Today, the American Gaming Association (AGA) received the American Business Awards’ Gold Stevie Award for the best communications campaign of 2018.

 “Our work with the industry to promote the social and economic benefits of legal sports betting last year paid off, and jurisdictions and consumers are now seeing the results firsthand through increased consumer protections, new tax revenue for state and local governments and dozens of private partnerships between leagues, teams and gaming companies,” said Bill Miller, AGA’s president and chief executive officer. “This distinction is a great honor, and we look forward to continuing our work to enable legal, regulated sports betting to compete with the dangerous illegal market.”

Throughout 2018, AGA worked aggressively to educate policymakers, sports stakeholders and the public about the failures of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), and make the case for legal, regulated sports betting in the United States. AGA effectively quantified the size of the existing illegal sports betting market and the economic opportunities enabled by legal sports betting for sports leagues, states and sovereign tribal nations. The association’s amici brief was cited twice by the Supreme Court in its May 2018 ruling to overturn PASPA.

AGA has also been recognized by Association TRENDS and Sports Business Journal for its work on sports betting in 2018.

About AGA: The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $261 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.8 million jobs nationwide. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, gaming suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions

WASHINGTON – The American Gaming Association (AGA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) Corporate Citizenship Center today announced the release of first-of-its-kind research analyzing the scope of the U.S. casino gaming industry’s community impact and commitment to communities, employees and customers.

Key findings from the report include:

• Gaming industry respondents reported $367 million in charitable giving last year;
• Ninety-three percent have comprehensive recycling and energy efficiency programs, 50% higher than the overall private sector;
• Sixty-nine percent have an institutionalized diversity and inclusion hiring effort;
• Gaming industry employees contribute more than 422,000 volunteer hours per year, nearly five-times more hours per employee than technology industry employees; and
• One-hundred percent of AGA member companies surveyed have a responsible gaming policy.

The research revealed that a majority of companies are committed to responsibility as an integral part of their strategic goals and that the overall success of the gaming industry depends on how well companies can support the communities they serve. The gaming industry outpaces most private sector industries in its commitment to diverting waste from landfill and instituting green building and water conservation programs. The full research is available here.

“Above all else, the gaming industry’s highest priority is to promote responsibility in all that we do, from being constructive partners in the communities where we operate, providing exceptional career opportunities to industry employees and ensuring all patrons have the tools they need to engage in our offerings in a responsible manner,” said Bill Miller, president and chief executive officer of the American Gaming Association. “Today’s report shows that the gaming industry is making good on our promise to be responsible community partners, contributing economically and socially to communities across the country.”

“While corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports continue to become standard practice among American businesses, it is rare to see the collective impact of an entire sector,” said Carolyn Cawley, president of the U.S. Chamber Foundation. “We’re proud to work with AGA to release this groundbreaking research that illustrates the gaming industry’s positive efforts in the communities they serve.”

Methodology: The Chamber Foundation analyzed the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs of AGA members, including a variety of company types and sizes, through quantitative and qualitative research. In the third quarter of 2018, USCCF and AGA surveyed and interviewed 15 AGA member respondents on the scale and scope of their corporate social responsibilities. Those companies represent 168 casino properties, 235,000 U.S. employees and $33 billion in total revenue.

About AGA: The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $261 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.8 million jobs nationwide. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, gaming suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions.

About the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness. We educate the public on the conditions necessary for business and communities to thrive, how business positively impacts communities, and emerging issues and creative solutions that will shape the future. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

###

Washington, D.C. – Americans gamble an estimated $511 billion each year with illegal and unregulated sportsbooks, iGaming websites and so-called “skill games,” according to a new report from the American Gaming Association.

This illegal wagering robs state governments of $13.3 billion in tax revenue annually, nearly $2.5 billion more than legal operators generated in 2021 ($11.7 billion). It also costs the legal gaming industry $44.2 billion in annual revenue, or nearly half of the $92 billion in combined commercial and tribal revenue in 2021.

“Illegal and unregulated gambling is a scourge on our society, taking advantage of vulnerable consumers, skirting regulatory obligations and robbing communities of critical tax revenue for infrastructure, education and more,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “We have always known that the illegal and unregulated market is expansive, but this report illuminates just how pervasive it is.”

Sports Betting Findings
AGA’s report estimates that Americans wager $63.8 billion with illegal bookies and offshore sites at a cost of $3.8 billion in gaming revenue and $700 million in state taxes. With Americans projected to place $100 billion in legal sports bets this year, these findings imply that illegal sportsbook operators are capturing nearly 40 percent of the U.S. sports betting market.

While the numbers are significant, they also demonstrate Americans’ movement to the regulated market with legal sports betting’s expansion to 36 states and the District of Columbia.

The report also found that 49 percent of past-year sports bettors have placed a bet with an illegal operator. Previous AGA research shows that more than half of Americans that bet on sports with illegal operators believe they are wagering legally.

iGaming Findings
Americans wager an estimated $337.9 billion with illegal iGaming websites, with a loss of $3.9 billion in state tax revenue. With $13.5 billion in estimated revenue, the illegal iGaming market in the U.S. is nearly three times the size of the legal U.S. iGaming market, estimated to be $5 billion in 2022.

With iGaming only legal in six states, nearly half of Americans (48%) that have played online slots or table games in the past year have played with illegal online casinos.

Unregulated “Skill Machine” Findings
Unregulated gaming machines also continue to proliferate, with an estimated 580,651 unregulated machines in the U.S. With 870,000 regulated machines in casinos and slot routes, that means 40% of all gaming machines in the U.S. are unlicensed.

Based on state regulatory data for similar machines, the operator win percentage on unregulated gambling machines is significantly higher than legal casino slot machines. During the past 12 months, slot machines in Nevada have a 7.16 percent win rate, compared to a nearly 25 percent estimated win rate for unregulated machines—demonstrating how unregulated machines take advantage of customers.

“All stakeholders—policymakers, law enforcement, regulators, legal businesses—must work together to root out the illegal and unregulated gambling market. This is a fight we’re in for the long haul to protect consumers, support communities and defend the law-abiding members of our industry.”

Methodology
The study was conducted by The Innovation Group on behalf of the American Gaming Association and is based largely on a survey of 5,284 U.S adults, examining their past-year gambling behaviors with both legal and illegal operators as well as their observations of unregulated gaming machines. It also incorporates publicly available data on the size of the legal U.S. gaming market and certain state gaming machine markets.

Background

• Commercial or tribal casino gaming is legal in 42 states, iGaming is legal in six states, and sports betting is legal is 36 states and Washington, D.C.
• AGA’s State of Play Map provides a state-by-state look at legal, regulated gaming in the U.S.
• StopIllegalGambling.com provides additional resources for consumers, industry stakeholders and media to raise awareness on the importance of eliminating illegal gambling and bolster efforts to combat illegal operators.

###

WASHINGTON – Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Justice released a memorandum reconsidering a 2011 opinion on the applicability of the Wire Act beyond sports gambling. Sara Slane, the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) senior vice president of public affairs, issued the following statement in response to OLC’s opinion:

“It is unfortunate that the Department of Justice departed from well-established practice in reversing its previous opinion without a compelling reason to do so. However, the 2018 OLC opinion does not impact the ability for states and Tribes to legalize and regulate gaming on a state-by-state and tribal basis, or for companies to provide the exciting products and entertainment experiences our customers want.

“With over 4,000 regulators and billions of dollars allocated to compliance, casino gaming is one of the most highly regulated industries in the country and for decades has provided its customers with cutting-edge products in a safe, regulated environment pursuant to state, Tribal and federal law. We will work with all stakeholders to preserve the ability of states and Tribes to regulate gaming, and we encourage DOJ to investigate and shut down illegal, unregulated gambling operators who prey on consumers.”

About AGA: The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $261 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.8 million jobs nationwide. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, gaming suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions.

###

G2E is the catalyst for gaming—fostering innovation and driving growth by convening the global industry to define tomorrow. Don’t miss this all-in-one experience taking place October 9-12, 2023 at The Venetian Expo.

AGA Member Benefits

As a member of the American Gaming Association, you receive exclusive G2E benefits. Make sure to take advantage and experience all that G2E 2023 has to offer.

Not sure you’re a member? Review the current AGA member list here. To access AGA member benefits, make sure to use your work email when registering.

Responsible gaming programs are a critical part of everyday business practices in the U.S. casino gaming industry. The central goal of these programs is to ensure that patrons responsibly enjoy casino games as a form of entertainment.

The American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Responsible Gaming Statutes and Regulations Guide is a centralized collection of the statutes and regulations addressing responsible gaming in the 34 states and the District of Columbia with commercial casinos, sports betting or internet gaming as of August 31, 2022. It is intended as a reference guide for industry stakeholders, researchers, lawmakers and regulators.

Importantly, the gaming industry’s full efforts to promote responsible gaming and address problem gambling go well beyond the legal requirements identified in this resource. Industry responsible gaming programs operate in compliance and parallel with state laws and regulations on responsible gaming. The majority of gaming operators and suppliers voluntarily implement responsible gaming programs with measures that expand upon what is formally mandated by law or regulation.

Since the Responsible Gaming Statutes and Regulations Guide was last updated in September 2019, 16 states have adopted legislation and regulations for sports betting that include various responsible gaming provisions. Similarly, land-based commercial
casino gaming has been approved in Nebraska and Virginia, while internet gaming has been legalized in Connecticut and Michigan. Beyond the expansion of new states, this guide provides insight into the changes and evolution of responsible gaming since 2019.

Although responsible gaming laws and regulations vary greatly between the 35 commercial gaming jurisdictions, many fit into the following broad categories:

• Responsible gaming plan required – 21 jurisdictions mandate that land-based and online gaming operators prepare and submit for approval a wide-ranging plan for addressing responsible gaming issues. Required elements of the plan often include employee training and public awareness efforts. For jurisdictions that require an overall plan, readers should examine the specific elements that must be included in each plan.
• Self-exclusion program – 34 jurisdictions require gaming or sports betting operators to adopt self-exclusion programs that enable patrons to exclude themselves from a casino or online/mobile gaming site and operators to expel self-excluded patrons if they are found gambling or wagering. The length of the self-exclusion periods available and the procedures for reversing self-exclusions vary by jurisdiction. A majority of jurisdictions establish a central self-exclusion register that includes enlisted patrons from all gaming venues and platforms. Some state laws specify that casinos and online operators must also eliminate direct promotional outreach to self-excluded individuals and deny them complimentaries – commonly known as “comps” – or access to credit.
• Property signage and responsible gaming disclosure – 31 jurisdictions have requirements around on property signage and/or disclosures related to responsible gaming. In some cases, that includes mandating the availability of brochures identifying the risks of problem gambling, requiring disclosure of toll-free helpline numbers and other resources for counseling and assistance, or that gaming advertising (print, billboards or electronic media) include responsible gaming messaging or a toll-free helpline number.
• Advertising restrictions – 30 jurisdictions establish specific restrictions on the types of, or content of, advertising that is permitted. Many jurisdictions require that gaming advertising not be deceptive or target minors.
• Wager/time limits – 25 jurisdictions with account-based online gaming, sports betting or digital wallet wagering in casinos require operators to provide a mechanism through which patrons may self-limit deposits, losses, wagering amounts and/or time spent gambling.
• Restrictions on extension of house credit – 28 jurisdictions block or limit the use of house credit in land-based and/or online casino gaming and sports betting. This may include outright bans on credit advances from gaming operators to patrons.
• Financial instruments restrictions – 17 jurisdictions restrict the ability of casinos or online gaming operators to accept credit card deposits, government issued checks or stored-value cards that represent public benefits, among other things.
• Treatment and research funding – 28 jurisdictions
• have codified commitments to support treatment for individuals with a gambling problem, education services concerning disordered or problem gambling, or research related to problem gambling. Most of those states earmark certain state revenues from gaming for these programs.
• Employee training – 20 jurisdictions specify that casino employees who work on the gaming floor or those who otherwise interact with customers must receive responsible gaming training. Some states require the training to include instruction on how to identify players demonstrating problematic or risky behavior on the gaming floor.
• Alcoholic beverage restrictions – 18 jurisdictions require casinos to limit alcoholic beverage service on the gaming floor or to limit access to gambling services for patrons who are visibly intoxicated.
• Beyond the overarching categories outlined above, states regularly implement other laws or regulations related to responsible gaming. These may include the creation of statewide responsible gaming programs, mandating research on the effectiveness of responsible gaming provisions, or requirements that operators verify gambling winners do not owe child support.

About the Guide
AGA’s Responsible Gaming Regulations and Statutes Guide, developed in partnership with VIXIO GamblingCompliance, details the commercial gaming industry’s financial performance, including analyses of each of the 35 jurisdictions with commercial gaming operations in 2021.

The gaming industry has a striking impact on the U.S. economy – providing stable jobs to nearly two million Americans and generating billions of dollars in tax revenue. This research represents the first comprehensive report on the gaming industry’s national economic impact since 2014.

The gaming industry supports a total economic impact including:

• $261.4 billion of output (business sales)
• 1.8 million jobs with $74.0 billion of labor income (wages, salaries, tips, benefits and other labor income)
• $40.8 billion of federal, state and local taxes, including $10.7 billion of gaming taxes

The gaming industry directly employs 727,000 people in the U.S., with $33.3 billion of wages, salaries, tips, benefits and other labor income. This includes 559,000 jobs on-site at casinos and corporate offices, 17,000 at U.S.-based operations of gaming manufacturers, and 151,000 at businesses providing goods and services to casino patrons during casino trips.

Ancillary spending by casino patrons at other businesses totals $13.3 billion, including $2.4 billion of spending at restaurants and $1.7 billion at retail stores.

Within the broader gaming industry, commercial casinos employ 361,000 employees who earn $17.4 billion in wages and benefits while tribal casinos employ 198,000 employees who earn $9.1 billion of wages and benefits annually.

Gaming supports more direct jobs than in other industries such as plastics manufacturing, or the motion picture and sound recording industry. Additional highlights:

Casino employment (559,000 jobs) is equivalent to more than one in 30 leisure and hospitality jobs.

Direct employment (727,000 jobs) is equivalent to one in 175 jobs in the service sector, would be enough to fill every seat in the Dallas Cowboys’ football stadium for every home game, and is almost as many people as work in the District of Columbia. Total employment (1.8 million jobs) is equivalent to one in 83 non-farm jobs and would rank 28th among U.S. states measured by non-farm employment The total tax impact per household was $343 per U.S. household. This tax offset represents the federal state and local taxes that would otherwise need to be paid per U.S. household to compensate for the absence of gaming industry activity.

February 21, 2018 

The American Gaming Association is expressing opposition to the Trump administration’s inclusion in its budget proposal of $120 million to restore the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nye County.

“AGA opposes any effort to revive Yucca Mountain as a repository and will work with the many concerned citizens, small-business operators and members of Congress to ensure that radioactive waste is never stored anywhere near the world’s premier tourist, convention and entertainment destination,” the association’s vice president of government relations, Chris Cylke, said in a statement Feb. 13.

Cylke said that Yucca Mountain is 90 miles from Las Vegas, which welcomed 42 million visitors last year.

“Over the past decade, the Greater Las Vegas area is one of the fastest growing in the U.S. with a population that now exceeds 2.1 million people, according to an estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau,” Cylke said.

“Any problems with the transport of nuclear waste to the site, or issues with its storage there, would bring potentially devastating consequences to the local, state and national economies,” Cylke said.

In April 2017, association President and CEO Geoff Freeman sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment and the Economy, opposing the plan to reopen the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.

The American Gaming Association represents the $240 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.7 million jobs in 40 states.

A message seeking reaction to the association’s stance was requested from Nye County government this week.

Nye County Commissioner Dan Schinhofen, one of the most vocal proponents of Yucca Mountain in Nye County, has said he stands with eight other rural Nevada counties that support vetting the science of Yucca Mountain.

“We just want the law to be followed, and have that body that deals with nuclear issues to hear the science,” Schinhofen said last year.

Original Article: https://pvtimes.com/news/powerful-gaming-group-opposes-u-s-budget-effort-for-yucca/

Set yourself up for success at Global Gaming Expo (G2E)—the largest gathering of global, commercial and tribal gaming professionals in North America. Take advantage of new educational content that is fast-paced and actionable and experience first-hand the new products and innovative technologies showcased on the expo floor. G2E has everything you need for your casino floor and across your entire operation—from traditional casino fare to sports betting, non-gaming amenities and digital products—G2E is where your business growth is accelerated.

The gaming industry has a expansive impact on the U.S. economy – providing stable jobs to nearly two million Americans and generating billions of dollars in tax revenue. This research represents the first comprehensive report on the gaming industry’s national economic impact since 2018.

The gaming industry supports a total economic impact including:

• $329 billion of output (business sales)
• 1.8 million jobs with $104 billion of labor income (wages, salaries, tips, benefits and other labor income)
• $53 billion of federal, state and local taxes, including $13.5 billion of gaming taxes

The gaming industry directly employs more than 700,000 people in the U.S. This includes nearly 600,000 jobs on-site at casinos and corporate offices, more than 23,000 at U.S.-based operations of gaming manufacturers, and 89,000 at businesses providing goods and services to casino patrons during casino trips.

The $53 million in taxes generated by the gaming industry provides critical funding for local public programs and services, including education, infrastructure and economic development, as well as supplemental revenue for state general funds.

According to the report, America’s gaming industry directly employs more than 700,000 people in the U.S. Put in context with the broader U.S. economy:

• Gaming provides more direct jobs than the air transportation, postal service or motion picture and video sectors.
• Direct casino employment accounts for 1 in 33 leisure and hospitality jobs.

Recent, related AGA research shows the economic benefits generated by gaming are widely recognized by Americans, with a record 71 percent of adults saying the casino gaming industry has a positive impact on the U.S. economy.