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Scandals in Gambling — An Example

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VIP gambling player
The paradox of the VIP gambling player: Keeping high rollers at the table.
VIP gambling player
The paradox of the VIP gambling player: Keeping high rollers at the table

The paradox of the VIP gambling players: How casino operators balance the lure of high spenders versus the dilemma of destructive behavior and the lure of increased regulations.

Have you ever heard of the scandals centered on the casinos? What kind of affairs can be related to a casino so that it would result in a set of scandals? The PA Hollywood casino review shows some details related to this fact, and we’re here to show you the key scandal points related to the casino.

Quick Facts

Hollywood casino is one of the pioneers of casino gaming in PA. It has established its mark with its high quality and original designs in more ways than one. In fact, Hollywood Casino-branded games are particularly popular for the realistic and immersive experience they offer. 

At the very beginning of its activity in the Keystone State, Hollywood Casino was bathed in almost unexplored water. It must be said that at the time, the live casino industry was not too popular. 

Now you may use the casino’s app accessible as Hollywood Casino from AppStore and the one from PlayMarket

Few players indeed had access to the necessary technology (IT equipment, broadband connection, etc.) to fully benefit from it. But this company continued to concentrate its activity in the sector. 

VIP gambling player
The paradox of the VIP gambling player: Keeping the high roller from self destructing while making sure he stays at the table for the long term and avoiding new regulations.

It is therefore no great surprise that over the years it has acquired the necessary know-how to establish itself as one of the main players in the world of live casinos. Its innovative table games, featuring appealing live dealers, and also croupiers, have since won over more than one bettor.

However, there are some details that may seem destitute, as the casino reputation could have been spoiled. We’ll tell you about these scandal details later on in this article. 

Realistic And Immersive Casino Games

The majority, if not all, of Hollywood’s live casino games are based on themes relatively well known in the general casino games universe, such as ancient Egypt, pirates, Greece. antique… These games, offered in live streaming or pre-recorded, are broadcast, or pre-recorded, from the studios of this publisher based in Malta.

Hollywood’s innovative table games feature sexy croupiers, but also croupiers. These professionals are filmed by a dozen state-of-the-art cameras to provide a realistic gaming experience and increase immersion.

In addition, it should be particularly remembered that the quality of the images is very high definition. A point of honor is also to be put on the side of fluidity, a fairly recurring problem in live casinos. 

Hollywood Casino’s creations do not reflect any slowness, disconnection or the like. Bettors are therefore not likely to miss a hand or a spin at roulette with the games from this designer.

Hollywood has a variety of quality titles, of course inspired by hard-core casino games, in its live casino game library. 

VIP high roller gamblers
The games that attract VIP gambling player.

For example, there are variants of blackjack and roulette. As mentioned in addition, the majority of his creations are based on known and equally appreciated themes. What’s more, this designer’s games are available in multiple languages.

VIP Clients at the Hollywood Casino: A Scandal!

In many countries, the gambling business has been flourishing for a very long time. The old players in this market are respectable companies that value their reputation and shy away from scandals. 

One of the target audiences of casino owners and betting companies is VIP clients who can spend a lot of money in an evening for entertainment. 

At the same time, they are by no means gambling addicts, the game for them is more of a kind of recreation, but to put on the roulette game several thousand (or even tens of thousands) dollars—like ordering a bottle of an expensive collection of wine in a restaurant.

The so-called “valuable” clients are clients who can afford to gamble a large sum of money relatively painlessly for their own budget. For such people, playing is primarily an expensive hobby.

Gambling business operators value such clients very much. According to the US market participants, in 2020 only 2% of players were VIP clients, but at the same time they provided 83% of all revenues to gambling operators. 

VIP gambling player
The paradox of the VIP gambling player: Keeping high rollers at the table.

Just consider another example. 

In the gaming capital of the world, Macau, a “small group” of 300,000 VIP and Premium players account for 70% of gross gaming revenue, according to a Bernstein brokerage policy brief published by Inside Asian Gaming.

Accordingly, it is in the operator’s interest to get as many VIP players as possible. That is why one of the objectives of the marketing programs of gambling operators is to attract premium clients who will provide a significant income for the company.

Players whose gambling addiction has significant commercial value to operators are often granted VIP, High Value Customer (HVC) or similar status. This means that such customers enjoy special bonuses, gifts, hospitality and preferential service from the licensee.

Each operator has a bonus VIP-system provides its own conditions. This can be, for example, promotional programs, accumulative points per bet, no deposit and welcome bonuses. 

Some operators even develop personal bonus offers for their “valuable” customers. Depending on the reputation earned, the status of a gambler may be accompanied by special privileges, up to free accommodation in luxury apartments, personal tables, and so on. All these advantages give the player the feeling that they are special, above the rest.

A person who abuses the game, bets amounts that are too large for his capabilities, plays more risky and more often than he can afford, at a distance causes harm to both himself and the company, which is many times greater than the economic benefit in a specific time frame. 

After all, clients with pronounced problems often behave very aggressively, and may even threaten physical harm to company employees and even their families. There is no partnership in relations with such clients and it is impossible to build one without stopping the game. 

Such clients never speak positively about the company, even having received an over-professional premium service and a number of exclusive offers, even having received a large win—all this does not bring such people real, sincere, positive emotions, which is what betting exists for. 

As a result, relationships with such clients do not last, they become toxic and, as a result, do not bring joy to the player and the bookmaker—benefits. 

Yes, a person prone to gambling addiction can lose a significant amount of money due to an illness, at the same time, companies, working with such people, lose more than money, they lose their reputation, the trust of real VIP clients, since, in fact, not hindering such a game indicates that the company does not protect its own customers.

A Paradox

The paradox of a “valuable” client is that, on the one hand, he brings income to the establishment, and on the other hand, the operator has no right to develop his gambling addiction and encourage it.

Thus, increased attention and the provision of privileges to the client is aimed at ensuring that he spends more and stays longer in the operator’s establishment or on his platform. However, in this way the client can potentially fall into the risk category: addiction to gambling can become not just a hobby, but an addiction. In this case, the organizer of gambling will forever lose the VIP client and the income that he brought.

A logical question arises: what if the operator turns a blind eye to the destructive behavior of the player? The answer is simple: negligence will be punished by the regulatory body.

According to the management, before granting the VIP-client status, the management of a gambling operator is supposed to:

  • Limit the client’s expenses in a sustainable framework during leisure time;
  • Assess the existence of harm associated with gambling, or increased risk associated with the vulnerability of the client;
  • Verify that there is up-to-date evidence regarding identity, occupation and source of funds. It can also prevent money laundering;
  • Continue to verify information and conduct ongoing gambling harm checks for each customer to detect signs of harm.

Operators are even required to appoint a senior manager to oversee VIP customers.

When it comes to Hollywood casino, there have been cases where the regulator fined operators for violations. So, the gambling company paid out over a million when a VIP player lost a large amount of money on their platform. 

In the course of the investigation, it turned out that the guest of the casino, in order to continue playing, stole large sums. In fact, it was complicated to explain the appearance of a large amount of money in the account of its player, who lost almost $1 million over several years. As a result, the operator paid $ 1.1 million to the gambler.

In the case of VIP clients, the operator is exposed to a huge temptation to earn more and keep the client within their walls for longer. 

However, the experience shows that the fees for non-compliance with the rules can be too high: huge fines, the return of all lost money and the revocation of an expensive license. In such conditions, the operator is looking for a middle ground between attracting more revenues to his company and ensuring the safety of his client. 

The price to pay for oversight on this issue can be substantial.

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