Schenectady, NY – The casino gaming industry supports 350,000 small business jobs nationwide and thousands of them are in New York, the American Gaming Association (AGA) announced today at Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady during the American Gaming Small Business Jobs Tour.

Tuesday’s event is part of AGA’s “Get to Know Gaming” tour, which aims to educate communities about gaming’s role as a community partner in 40 states across the country.

“Casino gaming is a strong community partner in New York and across the country where hundreds of thousands of small business jobs are supported,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of AGA. “We are particularly proud of our support for minority and women-owned businesses and the unique opportunities that our industry makes possible.”

The casino industry is a $240 billion-a-year industry that supports 1.7 million jobs nationwide. In New York, gaming employs 14,000 people, supports $827 million in wages and generates $3.6 billion in economic impact.

“Rivers Casino has fast become an important part of our community,” said Schenectady Mayor, Gary McCarthy. “Not only does the casino provide jobs, but the entire facility enhances the hard work we’ve put in to making downtown Schenectady a fun place to be and a great place to do business. The City of Schenectady looks forward to a long and successful partnership with Rivers Casino.”

Tuesday’s roundtable at Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady included Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy; Mary Cheeks, general manager of Rivers Casino & Resort; Ray Gillen, chairman, Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority; Tracy Terry, VP of Sales, Digital XPress; Jeff Stark, president, Greater Capital Region Building Trades Council; Philip Morris, CEO, Proctors; and Jennifer Lawrence, executive director, SEAT Center.

Earlier this year, AGA released a report, The Gaming Industry’s Impact on Small Business Development in the United States, that examined nearly a dozen U.S. gaming markets and assessed casino gaming’s direct and indirect impact on local, small businesses. Researchers from Spectrum Gaming Group concluded that gaming’s widespread impact is felt in markets across the country, but has larger impacts in small to mid-sized communities where local businesses work to integrate into gaming operations.

Nationwide, the report concluded that the casino gaming industry generates $52 billion in annual revenues for American small businesses and supports $13 billion in small business employee wages. In addition, $52 billion in annual small business revenues go toward real estate, finance, health care, STEM, manufacturing, information technology and other industries.

According to AGA’s State of the States 2017 report, due out later this year, New York casinos saw an increase in both gaming revenues (3.4 percent) and direct gaming tax receipts (3.3 percent) in 2016. Overall, eight of New York’s nine racetrack casinos reported revenue increases for the year.

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.