The hotel industry in SA has developed an historic initiative aimed at reducing the level of problem gambling in the community.

Gaming Care, the Hotels Responsible Gambling Early Intervention Agency, is one of the most significant projects ever undertaken by the hotel industry in SA to address problem gambling and at the time of its establishment in 2005, it was thought to be the first scheme of its type in operation in Australian hotels.

Gaming Care's core business is to support the hotel industry and individual gaming venues, their management and staff, to identify problem gamblers and facilitate early access to gambling support services by those gamblers, i.e. early intervention.

The structure of the agency includes a board of directors (to provide overall governance and strategic direction), an Executive Officer, who is responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the agency function and several Gaming Care Officers, who are linked to specific geographical regions of SA.

The officers are employed to support the hotel industry in implementing early intervention strategies, achieve a high level of compliance with the regulatory codes of practice and to facilitate a collaborative and cooperative relationship between gaming venues and local gambling counselling services.

Gaming Care has a broad range of responsibilities that include:

• Maintaining regular contact with venue licensees, managers and gaming room managers;
• Having ongoing communication with venue staff and patrons in relation to new policies and procedures;
• Providing assistance, advice and support to venue staff to identify and assist those patrons who have potential gambling-related problems;
• Assisting venue staff in responding to patrons who seek assistance, have requested self-exclusion or have been identified as needing to be barred by referring them to an appropriate gambling support service provider;
• Establishing and maintaining key relationships between venues and local gambling counselling services;
• Encouraging, facilitating and taking an active role in the development of local initiatives to address problem gambling in communities;
• Providing assistance to gaming licensees and managers in relation to compliance with the regulatory codes of practice, including undertaking gaming room audits;
• Assisting in developing and promoting programs, initiatives and policies that are designed to assist venues address problem gambling;
• Developing a range of early intervention tools and strategies that are both practical and acceptable to venue operators, e.g. a "Patron Awareness Questionnaire" with patrons in hotels to increase the awareness of gambling counselling services and responsible gambling information; and
• Identifying emerging issues and trends, with information to be passed on to the AHA (SA).

Gaming Care is designed to assist venue staff with the identification of problem gamblers before they lose control and promotes a closer working relationship between gaming venues and local gambling support services. The existence of Gaming Care is an immense benefit to all – customers, the hotel industry and the broader community.

Gaming Care is totally funded by the gaming industry, through a grant from the Independent Gaming Corporation (IGC). Although all hotels with gaming machines are subscribers to the IGC, the current Gaming Care service is available to all operators, irrespective of Association membership.