The headline sort of describes what I do, but this is about something else. From The Province:
The B.C. government is hiring nine “responsible gambling information officers” to educate gamblers at casinos in Metro Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo.
B.C. Lottery Corp. spokesman Paul Smith said the aim is to help gamblers play responsibly.
He said the officers will occupy information booths at each casino during peak hours to inform players about the risks of gambling.
…
Smith said the gaming officers will be trained to spot distressed gamblers. An officer may strike up a conversation with a problem gambler and offer help. But the officer will not try to prevent the gambler from losing his shirt. “We are not there to deal with problem gamblers per se,” Smith said.
…
Anti-gambling advocate Bill Chu called the term “responsible gambling” laughable. “How can gambling be responsible?” said Chu, of the Multicultural Coalition Against Gambling Expansion. “It’s legalized pick-pocketing. They are spending millions of dollars luring people into gambling. Now they’re spending tidbits on this so-called responsible gaming. What’s the point of having these phoney guys posing as responsible gambling officers when you’re trying to scoop up [$1.2 billion] from people’s pockets?”
B.C. govt to hire 9 responsible gambling information officers
“Trained to spot distressed gamblers,” huh? I can just imagine how that conversation will go: “You lost a lot of money tonight…let me conduct an inventory of your personal finance and relationships and help you see if you’ve got a gambling problem.”
Because if you’ve got a problem with gambling, more government will always help.
I wonder if these “officers” wear uniforms and, if so, what they look like.