Global Gaming Expo (G2E) will continue to bring the gaming industry together this fall through a new virtual experience. Get the benefits of a live event—expert education and thought leadership, networking opportunities, business meetings, and product discovery—wherever you are and on your schedule.

A complimentary kickoff session will take place on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 and feature three gaming leaders to discuss the path to reopening and strategies for success. The virtual platform will then open for a two-week preview where you can explore sessions, search for vendors, and plan your agenda for G2E taking place October 27-28.

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WASHINGTON – The American Gaming Association (AGA) today announced the promotion of three senior leaders across the organization to drive industry priorities including responsibility, advocacy and gaming regulation, and the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) franchise:

• Cait DeBaun has been promoted to Vice President, Strategic Communications and Responsibility.
• Jessica Feil has been promoted to Vice President, Government Relations and Gaming Policy Counsel.
• Meredith Pallante has been promoted to Vice President, Global Events.

All three joined the AGA in 2019 and previously held senior director titles.

“Each of these incredibly talented women will lead core organizational functions at a critical time for our industry,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “They’ve helped to navigate the challenges of 2020 and will be instrumental in expediting gaming’s recovery in the months ahead.”

DeBaun joined the AGA to focus on advancing the industry’s commitment to responsibility. She has been instrumental in activating the Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering, creating the Have a Game Plan.^® Bet Responsibly.™ public service campaign, and leading both the Responsible Gambling Collaborative and the association’s Responsibility Committee.

Feil is an attorney with a history in gaming policy. She manages state policy and regulatory engagement for the association, contributing to core government relations efforts including the advancement of legal sports wagering. Feil leads the association working groups on payments modernization, state affairs and NextGen gaming policy.

Pallante joined the AGA to manage G2E, the world’s leading gaming tradeshow, and extensions of that portfolio including G2E Asia. She will oversee all global industry events for the association, leveraging her experience as an organizer of the Las Vegas-based tradeshow CES.

“These are very well-earned promotions for exceptionally qualified professionals,” added Miller. “Cait, Jessica and Meredith will continue to serve our members, the gaming industry and our association well into the future.”

LAS VEGAS – The American Gaming Association’s (AGA) newly launched Gaming CEO Outlook shows confidence in expanded industry growth, with almost half of AGA-member CEOs expecting improved business conditions into 2022. Participating CEO positivity is driven by anticipated increases in new hiring (71%), wage growth (63%), and capital investment (39%).

“AGA’s inaugural Gaming CEO Outlook reflects the strength of our recovery and consumer demand for our world-class entertainment offerings,” said Bill Miller, AGA president and CEO. “The promising outlook is built on our innovation, but like many industries, supply chain and worker shortages continue to slow our full recovery.”

While the overall outlook is positive, challenges remain. More than two-thirds (71%) of CEO respondents cited supply chain issues as a factor limiting operations. Labor force shortages (63%), consumer health concerns (46%), and lagging meetings and events demand (38%) are also widely cited as impeding short-term growth.

The Gaming CEO Outlook, prepared for the AGA by Oxford Economics, provides a snapshot of the current and future economic health of the industry based on executive sentiment, employment, casino visitation plans, gaming revenue, and other key economic indicators. The results are informed by a survey of AGA member CEOs and executives representing equipment suppliers, casinos operators, and sportsbooks.

“We are a more resilient industry because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Aristocrat Technologies CEO and AGA Chairman Trevor Croker. “As the gaming industry looks to 2022 and beyond, our impressive recovery will continue to create jobs, support communities, and generate needed taxes.”

The Gaming CEO Outlook includes two separate indices, the Current Conditions Index and the Future Conditions Index—both of which reflect strong business conditions.

Current Gaming Conditions
The Current Conditions Index of 115.1 reflects exceptionally strong growth in gaming revenue, employment, and employee wages and salaries over the past quarter. This represents one of the fastest periods of growth in the industry over the past 20 years. Notably, all CEO panel participants assessed the current gaming business climate as “good” (54%) or “satisfactory” (46%).

Looking Ahead: Expansion Continues
The Future Conditions Index, which provides a leading indicator of changes in industry conditions, also shows positive results at 102.7. Nearly half of gaming executives expect future business conditions to further improve from today’s already strong climate, and just nine percent expect conditions to deteriorate over the next six months.

Among gaming operators, half plan to increase hotel and food and beverage amenities, while 43 percent plan to increase capital investments in gaming machines.

Gaming suppliers are also optimistic: over the next six months, 75 percent expect sales of gaming units for replacement use to increase and 63 percent expect sales of new units to improve.

The gaming industry’s recovery, including a record-breaking second quarter, is well underway and current executive sentiment points to a robust end of the year and strong start to 2022.

Miller will deliver his annual State of the Industry update today at 11:45 ET/8:45 PT to kick off Global Gaming Expo (G2E) 2021—the premier event for commercial and tribal gaming professionals.

“Our industry’s return to Las Vegas for G2E is a milestone in our recovery,” Miller said. “G2E 2021 is providing an essential platform for gaming leaders to highlight their latest products, conduct business, and drive our recovery forward.”

About the Outlook
The Gaming Industry Outlook is prepared on the behalf of the American Gaming Association by Oxford Economics. It provides a timely measure of recent growth and future expectations. The Q3 2021 release is the first release of the index, with a planned bi-annual release schedule moving forward. As additional data become available, particularly for the Gaming Executive Panel, the Gaming Industry Outlook will be further refined.

The Q3 2021 survey was conducted between August 16 and September 14, 2021. A total of 24 executives responded, including executives at the major international and domestic gaming companies, tribal gaming operators, single unit casino operators, major gaming equipment suppliers, and major iGaming and/or sports betting operators.

WASHINGTON – The American Gaming Association (AGA) today launched AGA Elevate, a new education program focused on providing value to the gaming-entertainment industry, and opened registration for AGA Elevate’s inaugural event, AGA Elevate | Lead ­– Adapt to Win.

The first AGA Elevate event will take place on Monday, August 13, 2018, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, and will focus on leadership development. Led by author, consultant and executive coach Dr. Mary C. Kelly, the event will help attendees better foster adaptive capacity to improve business efficiency and profits.

AGA Elevate follows the fourth pillar of AGA’s 2020 Strategic Plan, which aims to leverage the power of the industry to build member value beyond advocacy. The innovative education program will offer face-to-face and virtual opportunities to engage in critical business topics:

• Grow: Emerging trends, business growth and development and new or potential market expansion opportunities for the industry;
• Innovate: Opportunities to maximize operations through technology;
• Lead: Essential leadership and professional skills; and
• Respond: Crisis management and emergency preparedness.

“AGA Elevate is a first-of-its-kind program that will address current industry trends while raising the profile on issues that impact the future of the gaming industry, including human rights, robotics, emotional intelligence and payments solutions,” said Allie Barth, vice president of industry relations of AGA.

For more information about AGA Elevate | Lead – Adapt to Win, click here.

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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 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 achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions.

Global Gaming Expo (G2E) is back to reunite the industry. As the premier event for commercial and tribal gaming professionals, G2E will help you make meaningful connections, discover cutting-edge technology, and experience innovative content. Whether in-person or virtually, you’ll want to be part of the G2E experience.

AGA Member Benefits

As a member of the American Gaming Association, you receive exclusive G2E benefits. Make sure to take advantage of these benefits and experience all that G2E 2021 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.

Health and Safety

Your health and safety is our top priority. To support a productive and safe show, G2E 2021 will require proof of a COVID-19 vaccination and face coverings. Review our full health and safety guidance to learn more about how we’re preparing a safe on-site experience.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Americans’ positive view of the gaming industry continues to grow as the U.S. legal market expands. New research from the American Gaming Association (AGA) shows that two-thirds of adults view the industry as a positive economic contributor that provides high-quality jobs and 73 percent support legalized sports betting in their state.

Americans also see gaming as a good community partner. Nearly 7 in 10 Americans believe the gaming industry behaves responsibly and a majority (57%) believe the industry gives back in the communities where it operates. View the full findings of AGA’s annual survey of American attitudes here.

“We are a committed, responsible partner and economic driver in communities across the country,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “Because of this, we’ve risen from the most devastating period in our history and embarked on a record-setting comeback.”

Americans are taking notice of the industry’s responsible gaming efforts. The number of Americans who say the industry is committed to responsible gaming has increased by nearly 40 percent since 2018. Further, nearly 80 percent of past-year gamblers are aware of industry-provided responsible gaming resources. Of this group, three-quarters point to specific measures like deposit limits, casino employee training, and time limits as most effective.

These findings come at the start of Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW), Sept. 19-25, which brings together all industry stakeholders to promote responsible gaming education while also showcasing the industry’s everyday commitment to responsible gaming.

“Responsible Gaming Education Week provides an opportunity to highlight the tremendous work our members and industry do every day to invest in responsible gaming education,” continued Miller. “As legal gaming expands to new geographies and verticals, everyone engaged with legal gaming must work together to grow responsibly—our collective success depends on it.”

RGEW 2021 features AGA’s Have A Game Plan.^® Bet Responsibly.™ public service campaign, which is uniting the growing sports betting industry to educate and encourage responsible sports wagering. Through partnerships with sports leagues and teams, gaming operators and suppliers, and media companies, the campaign teaches consumers the fundamentals of responsible sports wagering: setting a budget and sticking to it, knowing the odds, keeping it social, and only playing with legal operators.

The AGA, with its members, is building a responsible foundation for legal sports betting. AGA’s Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering, launched a year ago, defines a robust set of principles to protect consumers and sets a high standard for advertising with self-imposed restrictions on target audiences, outlets, and materials branding, while mandating responsible gaming inclusion across marketing activity.

Ensuring consumers have effective, accessible resources if they need help is key to sustainable growth. The AGA recently released policy recommendations for streamlining helpline requirements in national or multistate advertising campaigns, which have since been adopted in Indiana.

Casino gaming is legal in 44 states with the addition of four states in the last five years. Sports betting is legal in 32 states and the District of Columbia while six states offer legal iGaming.

Through July, the commercial gaming industry has generated $4.83 billion in 2021, putting the industry on pace to break its annual revenue record set in 2019. The AGA’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker is tracking gaming’s record-setting recovery.

Methodology

Survey results come from two online polls conducted on behalf of the American Gaming Association in the late summer among national samples of 2,000 Americans. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, educational attainment, gender, race, and region. Results from the two full surveys have a margin of error of +/-2%.

• Kantar fielded its survey between August 13-September 1, 2021 among a national sample of 2,000 American voters aged 21 and older.
• YouGov conducted its survey between June 26-31, 2021 among a national sample of 2,033 American aged 21 and older.

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WASHINGTON – American Gaming Association (AGA) President and CEO Bill Miller released the following statement on bipartisan legislation introduced today by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) that would repeal the federal sports betting excise tax on legal operators:

“The federal sports betting excise tax was enacted more than 70 years ago as a tool to prosecute illegal sports betting operators. Today, with sports betting legal in 38 states and Washington, D.C., this antiquated tax puts legal operators at a competitive disadvantage and rewards illegal offshore bookmakers that pay no federal or state taxes, offer no responsible gaming tools, and have no systems in place to prevent underage customers from using their platforms.

The AGA is grateful to Senators Cortez Masto and Hyde-Smith for their commitment to providing a safe, responsible sports betting market and to continuing to help migrate bettors out of the illegal market, which is bereft of consumer protections and a haven for bad actors and tax evaders. The AGA will continue to work with policymakers to enact legislation to address this harmful tax.”

Background

• The Internal Revenue Code currently imposes a federal excise tax of 0.25% on the amount of any legal sports wager, as well as an additional $50 annual head tax for every employee engaged in receiving wagers for or on behalf of any legal sports betting operator. This tax is applied to the amount wagered and not the revenue, unlike any other excise tax. Meanwhile, the $50 head tax on each sportsbook employee further discourages job creation.
• Established in 1951, the excise tax was never intended to be a revenue source, but rather a tool for prosecuting illegal bookmaking operations that did not pay the tax.
• Even before paying the federal excise tax, sportsbooks are low margin businesses with high operating costs including licensing fees, state taxes and other compliance expenses.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Gaming Association (AGA) recently convened leading gaming industry organizations, academic professionals and advocacy groups to chart a new course on the complex issue of responsible gaming. The Responsible Gaming Collaborative will identify the programs and policies that best address responsible gaming and the prevention of problem gambling and hold government accountable for supporting proven, effective solutions. The Collaborative’s launch deepens the gaming industry’s commitment to responsible gaming.

“It’s time to comprehensively review existing responsible gaming policies and regulations,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the AGA. “We must drive a new discussion around proven, effective programs and ensure that governments are appropriately allocating resources.”

The gaming industry is estimated to provide governments with hundreds of millions of dollars annually for responsible gaming research and treatment. The spending of those resources is inconsistent across jurisdictions and no programs exist today to ensure accountability.

In addition to the AGA, key Responsible Gaming Collaborative participants include: 

The National Council on Problem Gambling, the National Center for Responsible Gaming, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas International Gaming Institute, Harvard University’s T.H. Chan Public School of Health, Yale School of Medicine, the National Indian Gaming Association, the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

“This Collaborative with its diverse set of stakeholders is a welcome step forward to creating a unified approach to addressing problem gambling,” said Keith Whyte, Executive Director of the National Council on Problem Gambling.

“No one party or way of thinking is ever enough to create transformative change. That’s why this group is so essential,” said Russell Sanna, Executive Director the National Center for Responsible Gaming. “We appreciate healthy dialogue and debate and are striving to use focused, evidence-based proposals to drive improvement – in both industry practices and government regulations.”

In the coming months, the Collaborative will:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of current responsible gaming policies and regulations;
• Identify programs that work and those that fail to meet their objective;
• Study regulations to determine which are based on solid evidence;
• Determine whether government resources are being properly targeted toward effective programs and prevention;
• Develop a set of recommendations and industry best practices; and
• Work with regulators and other stakeholders to understand the best approaches.

“The word ‘Collaborative’ was chosen deliberately,” said Freeman. “Our goal is to work with regulators, policymakers, experts, advocates and other stakeholders to find the best solutions and direct resources to them.”

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 achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions.