Italian casino to offer free gambling support

Author: Simon Dexter

In a move that was described by Italian newspaper La Repubblica as “like putting nicotine patches on packets of cigarettes“ Venice casino is offering free courses to help gamblers beat their addiction.

The man behind the idea, casino boss, Mauro Pizzigati, hopes to change the stereotype view of gambling. “I want to remove the demonic image of a casino as a place of perdition and lost souls,” he said.

Casino staff have been briefed on how to spot problem gamblers and have been instructed to help them find therapists – who will be funded directly by the casino.

Italy has just four casinos with the Venice Casino being the biggest. Last year it recorded takings of 215 million euros and contributed to nearly a third of the local council revenues.

An estimated 800,000 Italians have a problem with gambling ranging from scratch cards to the lottery to betting on horse racing.

This is despite strong resistance to gambling both from the Catholic Church and the legacy of Benito Mussolini who allowed just the four casinos to be built in his time in power.

The Times reports that in Venice one 40-year-old “cured addict”, who declined to give his name, said that he had been ruined by gambling and was grateful to Mr Pizzigati. “I imagined myself as James Bond at the gaming tables,” he said.

The casino produced one of a most innovative marketing technique recently when they bought space on the carousel at Venice airport. They emblazoned the roulette numbers across the whole of the luggage pick-up place. Black, red, black red followed by the dreaded green zero.

A great idea indeed, as most people spend about 15 to 20 minutes glaring at the carousel waiting for their bags to turn up. This new kind of roulette will only bring one type of losers: the ones whose bags have been lost!

Apparently visitors to the casino are up 60 per cent since the innovative advertising campaign was launched last year. The reason why it has been successful can probably be put down it being the first contact with passengers after they have landed, the high exposure, the long waiting period as well as high acceptance due to the unusual appearance.

But what do I know about marketing…

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