WASHINGTON—Commercial casinos nationwide will launch a new campaign next week asking patrons to join in the industrywide effort to promote responsible gaming and “keep it fun.” This effort, part of the sixth annual Responsible Gaming Education Week (Aug. 4-8) organized by the American Gaming Association (AGA), is intended to heighten awareness of disordered gambling among employees, patrons and the general public.

At the center of the campaign is a new guide to responsible gaming designed to encourage customers to set personal guidelines when gambling and know when to stop. The AGA’s “Keeping it Fun” brochure is based on Gambling: Choices and Guidelines, a newly updated booklet by Roger Svendsen and Tom Griffin of the Minnesota Institute of Public Health. The brochure describes seven steps to help readers develop a set of personal guidelines for determining whether, when and how to gamble. It also includes characteristics of responsible gaming.

Throughout Responsible Gaming Education Week, employees will be wearing buttons, stickers or ribbons with the message “Ask me about keeping it fun” to prompt customers to request a copy of the “Keeping it Fun” brochure. Posters and table tents also will be placed throughout casino properties with the reminder “Are you keeping it fun?”

Approximately 70,000 buttons, ribbons and stickers, along with nearly 1,000 table tents and more than 500 posters, have been distributed to 10 gaming companies, including 66 casino properties in 12 states. The properties are expected to hand out more than 83,000 brochures during the week. Companies participating in this year’s campaign include Ameristar Casinos; Argosy Gaming Company; Atronic Americas; Aztar Corporation; Boyd Gaming Corporation; Harrah’s Entertainment; Isle of Capri Casinos; MGM MIRAGE; Park Place Entertainment; and Station Casinos.

“Every year, Responsible Gaming Education Week serves as a launching pad for our industry to develop new and innovative ideas to promote responsible gaming,” said AGA President and CEO Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. “While the ‘Keeping it Fun’ campaign begins this week, it’s one that we expect to continue year-round. Our work force interacts with customers 24/7, so we hope it can really help us raise public awareness of this issue.”

In addition to the collateral materials, the AGA developed support materials, including a script to help train employees about the contents of the new “Keeping it Fun” brochure, as well as sample newsletter articles and paycheck stuffers.

Responsible Gaming Education Week is part of the Responsible Gaming National Education Campaign, a long-term, comprehensive program launched by the AGA in 1998. For more information on Responsible Gaming Education Week or other AGA programs, visit the AGA’s Web site at www.americangaming.org [2].

The AGA represents the commercial casino-entertainment industry by addressing federal legislative and regulatory issues. The association also serves as a clearinghouse for information, develops educational and advocacy programs, and provides leadership on industry-related issues of public concern.