WASHINGTON – The American Gaming Association (AGA) Board of Directors elected Trevor Croker, CEO and managing director of Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, as AGA’s new chairman. Croker succeeds outgoing AGA Chairman Tim Wilmott, president and CEO of Penn National Gaming, Inc., who has led the AGA Board since 2018.

Croker has been an active participant in the AGA, serving on the board and in executive committees, since his appointment as Aristocrat CEO in 2017. Croker came to the CEO position with broad experience working across Aristocrat’s regulated and social games businesses, in key leadership roles including EVP, global products and insights, chief digital officer, and managing director of Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific.

“It’s a great privilege to lead the AGA during a time of great growth and change in the gaming industry,” said Trevor Croker, CEO of Aristocrat and AGA’s incoming chairman. “I look forward to continuing the progress made under Tim’s leadership to modernize the industry and make responsible gaming a signature priority.”

“I’m thrilled to have such a well-regarded leader in the industry step into the role of AGA’s next chairman,” said Bill Miller, president and CEO of the AGA. “Trevor brings with him invaluable insight from our supplier members and fresh perspectives on how to propel the industry into the next generation of gaming.”

Miller continued, “Tim led the AGA during a dynamic period for the industry and provided a steady hand throughout the association’s own evolution. The entire gaming industry benefited from his leadership, and I’m personally grateful for his continued and wise counsel.”

“It’s been an honor to serve the gaming industry as chairman of AGA the past two years,” said Wilmott. “I’m proud of the strides we’ve made to highlight gaming’s role as an economic engine and mainstream form of entertainment. The future of the organization and industry is bright with Trevor and Bill’s leadership.”

Responsible Gaming: A Year-Round Commitment

The AGA-developed materials can assist with increasing education and awareness of the important issue of responsible gaming. Materials are available in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Spanish and are available for order online.

The Responsible Gaming Committee provides a forum for industry leaders to discuss and develop industry practices and strategies around responsible gaming, corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and related topics. The group elevates these issues as a key priority for the industry; solidifying AGA and its members as the leading advocate; and shaping policies that are more favorable to innovation and consumer protection.

The Responsible Gaming Committee provides a forum for industry leaders to discuss and develop industry practices and strategies around responsible gaming, corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and related topics. The group elevates these issues as a key priority for the industry; solidifying AGA and its members as the leading advocate; and shaping policies that are more favorable to innovation and consumer protection.

This September, join the American Gaming Association and our members as we highlight the industry’s responsible gaming education efforts. Together, we can promote gaming literacy and consumer education, elevate employee training, and work with partners to advance our understanding of responsible gambling.

Join us as GeoComply’s John Pappas and American Gaming Association’s Cait DeBaun dive deep into the heart of the NFL’s 2023 regulated betting landscape, examining intriguing data and insights from the initial weeks. We will also feature new research and information about responsible gaming and consumer demand for legal betting options as part of Responsible Gaming Education Month.

WASHINGTON – American Gaming Association President and CEO Bill Miller released the following statement on the revised interim regulatory guidelines that the Small Business Administration issued today for the Paycheck Protection Program:

“The Small Business Administration (SBA) today released revised regulatory guidelines that will allow additional small businesses that derive revenue from legal gaming to participate in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). While these changes represent some progress, they fall woefully short of fully addressing antiquated, discriminatory policies that have, to date, restricted small gaming companies from accessing critical loan support made available through the CARES Act. As a result of this half-measure, small gaming businesses that have closed to comply with government orders will continue to be denied access to this critical lifeline to support their employees.

“The American Gaming Association (AGA) is grateful for the leadership of a significant group of bipartisan, bicameral members of Congress who have advocated tirelessly for equal treatment of small commercial and tribal gaming operations in their communities. As Congress seeks to put additional resources behind the PPP, we look forward to working with them to make it clear that ‘we are all in this together’ by rejecting the SBA’s dangerous view that gaming employees don’t deserve assistance during this unprecedented crisis.

“The AGA will continue to strongly advocate for relief that supports the displaced gaming workforce and gaming companies of all sizes through this crisis.”

 Background

• Last Thursday, the AGA wrote President Trump regarding the Paycheck Protection Program.
• Dozens of bipartisan members of Congress also called the administration and wrote letters regarding gaming’s exclusion from the program.
• Casino gaming is vital to local small businesses, supporting 350,000 small business jobs and delivering $52 billion annually in small business revenue, including construction, manufacturing, retail, and wholesale firms.
• All 989 commercial and tribal casino properties have shuttered their doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of the 1.8 million jobs gaming supports are at non-gaming businesses, such as restaurants and local shops, which are all dramatically affected by a local casino’s closure.
• In many states, gaming pays among the highest tax rates of any industry with $10.7 billion in gaming taxes and tribal revenue share payments that support fundamental and critical programs from infrastructure to education.

Overview

The American Gaming Association’s comprehensive Commercial Gaming Revenue Database gives members the ability to quickly benchmark domestic gaming performance in real time. The database aggregates millions of historical data points published by state regulatory authorities into an easily filterable Excel spreadsheet, saving AGA members significant research time or third-party subscription costs.

Features

• Monthly property- and market-level data entries dating back to the inception of commercial casino gaming in most states, allowing users to identify trends in U.S. land-based commercial gaming revenue and taxes. 
• Where available, includes data on machine coin-in, table drop, casino admissions, operating days, gambling positions and other variables, allowing further contextualization of performance metrics. 
• Includes sports betting and iGaming data at the brand, licensee or state level.
• Key metrics are summarized at the state level and visualized through a series of interactive pivot tables. 
• The dataset is continuously updated as new revenue reports are published by state regulators. 
• Further variables may be incorporated in the future, such as property location metrics, owner/operator, number of employees or tax allocation.

Contact the Research Team for Member-Exclusive Access

AGA Commercial Gaming Database Overview, By State

The AGA Commercial Gaming Database is provided to members of the American Gaming Association for their exclusive, internal use.