TACOMA, Wash. - Dealer Alonzo Clemons is always vigilant. He faces fines and penalties if he deals to underage gamblers.
"We're primed and ready, and looking for them," he said.
His employer, Great American Casino in Tacoma, mandates regular classes for dealers and those who must check identification. Additionally, management also aggressively tests its own employees.
"We try to sneak a minor in," said Greg Bakamis, a Great American Casino regional manager.
The company intentionally investigates whether dealers will check IDs at the table, after an employee got busted for underage serving a couple of years ago.
"We said, 'This is serious.' We need to shore up our way of doing business," said Bakamis.
"Zander" is a fictional character who helped attract millions of people to a new problem gambling campaign on Facebook.
"Zander is the typical underage gambler. He's 17 or under, he sneaks into casinos, he could also be gambling at home or on the Internet," said Kacie McKinney, an advisor with JayRay communications Consultants in Tacoma.
The campaign is designed to target teens like Dan Myers, who previously shared with KING5 how his gambling hobby grew into an addiction. He'd sneak into a casino, and spend eight hours a day there.
"I'd say its equally as bad as alcohol or another drug," said Myers.
Counselors say the key is to change attitudes toward illegal gambling, and especially to educate parents their their kids are vulnerable to gambling addictions.
"Problem gambling is a health issue, an addictive disorder," said Rhonda Stone with the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling.
Stone emphasizes the need to educate teens that there's more at stake than a short-term payoff.
The State of Washington is also getting serious. Until last year, only businesses faced fines or penalties. Now, the underage gamblers themselves are also held accountable.
They face "a $125 fine, along with court costs and community service," said Susan Arland with the Washington State Gambling Commission.
"Research has shown that minors that gamble are more likely to drink, use illegal drugs, smoke cigarettes and get in trouble with the law," said Arland.
A new spokesperson, of sorts, is helping to get out the message about problem underage gambling.
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