Fund-Raising Efforts Net Siginificant Dollars for NCRG
A combination of innovative new programs and traditional fundraising events helped the American Gaming Association (AGA) and its partners raise more than $288,000 for the National Center for Responsible Gaming(NCRG) in 2005.
The 17th Annual Gaming Hall of Fame charity dinner and induction ceremony hosted by the AGA and held at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, raised nearly $150,000 for the NCRG. Held on the final night of Global Gaming Expo, more than 470 guests attended this year's event, honoring the 2005 inductees into the Gaming Hall of Fame. The diverse quartet of inductees included Craig Neilsen, president and CEO of Ameristar Casinos, Inc.; Larry Ruvo, senior managing director of Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada and a member of the AGA's board of directors; legendary restaurateur Wolfgang Puck and entertainer Debbie Reynolds. Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the AGA, and J. Terrence Lanni, chairman and CEO of MGM MIRAGE, served as co-chairmen of the event, while Sandy Peltyn of DeSimone Consulting Engineers and Rino Armeni of Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada helped plan the festivities. Southern Wine and Spirits also donated all the beverages for the event.
The Hall of Fame evening opened with a check presentation by Courtney Muller, show manager and industry vice president of Global Gaming Expo (G2E) at Reed Exhibitions, the AGAÕs partner in G2E. Muller announced a significant expansion of G2EÕs support of the NCRG on a yearly basis. "Starting this year, we have taken a portion of all registration fees and combined those funds with contributions from many of our exhibitors to make a direct contribution to the NCRG," Muller said. "In this way, the entire G2E family is contributing to this worthy cause." This year's donation totaled nearly $89,000, and Muller noted that as G2E grows, so will its contributions to the NCRG.
This year also marked the creation of orange "Keep It Fun" wristbands sponsored by the AGA to promote responsible gaming. Fully 40 percent of sales of the $1 wristbands go directly to the NCRG. Many casinos have embraced this visual sign of their commitment to responsible gaming, and gaming employees and patrons can be seen wearing them all over the country. Since August, the AGA has sold more than 120,000 wristbands, raising nearly $50,000 for the NCRG.
"This year we introduced some creative new strategies to promote responsible gaming and raise funds for the NCRG, and the results could not be more positive," Fahrenkopf said. "With the annual donation from G2E, the continued success of the wristband campaign and continued innovation in developing new funding streams, we will continue to build on this year's success and bolster the mission of the NCRG."
According to NCRG Chairman Dennis Eckart, funds raised through these various programs will be used to educate the public about the science of responsible gaming through more targeted local outreach projects. Plans for the new programs will be determined at upcoming NCRG board meetings.
