This post is sponsored by Casino Essentials.
A strong training culture is the backbone to any company, and as today’s climate has spurred an increase in mobile gaming, sports betting and digital currencies, lending the industry to higher rates of financial and cybercrimes, virtual training has become more critical — and effective — than ever. With the casino industry operating as a 24/7 business, online training offers a reliable yet flexible way to ensure your team is trained. In this interview, Lauren Melcher, operations manager for Vector Solutions, Casino Essentials‘ parent company, discusses the benefits of online training and how it can contribute to building a strong training culture at your casino.
To learn more about the benefits of online training and how it can work for your operation, watch this webinar on-demand to see how casinos simplify the way they manage new hire onboarding, compliance and leadership training.
What do you think the industry is doing really well when it comes to training? What are its biggest challenges?
I think the industry is really developing a strong training culture. We often talk about creating a culture of compliance when it comes to anti-money laundering and Title 31 compliance, but there’s more training that’s needed. So many of our clients have been able to get employees engaged and excited about training by increasing their course offerings, providing courses that can be self-initiated, incentivizing employees through raffles or drawings, or even with positive marks on performance reviews. One of our clients in particular has built such a strong training culture that their employees log in nearly daily to our Learning Management System, CELEXA, to review anything new that’s come in.
I think the industry’s biggest challenge with training (and it has been for a long time) is first getting all departments to adopt a training culture, and then second, working together on a high-level training plan. In the gaming industry specifically, departments can be siloed and are so focused on their own goals that they don’t talk to each other. We’ve seen one department use one solution for, Responsible Gaming training, and then another department use a different system entirely for General Safety training, for example. The benefit of Casino Essentials’ course catalog and online learning system is that the content covers all of a casino’s needs, from compliance to safety to leadership — you can have one solution across the property each department’s training needs. This also makes reporting and employee transcripts a breeze — they’re all in one place.
Has the pandemic accelerated the need for online training, or was it headed in this direction already?
The pandemic has definitely increased and accelerated the need for online training. Classroom training is difficult now, and clients have been reaching out for solutions for quality training while adhering to CDC guidelines. Additionally, many casinos still have portions of their teams working from home. Having an online training solution allows employees access to required courses anywhere, any time with just a WiFi connection.
What are the top 3 benefits of online training?
- Consistency — When we talk about consistency, we are talking about with both content and course assignments. With online training, training teams can be confident that all employees are receiving the same quality and messaging. We know that this is very important to our clients. In-person instruction can be great, but it can also be challenging to ensure that different instructors are communicating the same message, especially when it comes to Title 31, Responsible Gaming or other required compliance courses. Consistency also relates to course assignments. Online learning allows administrators to set training paths or course assignments by property, department or job title. All employees in the same position are enrolled in the correct courses automatically, eliminating the need for manual tracking and reviewing, which is a huge time saver.
- Tracking and reporting — Online learning makes it easy to track employee training progress with a few clicks or even by setting automated status reports delivered directly to site administrators reporting back who completed what course and when. CELEXA can also build completion and enrollment dashboards that make it so easy to report to leadership or department heads when they ask, “where are we on training?”
- Accessibility — Online training can be accessed with just a WiFi connection. Our learning system and courses are compatible with mobile devices, making it the preferred way for casinos to train in the 24/7, fast-paced environment. This also allows for flexibility. Casinos are busy and employees in guest-facing positions are needed on the floor. Online training allows employees and managers to manage required training when it makes sense for business levels. Employees can also start a course, walk away and pick up where they left off.
As the casino industry continues to evolve, what current training trends are you noticing?
We are seeing clients expand their content offerings in huge way! So many clients are implementing a Sports Book or an online gaming option and we have been updating their Title 31 courses accordingly. Additionally, we are seeing an increased interest and need for Cyber Security training — our catalog offers 5 cyber-related courses. FinCEN and other agencies have been warning banks, casinos, and other monetary service business about an increase in cyber threats since the pandemic.
We are also seeing a lot of interest in our custom content features. The pandemic has increased the need for new policies and procedures and that means more training. All casinos have different procedures, and casinos have used our custom course authoring tools to create form acknowledgements, convert PowerPoints into online training, and upload custom video content. Clients use their custom content in conjunction with out catalog courses to build a full training solution. It’s been great to see.
What does the future hold for online learning?
At Vector Solutions, we are committed to providing solutions for our customers that make sense and leverage advancements in technology. We have recently released simulation and micro learning options that we are hoping to soon offer to the gaming industry. Microlearning is exciting because it will allow employees to train in real time, on the job, the moment they need assistance. Imagine a slot technician repairing a machine, or a security officer responding to a call who can access a quick course refresher on their mobile phone before they perform a job. Simulation training through AR allows employees to train in an immersive experience. Many of our divisions are using this technology to help employees gain valuable experience that, though simulated, feel real, and, when faced with the real experience, gave them the sense that they had been through it before. We see that as a great fit for guest service training, food and beverage and player services training. We can’t wait to show you what’s next.
Lauren Melcher is the operations manager for Vector Solutions, a leader in eLearning and performance support, providing award-winning SaaS solutions. Casino Essentials, a Vector Solutions brand, is the leading SaaS provider of Title 31 and AML (anti-money laundering) compliance training and eLearning solutions for the gaming industry. Through its online course library of over 100 titles, a powerful LMS platform, AML certification, and educational conferences, Casino Essentials helps clients meet federal mandates that require casinos to report certain currency transactions to help uncover money laundering activities and other financial crimes.