For over 28 years, Dan Real worked at Caesars as a casino executive. During this time, he experienced his own struggles with gambling, but also used his position to help others avoid significant harm.
After leaving the industry in 2024, he has now launched Exclaim Recovery, a platform that aims to “offer the understanding, tools, and hope I wish I had sooner.”
“I left my C-suite role at Caesars in 2024 to create a product that could help fill a critical gap in gambling harm support,” Real tells me in an interview this week. “Although more resources are beginning to emerge, we remain woefully short of high-quality tools that can scale and reach people who may never ask for help.”
Many may see working for a casino and working for an organization aimed at reducing gambling harm as polar opposites, but Real does not view it like that.
“I do not really see it as a switch,” he says. “I began helping people experiencing gambling harm long before I retired from Caesars. I was often the executive asked to speak with guests who appeared to be in distress, and as a lifelong gambler myself, I could recognize when someone might need understanding and support.”
Providing Hope for Problem Gamblers
“At the heart of Exclaim Recovery’s work is Hope, the world’s first AI Gambling Harm Recovery Assistant,” says Real. “Hope is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, offering immediate, confidential, and personalized support.
“Someone can talk with Hope about an urge to gamble, identify triggers, create a budget, develop healthier habits, track progress, or simply express what they are feeling to a compassionate, nonjudgmental presence. That accessibility is especially important for people who are not yet ready to speak with a loved one, attend a meeting, or contact a professional.”
If users spend just 10 minutes downloading the app and interacting with Hope, Real says he believes “they will quickly see the potential of AI built specifically for gambling harm to reach millions of people and help protect careers, relationships, and lives.”
“We have also created pathways to peer support, professional treatment, helplines, educational resources, and recovery communities so that people can find the kind of help that is right for them,” he added. “Hope is not intended to replace therapists, clinicians, or human connection. It is designed to complement them and help close the gap between the moment someone realizes they need support and the moment they receive it.”
Recovered problem gambler Sal Guarino recently told CasinoBeats about Evive, an app that aims to connect people with gambling problems to a wider community. Like Evive, Exclaim Recovery claims to be “recovery in your pocket,” offering an easy path to access support.
“Above all, Exclaim Recovery gives people a place to begin. Recovery can feel overwhelming and isolating, but no one should have to navigate it alone. We want every person who comes to us to know that help is available, change is possible, and there is always reason to have hope.”
Time at Caesars Raised Awareness of Responsible Gambling
Gambling companies face frequent criticism that “responsible gambling” efforts are no more than a box to check. Like Real, Louis Ruggiero struggled for years with gambling problems and says operators should not be trusted to address gambling harm.
“If they were committed to responsible gambling, their business model wouldn’t depend on the people who can’t stop,” Ruggiero told CasinoBeats recently.
For Real, he says Caesars genuinely cared about their customers and wanted to promote responsible gambling.
“In my experience, responsible gambling at Caesars was never simply a matter of checking regulatory boxes,” he said. “The company took it seriously, and many of the people involved genuinely cared about the well-being of our guests. We had trained responsible gambling ambassadors available on every shift, and there were clear processes for responding when someone appeared to be struggling.”
“Caesars Entertainment will always hold a special place in my heart. The company was extraordinarily good to me, including throughout my retirement, and I stayed for 28 years because I loved my work and the people I worked alongside,” he added.
His colleagues and customers helped make the job rewarding, and his work was not always focused on maximizing the company’s profits, as some may expect of a casino executive.
“I was often personally involved in speaking with guests who showed signs of distress. Those were not procedural conversations to me. They were human conversations, and several of the people I met through them remain in contact with me to this day,” he added. “My career at Caesars taught me how powerful hospitality and human connection can be.”
And it is that human connection that he is looking to bring to his work with Exclaim Recovery.
Gambling Companies Should Help Reduce Harm
Since leaving Caesars, Real has re-entered the gaming industry, working as an executive at ECL Entertainment. He believes his roles at the casino operator and Exclaim Recovery can work in tandem.
“I do not believe those two roles are inherently incompatible,” he says. “In fact, companies that profit from gambling should contribute meaningfully to preventing and addressing the harm associated with their products.”
That remains a topic up for debate. Ruggiero said it would be better for states to mandate that a portion of gambling funds go toward treatment and efforts to reduce gambling harm, rather than the current models, in which companies often donate money and sponsor organizations such as the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG).
For many, the breaking point came when the NCPG accepted Kalshi as a member and received a $2 million donation. In protest, gambling regulators in Nevada and Michigan left the group.
Real said he understands the organization faces a funding problem, but says, “Industry contributors should not influence research, policy, or advocacy, and the voices of people with lived experience must remain at the center of the conversation.”
“My own frustration has been its reluctance to engage more openly with the full gambling harm community, particularly those bringing lived experience and new ideas to the table,” he adds. “The field needs greater transparency, collaboration, and openness. The people struggling with gambling harm deserve nothing less.”
Online Gambling Has Increased Risks for Users
When Real started at Caesars back in 1995, the internet was in its infancy. Companies were just starting to experiment with online gambling. Fast forward 30 years, and everyone has the equivalent of a casino in their pocket.
“Technology has placed a sportsbook, casino, or prediction market in the palm of nearly every hand,” says Real.
With that, of course, comes more gambling.
“The greatest trap is constant access,” says Real. “Gambling is no longer confined to a casino or a particular event. It is available 24 hours a day on the phone in your pocket, with opportunities to wager on competitions taking place somewhere in the world at virtually any hour. That convenience can remove the natural pauses that once gave people time to reconsider.”
Dr. Mary Donohue founded the Digital Wellness Center, which aims to give gamblers those pauses again, which she says can be highly effective in improving decision-making.
The problem is, technology can also make gambling ever-present in an individual’s environment. Viral social media videos are often watermarked with the names of crypto casinos or other betting sites. High-profile celebrities, such as Drake, have deals to promote gambling platforms.
“Online gambling influencers present a risk,” says Real. “Their content may be entertaining, but it can normalize excessive wagering, create unrealistic expectations, and trigger people who are already struggling.”
While at brick and mortar casinos, workers like Real could spot signs of problem gambling and have conversations with those who are struggling, that is almost non-existent online. Instead, users are targeted by algorithms, pushing wagers that are likely to lose money.
A lawsuit against DraftKings and FanDuel claims their VIP hosts and algorithms combine to drive destructive gambling behavior.
“By coordinating their use of immersive marketing, AI, cloud computing, and algorithms customized for every customer, they hijack customers’ brains and cause catastrophic harm to lifelong fans like Mr. Sage and Mr. Thompson,” stated the complaint.
Thompson, a Philadelphia Phillies fan, was the gambler who received a video from Bryce Harper. Harper claims he was unaware that the video would be used by FanDuel as part of its VIP program. He could not have claimed innocence had he given the message directly, inside a casino. The move online creates a distance, where algorithms take over, and human connections are lost.
“I believe the nature of VIP hosting has changed significantly with online gambling,” says Real. “Digital hosts may know a player’s wagering patterns, losses, and promotional responsiveness in extraordinary detail without truly knowing that person or understanding what is happening in their life. That creates a serious risk that signs of harm will be treated as opportunities for retention.”
Steps to Regain Control
Real understands that it can be extremely difficult to resist promotions, bonuses, or VIP perks.
“I can speak to that risk not only as a former gaming executive, but as a gambler,” he says. “Despite everything I know about the industry, I have experienced how difficult these incentives and relationships can be to resist. If someone with my background can be drawn in, we should consider how vulnerable a person without that knowledge may be.”
There are important steps users can take to control their environments and avoid the traps set by gambling companies, according to Real.
Gamblers can already self-exclude from most platforms. In Australia, people will now have the option to opt out of gambling adverts, which have been shown to be effective at increasing betting.
“Managing your social media algorithm is an important part of recovery,” says Real. “Unfollowing gambling accounts, blocking advertisements, and reducing exposure to betting content can make a meaningful difference.”
A change in mindset may also be required.
“The hardest truth for many of us is that there was never going to be a win large enough to solve the underlying problem. A big win can feel life-changing, but for someone struggling with gambling, it often becomes a temporary loan from the sportsbook because the money eventually goes back. Recognizing these traps is not a sign of weakness. It is an important step toward regaining control,” he adds.
That recognition is the first step to recovery, which apps like Exclaim Recovery and Evive are making as accessible as online gambling.
The post After 28 Years at Caesars, Dan Real Launches an App to Help Problem Gamblers appeared first on CasinoBeats.
For over 28 years, Dan Real worked at Caesars as a casino executive. During this time, he experienced his own struggles with gambling, but also used his position to help others avoid significant harm. After leaving the industry in 2024, he has now launched Exclaim Recovery, a platform that aims to “offer the understanding, tools,
The post After 28 Years at Caesars, Dan Real Launches an App to Help Problem Gamblers appeared first on CasinoBeats.