WASHINGTON, DC – Nineteen gaming industry employees from across the country were recently selected as winners of the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Responsible Gaming Poster and Essay contest.  The contest was held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW) and to allow gaming employees at all levels to help create the annual industrywide campaign, which is scheduled for Aug. 6-10, 2007. 

The AGA asked gaming employees from casino floor staff to corporate executives to submit short essays about the importance of responsible gaming or designs for the national Responsible Gaming Education Week poster, and 170 employees from a wide variety of gaming properties around the country answered the call, producing 100 essay and 114 poster entries.  The four poster winners and 15 essay winners are listed at the end of this release.

“The number and quality of responses are evidence of the effectiveness of the industry’s efforts to educate employees about the importance of responsible gaming,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the AGA.  “Employees are at the heart of responsible gaming education and this contest has allowed them to be at the heart of RGEW, as well.”

One of the poster submissions was chosen as the RGEW 10th anniversary commemorative poster and will serve as the graphic centerpiece of the week.  Three additional designs were selected as part of a new Responsible Gaming Education Poster Series, which will be distributed quarterly throughout the year leading up to RGEW 2008. 

The 15 essay winners will be featured in a soft-cover, bound book In Their Own Words: Voices of Responsible Gaming.  The book will feature perspectives from casino employees from across the country, as well as insights from gaming regulators, addictions researchers and treatment professionals.  The book will be published by the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG).

A press event kicking off RGEW and unveiling the book and poster series will be held in Atlantic City on August 6. 

RGEW, started in 1998 by the AGA, is held every year during the first week of August. It is part of the AGA’s ongoing Responsible Gaming National Education Campaign and represents the industry’s long-term commitment to this important issue.

Poster Winners
 
Diana Hall
Communications Coordinator
Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort

Vicki Madsen – selected as main RGEW poster
Director of Regulatory Compliance
Cactus Petes Resort Casino

Ronnie Karl
Gift Shop
Ameristar Casino Kansas City

Katie Martin
Graphic Designer
Horseshoe Casino & Hotel – Tunica

Essay Winners
 
Holly Brown
Slot Technician
Ameristar Casino Kansas City

Stacy Clark
Slot Attendant
Ameristar Casino Hotel - Council Bluffs

Colby Kenyon
Valet Supervisor
Harrah’s North Kansas City Casino & Hotel

Rosa Lugo
Training Specialist
Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort

Wes Milligan
Employee Services & Communications Manager
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.

Richard “Todd” Owen
Employee/Labor Relations Counselor
Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino

Jennifer Sharp
Employee Relations Manager
Par-A-Dice Hotel & Casino

Teresa Tiarks
Risk Manager
Par-A-Dice Hotel & Casino

Philip Cicero
Cage Shift Manager
Empress Casino Joliet

Monique Finley
Table Games Dealer
Horseshoe Casino & Hotel - Bossier City

Pamela Lowery
H.R. File Clerk
Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino

Tracey Miller
Security Officer/EMT
Ameristar Casino Kansas City

Michael Nelson
Income Control Auditor
Harrah’s Joliet Casino & Hotel

Esther Sanchez
Payroll Specialist
Harrah’s New Orleans Casino and Hotel

Sharon Smith
Surveillance Officer
Harrah’s North Kansas City Casino & Hotel

###

The American Gaming Association (AGA) is the national trade association for the commercial casino industry. In addition to representing the interests of its members on federal legislative and regulatory issues, the AGA serves as a clearinghouse for information, develops educational and advocacy programs, and provides leadership on industry-related issues of public concern.