gaming Awards in the category of Best Employee Training Programme at the closing dinner of the WLA 2008 Convention and Trade Show in Greece on 23 October. The Responsible Gaming Awards have been established by WLA with the aim of recognising those practitioners who demonstrate the highest industry standards of responsible gaming, setting a role model for fellow practitioners, and promoting the importance of responsible gambling practices.
The Club's Executive Director of Corporate Development Kim Mak expressed his delight with the award. "The Club has a long-term commitment to promoting a responsible gambling policy," he emphasised. "We aim to provide socially responsible betting, that is a balance between meeting the demand for gambling and maximising the social and economic benefits of gambling for the community, while helping to minimise potential harm to the individual and the community."
In addition to its inherent policy features including its not-for-profit business model, limited gambling opportunities, strict access controls and no credit betting, the Club has implemented a number of measures to reinforce its Responsible Gambling Policy (RGP). Staff training constitutes one of the important measures contributing to the success of this policy.
To ensure that staff members at different levels fully understand the importance of responsible gambling, the Club highlights the RGP in its comprehensive training programmes, including induction programmes for new hired employees, customised learning programmes for line departments and a self-directed e-learning CD-ROM for all full-time and part-time staff members. This enables them to refresh their knowledge of the RGP at any time.
In 2006, the Club also commissioned a clinical psychologist and university associate professor to review and redesign its RGP employee training programme. "The revised programme has effectively raised staff awareness of the Club's responsibility to provide socially responsible betting," said Mr Mak.
WLA is a global professional association representing 143 of state-licensed and regulated lottery and gaming organisations from 76 countries across five continents. All members should contribute the majority of net revenues to good causes for community benefits of their own countries.
