In 1997, the American Gaming Association (AGA) formed a partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in order to address concerns about unattended children left alone in casino properties, and to form working solutions to combat the problem. With the help of the NCMEC, the AGA created "Guidelines for Children and Minors," suggested standards for gaming companies to follow regarding unattended children. These guidelines are a positive first step in educating not only casino employees in their responsibility on the job, but also parents in their duties while they are guest on casino properties. The AGA and the casino gaming industry believe that the responsibility of protecting children anywhere lies first and foremost with a child's parents or guardian but, like every member of the retail and entertainment industry, the gaming industry understands it has a responsibility to protect children while they are present on casino properties.

To highlight these guidelines, the AGA created a poster and brochure that emphasize the casino industry's zero tolerance for guests who fail to take responsibility for their children. The poster and brochure have been distributed to every casino member of the AGA with the hope that they will tailor them for their properties and distribute them to customers and post them throughout their facilities.

This effort has since been followed up by a technical assistance seminar on policies and procedures for unattended and missing and exploited children. The seminar was designed for casino security, casino management and operations, legal personnel, public relations professionals, and human resource representatives. The seminar focused on how to train employees on the best procedures for protecting children, and also provided a forum for companies to discuss the challenges they face concerning this very important issue.

In December 1997, the board of directors of the NCMEC singled out the casino industry for creating these guidelines, noting that the casino industry will set an example for others in the entertainment industry, such as amusement parks, shopping malls, sports centers and others. The NCMEC also publicly acknowledged that the casino gaming industry is the first in the entertainment industry to pro-actively address this important issue on an industrywide basis.