Recent research released shows that the gaming industry supports 350,000 small business jobs and is responsible for $52 billion in small business revenues. The report, The Gaming Industry’s Impact on Small Business Development in the United States, was completed by Spectrum Gaming Group and commissioned by AGA.

To highlight the report’s findings, AGA launched its nationwide American Gaming Small Business Jobs Tour. The tour will scan the country to showcase gaming’s strong, positive impacts on local, small businesses that are driving Main Street’s success and American employment. AGA plans to work with a wide range of member companies to showcase their strong partnership with small businesses all around the country.

Resources

Press Release

Newsletter

Press Coverage Summary

Las Vegas Review-Journal – Road trip by AGA slated to explain how casinos help small businesses

Providence Business News – Report: Casinos in R.I. contribute $1B in economic activity

Politico – Influence

CDC Gaming Reports – AGA: Maryland Casinos Drive Opportunity and Growth for Small Businesses

Casino City Times – Gaming industry important for small businesses, says AGA

CDC Gaming Reports – AGA highlights gaming industry’s positive impacts on small business

Casino.org News – Gaming Industry’s Positive Economic Impact Theme of AGA Small Business Jobs Tour

CDC Gaming Reports – New Study: Casino Industry is Essential to Small Business Growth

CEO Roundtable: a fireside chat with the AGA and the CGA
The IAGA CEO Roundtable brings the leading executives of North America’s three largest gaming organizations together to discuss their opinions on the hot topics facing the industry within their respective markets. Covering a wide range of issues including what can and should be done to stop the proliferation of unregulated and unlawful gaming including grey machine proliferation, the lessons learned from the pandemic and their predictions for the year ahead, this is unique opportunity to hear from the leaders who help shape public policy and perception about gaming in all its forms.

Moderated by Daron Dorsey, the Executive Director for the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM), the panelists include:

• Paul Burns, President and CEO, Canadian Gaming Association
• Bill Miller, President and CEO, American Gaming Association

Gambling advertising’s race to acquire customers: are we heading for a crash?
In late 2018, Italy’s advertising and communications regulator Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM) introduced a blanket gambling advertising ban aimed at reducing rates of gambling addiction and ratcheting up player protection efforts. This quickly drew the attention of regulators and legislators elsewhere, resulting in tighter advertising restrictions or consideration of bans in other European countries. Given the exploding North American sports betting markets and the corresponding dramatic increase in player acquisition advertising, are we perilously heading toward a similar fate? This panel will take a deep dive into gambling advertising bans, debating issues like whether the European experience could be replicated in the US, whether bans or tighter restrictions have an impact on problem gambling, whether they represent a perceived or real failure of the industry to implement appropriate controls and safeguards, and what effect a bombardment of gambling advertising has on the industry’s reputation. Is gambling advertising a regulatory issue? A responsibility issue? Our panel will aim to answer these questions and more.

Moderated by Cait DeBaun, Vice President – Strategic Communications and Responsibility for the American Gaming Association (AGA), the panelists include:

• Chris Hebert, Gaming Division Director, Louisiana Attorney General’s Office
• Louis Rogacki, Deputy Director, New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement

WASHINGTON – American Gaming Association (AGA) Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Sara Slane issued the following statement regarding Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s statement on legalized sports betting.

“The casino gaming industry shares Senator Schumer’s goal in preserving the integrity of sporting events and providing consumer protections. Federal oversight of sports betting was an abject failure for 26 years only contributing to a thriving illegal market with no consumer protections and safeguards. New federal mandates are a nonstarter.

“The casino industry is working with stakeholders to ensure the proper protections for consumers, and the integrity of bets and sporting contests are included in state policy, universally implemented by all operators in those states, and overseen by effective state and tribal gaming regulators.”

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.

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WASHINGTON – American Gaming Association (AGA) Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Sara Slane issued the following statement regarding Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s statement on legalized sports betting.

“The casino gaming industry shares Senator Schumer’s goal in preserving the integrity of sporting events and providing consumer protections. Federal oversight of sports betting was an abject failure for 26 years only contributing to a thriving illegal market with no consumer protections and safeguards. New federal mandates are a nonstarter.

“The casino industry is working with stakeholders to ensure the proper protections for consumers, and the integrity of bets and sporting contests are included in state policy, universally implemented by all operators in those states, and overseen by effective state and tribal gaming regulators.”

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.

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When the COVID-19 pandemic dealt the gaming industry its most difficult year ever, the industry rose to the challenge by coming to the aid of frontline workers, leading the way for businesses across the country to responsibly reopen, and doubling down on its commitment to supporting its communities.

These efforts began right away, with gaming companies helping solve the nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment and testing. Casino operators combined to donate hundreds of thousands of masks and additional protective gear, while also leveraging extensive supply chain resources to help procure and distribute COVID-19 tests. Some casinos were converted into COVID-19 testing facilities, and more recently, vaccination centers. As Scott Kerbs, public relations manager at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, attested, “These valuable testing resources have served to safeguard the health of community members and visitors while supporting the safe and measured reopening of our economy.”

When casino properties were forced to close their doors due to the pandemic, commercial and tribal gaming operators donated millions of meals to in-need families in gaming communities throughout the United States. Many casinos continued to pay and support their employees while casino floors stood dormant, while gaming operators and suppliers set up emergency relief funds to provide financial assistance to current and former employees.

From gaming suppliers to sportsbook operators, charitable donations from the gaming industry continued to support those in need throughout the pandemic, and when it became safe reopen businesses, the gaming industry once again took leadership. Implementing rigorous health and safety protocols with the help of innovative, contactless solutions, casinos helped write the playbook for businesses of all industries across the U.S. to effectively reopen while prioritizing the health of employees and customers.

Casinos & Communities: COVID-19 Response tells these stories and more, once again demonstrating that, when the chips are down, gaming is all-in on its commitment to its communities.

American Gaming Association President and CEO Bill Miller released the following statement on the economic toll the COVID-19 outbreak is having on the U.S. casino gaming industry:

“An estimated 616,000 casino gaming employees are prevented from working because of the important health and safety decisions made by state governments. Nearly all (95%) of the country’s 465 commercial casinos, and eight-in-ten (83%*) of the country’s 524 tribal casinos, have shuttered their doors.

“The impact on our employees, their families, and communities is staggering, and the implications extend far beyond the casino floor. Leading technology companies that supply the industry, and the nearly 350,000 small business employees that rely on gaming for their livelihood, are also feeling the devastating blow of this unprecedented public health crisis.

“The federal government must act swiftly and comprehensively to get America’s hospitality employees, and the small businesses that support them, back to work as soon as it is safe. Gaming employees, their families, and communities are bearing the brunt of this economic standstill and will continue to suffer if Congress and the administration don’t take immediate action.

“In total, these mass closures will rob the U.S. economy of $43.5 billion in economic activity if American casinos remain closed for the next eight weeks.

“Gaming is an economic engine, employing millions of local residents, generating community investment through vital tax revenue, and supporting small businesses in communities all across the country.”

Background

• Casino closures risk nearly $74 billion in total wages annually for workers and their families.
• Casino gaming supports $41 billion in annual tax revenue and tribal revenue sharing nationwide – essential support for local hospitals, first responders, and vital public services.
• Half the jobs our industry supports are at non-gaming businesses such as restaurants and local shops – all will be dramatically affected by a local casino’s closure.
• Casino gaming is vital to local small businesses, delivering $52 billion annually in small business revenue, including construction, manufacturing, retail, and wholesale firms.

More information on COVID-19’s impact on U.S. casino industry workers and local communities is available here.

*Updated to reflect new closures since date of release

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.”

WASHINGTON – 23.2 million Americans plan to bet a total of $4.3 billion on this year’s Super Bowl LV matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to new American Gaming Association (AGA) research. Among Super Bowl bettors, a record 7.6 million will bet with online sportsbooks this year, up 63 percent year-over-year.

“This year’s Super Bowl is expected to generate the largest single-event legal handle in American sports betting history,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “With a robust legal market, Americans are abandoning illegal bookies and taking their action into the regulated marketplace in record numbers.”

Since last year’s game, 36 million more American adults have gained the opportunity to safely bet in legal markets in their home state with seven new jurisdictions now live: Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Montana, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

An expected overall drop in overall Super Bowl betting is almost entirely caused by pandemic-led restrictions, with the largest declines anticipated for retail sportsbooks and casual bets, like pools or squares, that are made in social settings.

Key findings from the survey, conducted by Morning Consult, reflect dramatically shifting betting patterns amid the COVID-19 pandemic:

• 1.4 million Americans plan to bet in-person at a sportsbook, down 61 percent from 2020.
• 1.8 million bettors plan to place a bet with a bookie, down 21 percent.
• 4.5 million Americans plan to place a pool, squares, or similar bet, down 19 percent.
• 11.9 million Americans plan to bet casually with friends, down 18 percent.
• 56 percent of bettors plan to bet on the Chiefs while 44 percent plan to bet on the Buccaneers.

While previous AGA research has shown consumer confusion over the legal status of many online sportsbooks, consumers feel it is important to bet legally: 65 percent of expected Super Bowl bettors say it is important for themselves personally to use a legal, regulated sportsbook for their bets.

As awareness and availability of legal betting options grows, so do the benefits to consumers: 34 percent of Americans remember seeing responsible gaming messaging in the past year, up five points from 2020. Super Bowl bettors were even more likely to see responsibility content, with 53 percent seeing responsible gaming messaging in the past year.

“This data is an encouraging sign that our efforts to ground the expansion of sports betting in responsible gaming is taking hold,” stated Miller. “Responsible gaming is core to legal sports betting’s long-term success, and this is borne out by continued demand for consumer protections only available in the legal market.”

One part of the industry’s effort to broaden consumer awareness of legal, responsible betting is AGA’s Have A Game Plan.^® Bet Responsibly. campaign which—along with its partners, the National Hockey League (NHL), PGA TOUR, NASCAR, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, and Vegas Golden Knights—educates fans on the fundamentals of responsible sports betting.

Background

• 25 states and Washington, DC have legalized sports betting, with 21 legal markets operational.
• 13 states currently have active or pre-filed legislation to legalize sports betting.
• More than $21 billion was wagered on sports in 2020, up from $13 billion in 2019, generating more than $210 million in state and local taxes.
• Mobile wagering has accounted for 82% of legal sports wagers nationwide during the pandemic.
• Previous AGA research found that more than 33 million Americans planned to bet on this year’s NFL season.

Methodology
Morning Consult conducted the online survey on behalf of the AGA between Jan. 25-27, 2021, among a national sample of 2,198 adults. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, and region. The margin of error is +/-2 percent and greater among subgroups. Bettors include those who expect to place a bet online, with a bookie, with a casino sportsbook, in a pool or squares contest, or casually with family or friends.

As the 2024 NFL season kicks off, the American Gaming Association projects that American adults will bet $35 billion with legal sportsbooks throughout the season, AGA’s first-ever legal wagering estimate for the league’s season.

Driven by the continued expansion and maturation of the legal sports betting industry across the U.S., 2024 is expected to be the most legally wagered-on season in the NFL’s seven seasons with legal wagering. AGA analysis conducted after the 2023 NFL season estimates that legal wagering on last year’s NFL season reached $26.7 billion.

Maine, North Carolina and Vermont have each launched new legal sports betting markets since last NFL kickoff.

Importantly, as legal sports betting grows, recent AGA data shows public support for the industry also continues to grow, with Americans increasingly seeing the industry as committed to responsibility:

• 90% of past-year sports bettors say it is important to them that the sportsbook they choose is legal and regulated.
• 88% of sports bettors say the legal industry is committed to responsible gaming and combatting problem gambling.
• 85% of sports bettors agree with the effectiveness of responsible gaming programs, up from 83% last year.
• 75% of American adults support legal, regulated sports betting in their state, up from 73% last year.

Nearly all past-year sports bettors (96%) are familiar with at least one responsible gaming resource, with 57% reporting seeing or hearing increased responsible gaming messaging in the past 12 months.

High awareness for responsible gaming resources among consumers is significantly driven by industry marketing and advertising, which three quarters (73%) of American adults say is being done responsibly—up from 68% in 2023.

Throughout the season, the AGA encourages football fans to Have A Game Plan to bet responsibly:

• Set a budget and stick to it.
• Keep it social—sports betting is purely a form of entertainment for adults.
• Know the odds.
• Only play with legal, regulated operators.

Learn more at www.haveagameplan.org.

Methodology
AGA’s NFL 2024 wagering estimates are based on data from states that break out handle by sport and break down splits between college and professional football, applying multi-year averages of the annual share of national handle from March-February to project a total football handle estimate.