SITHGAM006A
Provide responsible gambling services

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to provide responsible gambling services, and information to customers who require assistance with their problem gambling. The unit also relates to satisfying the requirements for providing responsible gambling services under state and territory legislation. The terms used to describe this vary across state and territory regulatory bodies and can include responsible conduct of gambling (RCG) and responsible service of gaming or responsible service of gambling (RSG).Those developing training to support this unit must consult the relevant state and territory gaming licensing authority to determine accreditation arrangements for courses, trainers and assessors.Under differing state and territory legislation this is a required certification unit only for certain nominated personnel operating in licensed gambling premises.The requirement to ensure compliance with enterprise policies, legal obligations and codes of practice for gambling venues is not covered by this unit but may be found in SITHGAM005A Develop and manage gaming activities.

Application

Responsible gambling services must be provided wherever gambling activities are undertaken. In the hospitality industry, the gambling environment is usually referred to as the gaming area and is provided in a range of venues such as hotels, motels, clubs, pubs and casinos.

Gambling is defined as the staking of money on uncertain events driven by chance. The major forms of gambling are wagering (racing and sport) and gaming (gaming machines, table games, Keno and lotteries). Both forms of gambling are relevant to the hospitality industry.

Hospitality venues operate Totalisator Agency Board (TAB) outlets for wagering on racing and sport events. They also cover the full range of gaming activities, including the operation of gaming machines, table games, Keno and lotteries.

The responsible provision of gambling services is an essential underpinning skill for any level of hospitality personnel involved in the sale and service of gambling activities in licensed premises, including the licencee, gaming supervisors and gaming managers when involved in operational gambling activities.

The unit applies equally to frontline operational gambling personnel who operate with a limited level of autonomy and under some supervision and guidance from others. They would operate within the predefined organisational procedures and industry and regulatory authority codes of conduct.

Operational job roles would include gaming attendant, table game attendant, croupier and multi-skilled food and beverage attendant.


Prerequisites

Nil


Elements and Performance Criteria

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1

Provide responsible service of gambling.

1.1

Follow responsible gambling service procedures according to relevant state and territory legislation and industry and enterprise policy or codes of conduct.

1.2

Communicate with appropriate personnel on gambling-related incidents or situations and compliance with legislation and industry and enterprise policy.

1.3

Maintain accurate records of gambling-related incidents and associated staff action, according to industry and enterprise policy and procedures.

1.4

Ensure gambling environmental features support responsible gambling policies.

2

Provide information and assistance to customers about problem gambling.

2.1

Provide accurate and appropriate information on problem gambling to customers on request.

2.2

Follow procedures for self-exclusion and exclusion requests according to legislation, industry and enterprise policy and confidentiality and privacy requirements.

2.3

Display signage and information related to responsible gambling in appropriate places visible to players, according to industry, enterprise and legislative requirements.

2.4

Provide information on available support services according to confidentiality and privacy requirements, and industry, enterprise and legislative requirements.

Required Skills

This section describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this unit.

The following skills must be assessed as part of this unit:

appropriate communication and interpersonal skills for dealing with customers identifying problems with gambling and requesting self-exclusion

literacy skills to read and interpret documents, such as problem gambling signage, general information and brochures; industry or regulatory codes of conduct; in-house policies and procedures; and general plain English regulatory and advisory information issued by local, state and territory gambling licensing authorities

numeracy skills to explain chances of winning and probability as they relate to the gambling activities of the enterprise.

The following knowledge must be assessed as part of this unit:

profile of gambling industry, including size and economic benefits of gambling

reasons for and personal impacts of gambling problems

public interest reasons for implementation of responsible service of gambling practices, including:

government and community concerns with problem gambling

economic costs of problem gambling

principles of harm minimisation, and strategies to reduce the harm associated with problem gambling

indicators of problem gambling, and understanding that indicators are not always overt and that assumptions cannot be made until customer indicates a problem and requests assistance

roles of government, industry and the enterprise in providing responsible gambling services; broad working knowledge of the requirements of relevant state and territory legislation; and regulatory, industry and enterprise codes of conduct

working knowledge of enterprise responsible gambling service procedures, especially self-exclusion and exclusion procedures; and the role of individual staff members, supervisors and managers in providing responsible gambling services

working knowledge of the contents of problem gambling information provided by the enterprise

available counselling services and referral procedures.

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, the range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential:

working knowledge and understanding of current legislation and industry and enterprise policies and procedures in relation to responsible service of gambling and the ramifications for the enterprise of non-compliance

knowledge of underpinning reasons for and harm-minimisation approach of responsible gambling services

ability to deal with requests for exclusion or counselling services tactfully and according to enterprise procedures

project or work activities that show candidate's ability to provide responsible gambling services in a range different gambling-related situations to ensure consistency in the application of procedures.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

activities that allow the candidate to demonstrate the application of knowledge to specific responsible gambling service situations, which might include interaction with others to demonstrate appropriate communication skills

access to current regulatory documents distributed by key state and territory gambling licensing agencies, such as plain English legislative publications and codes of conduct outlining responsible gambling requirements

access to industry and enterprise codes of conduct, policies, procedures, information, signage and brochures relating to responsible gambling services.

Methods of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess the practical skills and knowledge required to provide responsible gambling services. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

direct observation of the candidate providing information to customers

role-play to demonstrate appropriate interpersonal skills

case studies or problem-solving to assess the application of knowledge to various problem-gambling situations and contexts

oral or written questions to assess knowledge of gaming legislation, codes of practice and industry and enterprise procedures

review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.

This unit underpins effective performance in a range of gaming activities and so holistic assessment with other gaming units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is strongly recommended, including:

SITHGAM001A Attend gaming machines

SITHGAM002A Operate a TAB outlet

SITHGAM003A Conduct a Keno game

SITHGAM005A Develop and manage gaming activities.

However, determining competency for this unit must focus on the understanding and implementation of responsible provision of gambling services which meets the requirements of state and territory legislation.

Assessing employability skills

Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors. How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts.

Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role.


Range Statement

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below.

Responsible gambling service procedures may relate to:

provision of gambling-related information, brochures and signage

posting of signage in appropriate locations

self-exclusion and exclusion procedures

provision of appropriate environmental features

responsible practices, such as offering a cooling off period or payment of large sums by cheque.

State and territory legislation and industry and enterprise policy refer to:

relevant state and territory gaming legislation and regulations

relevant state and territory licensing authority regulations and policies

industry codes of practice

house policies.

Gambling-related incidents include:

requests for exclusion or assistance

under-age gambling

refusal of credit

disputes or complaints

involvement of families and friends

impact of alcohol

attempts to breach exclusion.

Gambling may include:

wagering on racing and sport events, including:

TAB activities

calcuttas and sweepstakes

gaming, including:

electronic gaming machines

poker machines

linked progressive jackpot systems

Keno and lottery games

table games

miscellaneous games of chance

bingo

lucky envelopes

multi-terminal gaming machines (MTGMs).

Gambling environmental features include:

provision and placement of signage

lighting and availability of natural light

provision and placements clocks

placement of automatic teller machines (ATMs)

strategies to indicate the passage of time

strategies to encourage breaks in play

advertising and promotional materials and activities

positioning of machines, change machines and equipment.

Information on problem gambling may include:

availability of counselling services

availability of self-exclusion programs

availability of responsible gambling pamphlets.

Problem gambling may involve:

gambling more money than the player can afford

gambling that makes the home life of the player unhappy

feelings of remorse after gambling

bills that cannot be paid by the player due to excessive gambling

borrowing money to gamble

trying to win back gambling losses

gambling to escape worry or personal problems

changes in sleeping or eating habits due to gambling

committing illegal acts or considering these to finance gambling

considering self-harm as a result of gambling.

Procedures for self-exclusion and exclusion may involve:

referral to a colleague, supervisor or manager according to scope of responsibility

initiating exclusion processes when requested by customer

referral to counsellors or support services.

Self-exclusion and exclusion may relate to:

customer identifying a problem with gambling and requesting to be barred from gaming or to have access limited (self-exclusion)

venue exclusion

third-party exclusion.

Signage and information to be displayed may cover:

chances of winning and probability

problem gambling

self-exclusion and exclusion

available counselling services

house policy

industry code of conduct for responsible gambling services

venue code of conduct

responsible gambling initiatives.


Sectors

Sector

Hospitality


Competency Field

Gaming


Employability Skills

The required outcomes described in this unit of competency contain applicable facets of employability skills. The Employability Skills Summary of the qualification in which this unit is packaged will assist in identifying employability skills requirements.


Licensing Information

Not applicable.