Las Vegas – As the casino gaming industry continues to provide a path to the middle class for workers in Nevada and across 40 states, likely Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush visits Las Vegas today to hold a public discussion on restoring the promise of America. The American Gaming Association (AGA), which is educating candidates about the industry and gaming employees about the candidates through its new “Gaming Votes” initiative, is providing key information about gaming to inform today’s discussion.

“In Nevada and across 40 states, the livelihoods of nearly two million people depend on the success of a thriving casino gaming industry,” said Sara Rayme, senior vice president of public affairs of the AGA. “Gaming is paving a path to the middle class for workers of all backgrounds. We look forward to hearing from Governor Bush about which policies he would promote to protect gaming jobs and to strengthen an industry that is playing a key economic role in the most important primary, caucus and battleground states.”

Casino gaming supports more than half-a-million jobs and generates $75 billion in economic impact in key presidential campaign states, including: Iowa, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, among others.

Here are key facts about gaming that should inform today’s discussion:

• Gaming employs workers in more than 200 different types of careers (including high-tech, engineering, software development, compliance and law enforcement), and the industry is expected to add 62,000 workers over the next decade.

• For a generation struggling to find work, gaming offers fulfilling careers for millennials. More than a third of the gaming workforce is younger than 30, compared to the national average of 25 percent.

• Few industries employ as diverse a workforce as gaming. Forty-five percent of gaming’s workforce is composed of racial or ethnic minority employees –far more diverse than the U.S. average of 33 percent. Further, 20 percent of gaming’s workforce is Hispanic, which is more than the national average of 15 percent.

As part of its “Gaming Votes” initiative, which launched last month, the AGA is working to ensure Governor Bush and other likely candidates recognize the vast, positive economic impact of the gaming industry, which is strengthening communities and providing a wide range of jobs for people of all backgrounds. The AGA is also educating gaming employees about the candidates so they know which ones support their livelihood and can make informed decisions at the ballot box. 

An Oxford Economics report, “Gaming Careers: Gateway to the Middle Class,” released last month illustrates the importance of gaming in providing opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t exist for hundreds of thousands of voters across the country. The AGA’s “Faces of Gaming” anecdotal employee video series builds on the report by profiling individual gaming employees.

About AGA: The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $240 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.7 million jobs in 40 states.  AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry.  It is the mission of the AGA to be the single most effective champion of the industry, relentlessly protecting against harmful and often misinformed public policies, and paving a path for growth, innovation and reinvestment.

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