The commercial casino industry has been a long-time proponent of diversity in all aspects of its business, from internal hiring and human resources policies to purchasing and contracting practices. The commercial casino industry and the companies that comprise it are engaged in a variety of initiatives to fulfill this commitment.
The AGA’s diversity programs are overseen by the AGA Diversity Task Force. Created in 2000, the task force promotes inclusion in all aspects of the commercial casino industry. It conducts workshops for industry professionals, suppliers, and minority, women, and disadvantaged business enterprises (MWDBE); collects data on industry diversity; and creates and organizes programs designed for industrywide implementation.
The success of the industry’s diversity efforts is measured in two reports [1], Gaming Industry: Employment Diversity Snapshot 2008 and Gaming Industry: Spend Diversity Snapshot 2008.
In November 2006, the Purchasing and Contracting subcommittee of the AGA Diversity Task Force launched a Tier II Diversity Reporting Program for suppliers. The program requires companies who supply the commercial casino industry with goods and services to report on their own diversity practices in the areas of purchasing and contracting. The program does not mandate a diversity threshold that suppliers have to meet, but the Diversity Task Force informed suppliers that companies doing a better job with diversity would be more attractive business partners for casino companies.
The AGA also participates in a number of events throughout the year that are designed to educate MWDBEs about opportunities in the gaming industry. Over the years, networking events, reverse vendor fairs and other opportunities give diverse small businesses the chance to promote their products and services to AGA members.
In 2009, the AGA launched the AGA Diverse Vendor of the Year Awards [2] to give AGA members the opportunity to honor top MWDBEs doing business with the gaming industry. Winners are nominated by individual gaming companies, and given the varying depths and scopes of these vendor-supplier relationships, the AGA allows its members to determine the selection criteria.