The number of local players at St. Croix's only gaming casino, the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino, has raised concerns in some quarters that island residents could be developing gambling addictions.
After a month of operation, Divi's owners reported that 80 to 85 percent of the approximately 41,000 people who have played at the casino since its opening on March 14 were locals. Some $12 million has been dropped into slot machines alone in that time, with winnings of $11.4 million.
Even before the casino opened, the Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission had plans to form a task force for responsible gaming. The seven-member body, headed by casino Commissioner Lloyd McAlpin, is made up of representatives from V.I. Partners in Recovery and officials from the Department of Health’s mental health unit.
While McAlpin recognized the worries over casino gambling, he noted that St. Croix and the entire territory have had legal and illegal gambling available for years in the form of horse-racing simulcasting, cockfighting, the lottery and drag racing. To target just the Divi Casino is "unfair" he said.
"We’ve had gaming taking place on St. Croix and the Virgin Islands for years," he said. "So gaming is not new because the casino is open."
That being said, McAlpin added that there was "no excuse" to ignore the issue.
"We are going to keep emphasizing and stressing responsible gaming. (Players) need to look at gambling as entertainment," McAlpin said. There will be "certain people who can’t do that," he said.
McAlpin said the task force is "moving full speed ahead" to produce public announcements warning people of the dangers of unchecked gambling. In the meantime, the task force has released some guidelines for a "safe and enjoyable casino experience."
– Gambling is not a necessary ingredient for having a good time with family and friends.
– Establish a gambling budget and stick to it. Decide what constitutes an acceptable loss before starting to gamble. Only gamble with money that you can afford to lose.
– Avoid borrowing money to gamble.
– There are times when people should not gamble. Avoid gambling when feeling lonely or depressed, when angry or under stress, when coping with the death of a loved one, to solve financial problems or to impress others.
Finally, McAlpin said, "We need to start betting with our heads, not over it."
McAlpin urged anyone who feels that he or she may have a gambling problem to contact the V.I. Partners in Recovery at 719-9800 or the Division of Mental Health at 773-1311 extension 3007.
