Las Vegas – The casino gaming industry is welcoming Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to Las Vegas this morning as he continues his book tour in advance of a potential 2016 presidential bid. As part of its just-launched “Gaming Votes” initiative, the American Gaming Association (AGA) is working to ensure Senator Rubio and other likely presidential 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.

“We welcome Senator Rubio, a former Nevadan, to Las Vegas ahead of a potential campaign in which he would seek the votes of hundreds of thousands of gaming employees,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the AGA. “We look forward to beginning a conversation with Senator Rubio and other potential presidential candidates about the path to the middle class gaming jobs are providing to voters in Nevada, Florida and other battleground states across the country.”

Gaming supports more than half-a-million jobs and contributes $75 billion to local communities in key battleground states across the country. In Nevada, casino gaming supports 425,000 jobs, generates $7.9 billion in taxes and drives $53 billion in economic activity. In Florida, gaming supports 7,400 jobs, generates nearly $360 million in taxes and drives $1.2 billion in economic activity.

Last week, the AGA launched “Gaming Votes” to ensure presidential candidates understand gaming’s vital role in providing middle class jobs and driving economic growth. As part of the initiative, the AGA will hold local events in such battleground states as Iowa, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Ohio and others; give voice to employees building careers in the gaming industry; and detail how our strong local partnerships are helping to rebuild American communities following the Great Recession.

Presidential candidates will be encouraged to embrace policies critical to the gaming industry’s future, including improving infrastructure, developing a skilled and diverse workforce, promoting innovation and thoroughly reviewing increasing regulatory burdens.

A new Oxford Economics report, “Gaming Careers: A Gateway to the Middle Class,” also released last week illustrates the importance of gaming in providing opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t exist for hundreds of thousands of voters across the country. Among the findings is that 20 percent of gaming’s workforce is Hispanic. 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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