Yvon Jansma: 'Let players think for themselves about their gambling behavior'

Yvon Jansma does not want to treat gambling problems, but prevent them. The majority of players gamble with pleasure. Let's keep it that way.'

Addiction expert Yvon Jansma (1971) is director of the Center for Responsible Gaming. What is that exactly? What does the Centre do - and what does it do for you as a player?

Mister Casino interviewed Yvon Jansma. About her work for online and land-based casinos, about what gambling companies can do better, and about what is already going well.

Mister Casino: Is the Center for Responsible Gaming a kind of addiction treatment center?

Yvon Jansma: No. But I do understand Mr. Casino's question. We are not an addiction treatment institution. We don't treat people who are gambling addicts ourselves.

My mission and the mission of the Centre for Responsible Gaming is to contribute to a responsible, safe and attractive gambling offer in the Netherlands.'

What does that mean exactly?

'That means that we want to be ahead of gambling problems. We focus on prevention. How do you keep gambling fun? And what can casinos and players - because players also have their own responsibility - do to keep gambling fun?

We would rather not, I say irreverently, clean up the mess. We want to prevent possible misery. Intervene before it's wrong.'

What does that entail?

'About, roughly, 95% of the people who play in a casino or in an online casino do so for fun.

The majority of players never get into trouble. Let's keep it that way.

But sometimes playing for fun does turn into playing with problems. Then we hope you can play responsibly again. Or maybe you should stop playing altogether for a while. Or even stop playing altogether, because gambling is not such a good idea for you.

How do you do that, intervene in time?

'First of all, you have to be where the players are. That's why we're a conversation partner with casinos. That term is very important. We are a discussion partner, not a mouthpiece for casinos. We advise.

Casinos in the Netherlands have a duty of care for players, that is laid down by law. All gaming providers must have a Responsible Gaming department and a policy to prevent gambling problems. We at the Centre for Responsible Gaming help gambling companies to implement this. Both land-based and online.

For example, we train casino staff, so they can intervene in time if they we think, "Oh dear, something might be going wrong here."'

How do you recognize an incipient gambling problem? In what way do you engage with such a player? We have that kind of expertise in house.'

What is gambling addiction anyway?

Gambling addiction is a disorder that needs to be diagnosed. But everyone has an idea about it, of course.

If you want to stop gambling, but can't. If you spend a lot of time gambling. And let other things go to waste. Your work. Your friends. Your hobbies. That you don't go for walks with your dog anymore.

And a gambling addiction always ends in a big financial problem. Always.

Why does one person become a gambling addict and another doesn't?

'It's partly a matter of genes, of heredity. Some people are more susceptible to addiction than others.

In addition, there is almost always an underlying cause. You want to numb out because you have certain problems. Sometimes you're not even aware of it, that you have those problems.

Gambling is a wonderful way to make you forget about woes. As long as you are playing, you are focused on that slot machine or on the roulette wheel. Then you are in a stupor and don't think about anything else.

Only when you stop do you come back to reality.

Gambling addiction is similar to an addiction to alcohol. Or to cocaine. As long as you use it, you are numb. If you stop, the misery is there again.'

Legal online casinos require players to specify limits before they start gambling: a maximum amount they can deposit, a maximum number of hours per day they can play, and a maximum balance in their account. Is that enough?
'I think much more is possible. Let players put together their own package for responsible gaming.

For example, as a player, you can set when you can play. For example, only Friday evenings from 19.00 to 23.00. Or never during the day. Or only sports betting. Or no blackjack, because you are sensitive to that.

In this way, you as a player are forced to think about your own gambling behavior beforehand, and that awareness already helps tremendously. Everything begins and ends with the player. He chooses to deposit money, he chooses to continue playing or to stop.