Delaware North
“In every community where we operate, Delaware North is committed to being good corporate citizens and impactful neighbors. We prioritize the health and wellbeing of our associates, guests, partners and the environment, and we hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics.” – Lou Jacobs, CEO
Advancing Sustainability
Reducing Resource Consumption and Waste
GreenPath®, Delaware North’s stewardship program, ensures the Company carefully manages its environmental impact. GreenPath uses a formal process to plan, implement and measure meaningful progress. Going beyond compliance with applicable requirements, GreenPath priorities include natural resource protection, sustainable sourcing, zero waste, water conservation, energy efficiency, meeting LEED standards for facilities, renewable energy and reducing impacts from greenhouse gas emissions. The Company has a waste diversion program to promote a circular economy and reduce landfill impacts.
In responsible sourcing, Delaware North prefers products with credible certifications and eco-labels, both for food and operational supplies such as single-use products, cleaning chemicals, paper, equipment and others. Seafood is sourced from sustainable sources defined by programs such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Sustainable Fish Cities and U.S. operations source eggs from cage-free hens. The Company also encourages suppliers to source products that advance the sustainability and traceability of its supply chain and aligns with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) rating system to promote zero waste.
The Company is working to eliminate use of Styrofoam, is eliminating PFAS in its products, and has committed to source 100 percent of single-use packaging products in the U.S. from materials that are recyclable, renewable, compostable or contain post-consumer content by 2025. In 2018, the Company launched “The Last Straw” campaign to cut down on the estimated 38.1 million plastic drinking straws the Company uses each year.
Animal Welfare
Delaware North has a strong commitment to animal welfare as part of a more sustainable food supply. The Company supports humane practices throughout an animal’s lifecycle to promote health and welfare aligned with the Farm Animal Welfare Committee’s Five Freedoms. Animal welfare issues include confinement, physical alterations, the use of antibiotics and hormones, living conditions, transportation and processing.
Since July 2021, the Company’s U.S. operations source 90 percent of shell eggs and liquid eggs from cage-free hens. For broiler chickens, the Company has committed to meet the Global Animal Partnership’s standards in the U.S. and Canada by 2024. Compliance will be monitored by a third-party auditor. For pork, the Company is eliminating gestation crates from the supply chain and sourcing pork products from animals raised in group-housed systems; for veal, confinement crates are being eliminated from the supply chain.
Beyond this, the Company promotes the use of plant-based proteins and vegan and vegetarian items on its menus, including through its “Dirty Beets” brand.
Strengthening Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Strengthening Employee DEI
Delaware North continues to evolve on its journey to nurture and advance efforts of inclusion, equity and belonging across a diverse workforce. The Company’s focus areas include:
- Sharing knowledge and raising cultural awareness and competence.
- Providing an open forum for the exchange of diverse ideas.
- Serving as a source of reciprocal mentoring and professional development opportunities.
- Disseminating best practices to attract, develop, engage, advance and retain a diverse, high-performing workforce.
- Fostering an inclusive culture where all employees are fully engaged and can contribute to their full potential.
- Growing reach beyond the Company’s scope and into each employee’s day-to-day commitments.
Delaware North developed its core values – Lean Forward, Come Together, Stand Up, Do Right and Think Guest as the foundation of how the Company behaves. To better bring these values to life, in early 2018, a first phase of Business Resource Groups (BRGs) were founded on the principle of being employee-driven, grassroots networks to support the Company’s objectives through networking and collaborating. The first four Business Resource Groups (BRGs) established were:
- Emerging Leaders
- Administrative Support Services Enrichment Team
- Women of Delaware North
- Innovators and Creative Problem Solvers
These groups are designed to foster networking both within the organization and the broader community. BRGs encourage career development and empower employees, encouraging personal and professional growth and a more diverse organization.
Investing in Communities
Addressing Critical Community Needs
Delaware North makes direct investments in health and safety, education and workforce readiness to improve its communities, including its community of associates, the communities across the globe where it operates, and its hometown community in Buffalo, N.Y.
Delaware North also invites its guests and associates to participate in charitable giving and recently launched the Game Changer program. Casino patrons can donate uncashed ticket vouchers, and associates can make donations to a fundraising campaign for organizations who positively impact the health of our local communities. Two recent examples of donations include Delaware North’s Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis, Ark., which donated $47,000 to The Children’s Advocacy Center of Eastern Arkansas (CACEA) in October 2021, and Wheeling Island Hotel- donated $5,402 to Madison Elementary School in September 2021.
Delaware North’s Gaming culinary teams use technology to monitor and eliminate food waste. In 2019, the Gaming division donated more than 22,000 pounds of food to community members in need.
Supporting Crittenden County, Arkansas
Delaware North, through its Southland Casino Racing operation in West Memphis, Ark., seeks to make high-impact contributions throughout Crittenden County, Ark. The county has a poverty level that is higher than the national average, and Delaware North recognizes that as one of the region’s largest businesses it has a responsibility to invest in the local community to help improve outcomes in identified priority areas.
Notable investments include a $1 million donation to ASU Mid-South, a public, two-year institution, to prepare students for careers in the hospitality industry through the Jeremy M. Jacobs Hospitality Program. Mid-South offers a low cost of tuition and schedule and curriculum that are accessible for students for whom a traditional four-year college is not a viable option.
Since the program began in 2013, 323 students have enrolled in courses. As of spring 2021, Mid-South has awarded 170 degrees/certificates through the program.
The Jacobs Program also established the Delta Cuisine Food Incubator and Shared Commercial Kitchen to assist local culinary entrepreneurs to test and launch small businesses. The program provides access to kitchen infrastructure and expert technical assistance at a significant cost savings to the entrepreneurs. By conducting regular check-ins with the leadership of ASU Mid-South, the Company learns about evolving needs and unexpected outcomes and adjusts its charitable strategy for the future.
Responsible Leadership
Investing in Research and Partnering with Advocacy Groups
Awareness and inclusion of responsible gaming practices is part of all Company marketing and communications planning across its digital and physical businesses. Delaware North is a sustaining supporter of the National Council on Problem Gambling and partner of the AGA’s Have a Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ public service campaign.
Through a new joint venture digital gaming platform, Gamewise, Delaware North is working to develop quantifiable, responsible gaming risk profiles that frontline customer service employees can use to identify potential problem gaming behavior. This initiative is still in pre-launch status and will be leveraged to uphold Delaware North’s commitment to responsible gaming.
Speaker: Eric Louderback, PhD, Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School
A panel of researchers with experience in RG research, will address what needs to be done for the field to advance. Topics include:
- Do we have a validated measure of “safe gambling”?
- What should operators know before allowing researchers to access their data?
Panel: Jeremiah Weinstock, PhD, Saint Louis University
Michael Wohl, PhD, Carleton University
Heather Gray, PhD, Harvard Medical School
David Hodgins, PhD, University of Calgary
Nominations Now Open for the 33rd Annual Gaming Hall of Fame
For more than 30 years, the Gaming Hall of Fame has recognized leaders who have distinguished themselves through significant contributions to the gaming industry. Consider nominating a leader that has helped the industry succeed for this highest honor.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, May 27.
Nomination Process
Nominations for the 2022 Gaming Hall of Fame are open through Friday, May 27 at 11:59 PM ET and must include nominee’s full name, mailing address, email address, and an entry detailing why they should be inducted using 500 words or less.
Hundreds of qualified candidates are reviewed by an independent panel of gaming executives who select the annual Hall of Fame class. Inductees are chosen based upon their career achievements, community involvement, and innovative contributions to the industry. Inductees will be notified and announced in late summer 2022.
The 2022 inductees will be honored at the invite-only Chairman’s Reception featuring the Gaming Hall of Fame Ceremony at G2E Las Vegas on October 11, 2022.
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.
###
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.
Membership
Members join the American Gaming Association for influence, insights, and connections.
Our Industry Game Changers
We’re proud to represent the full spectrum of the legal, regulated gaming industry, ensuring every voice has a seat at the table. Our diverse membership spans the entire ecosystem of gaming, including commercial and tribal casino operators, suppliers, sports betting operators, and others shaping the future of the industry.
The Power of Membership
Members join the American Gaming Association for influence, insights,
and connections.
Membership Advantages
Our members benefit from exclusive research and data, communications tools, and networking and learning opportunities with industry peers to more effectively pursue shared interests and business opportunities.
Market Data
Exclusive research with actionable insights
- We empower members to enhance their business and improve their ability to proactively plan by providing exclusive, members-only research. Membership means always having the best information available.
- Members can also leverage the AGA’s experienced research team by requesting custom data and other research support
Industry Influence and Collaboration
An established network of customers and policymakers
- Crafting Policy Positions – Through board and committee participation, members define and craft industry positions on crucial issues.
- Connect at Member-Only Events – Members enjoy exclusive opportunities to engage with industry peers and build valuable relationships, deepening vital C-level connections across the gaming industry.
- Access to the AGA’s Experts – Members can access business-critical insights into government relations, research, compliance, state and regulatory affairs, gaming policy and public affairs
G2E
The AGA’s flagship event, with 25,000+ attendees
- Members as Thought Leaders – As co-owners of G2E, we prioritize and encourage our members to submit topics and speakers for the education program.
- Savings – Members are eligible to receive significant savings as both attendees and exhibitors.
- The AGA Member Lounge – An exclusive space for high-level conversations and deal-making
Market Data
Exclusive research with actionable insights
- We empower members to enhance their business and improve their ability to proactively plan by providing exclusive, members-only research. Membership means always having the best information available.
- Members can also leverage the AGA’s experienced research team by requesting custom data and other research support
Industry Influence and Collaboration
An established network of customers and policymakers
- Crafting Policy Positions – Through board and committee participation, members define and craft industry positions on crucial issues.
- Connect at Member-Only Events – Members enjoy exclusive opportunities to engage with industry peers and build valuable relationships, deepening vital C-level connections across the gaming industry.
- Access to the AGA’s Experts – Members can access business-critical insights into government relations, research, compliance, state and regulatory affairs, gaming policy and public affairs
G2E
The AGA’s flagship event, with 25,000+ attendees
- Members as Thought Leaders – As co-owners of G2E, we prioritize and encourage our members to submit topics and speakers for the education program.
- Savings – Members are eligible to receive significant savings as both attendees and exhibitors.
- The AGA Member Lounge – An exclusive space for high-level conversations and deal-making
Membership Types
With coordinated effort, AGA continues to seek ways to better represent the legal and regulated gaming industry, strengthening our industry’s voice, and providing learning and networking opportunities with industry peers.
Core Membership
AGA core members are commercial and tribal casino land-based and online operators and gaming suppliers licensed to operate in the United States. Core members benefit from our exclusive research and insights, relationship-building and networking opportunities, and cost savings and discounts on AGA’s flagship event, G2E.
Ally Membership
AGA’s ally membership program connects businesses both inside and outside the gaming industry to AGA’s core membership of casino operators and suppliers. We foster relationships between core and ally members to help increase industry engagement and support shared business objectives.
Our Impact
With membership representing every corner of the gaming industry, AGA serves as the industry’s champion across the country by advocating on complex issues that individual members cannot change alone.
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, 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.
###
Congressional Gaming Caucus
The Congressional Gaming Caucus helps shape legislation that reflects the industry’s priorities, ensuring that gaming remains a vital part of the American economy. See the current list of members below.
Co-Chairs:
- Representative Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA)
- Representative Dina Titus (D-NV)
Members:
- Representative Mark Amodei (R-NV)
- Representative Kelly Armstrong (R-ND)
- Representative Jack Bergamn (R-MI)
- Representative Tom Cole (R-OK)
- Representative Luis Correa (D-CA)
- Representative Danny Davis (D-IL)
- Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
- Representative Mike Ezell (R-MS)
- Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
- Representative Andrew Garbarino (R-NY)
- Representative Jared Golden (D-ME)
- Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJI)
- Representative Steven Horsford (D-NV)
- Representative Glenn Ivey (D-MD)
- Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-CA)
- Representative Susie Lee (D-NV)
- Representative Stacy Plaskett (D-VI)
- Representative Darren Soto (D-FL)
- Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI)
- Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
- Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS)
Washington, D.C. – The American Gaming Association (AGA) released the third edition of its Best Practices for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Compliance resource today. The updated document—reviewed and revised by the country’s top compliance professionals—builds on the gaming industry’s AML leadership and reflects new laws, technologies and indicators of criminal activity.
“As the methods and sophistication of financial crimes evolve, the gaming industry continues to spearhead efforts to combat money laundering,” said Alex Costello, AGA’s vice president, government relations. “An invaluable resource for our industry, this guide demonstrates gaming’s commitment to protect the U.S. financial system from money laundering and other forms of illicit finance.”
Since the last update to Best Practices in 2019:
- Congress made significant changes to the Bank Secrecy Act through the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020.
- FinCEN granted the gaming industry federal exceptive relief for certain types of ID verification.
- Sixteen additional states legalized sports betting and iGaming.
- Nearly a dozen gaming jurisdictions approved the use of digital payments and forms of cryptocurrency.
- New types of cybercrimes and fraudulent activity have surfaced.
To address these changes, Best Practices provides updated guidance, expanded red flag indicators, current compliance obligations, revised definitions and other essential information for gaming companies to maintain their strong AML regimes.
The casino gaming industry is recognized as a leader in AML compliance. In 2014, gaming became the first industry to collectively establish this comprehensive set of best practices for AML compliance. In 2021, the industry filed nearly 55,000 suspicious activity reports to aid law enforcement in fighting money laundering activity. In addition, the AGA represents gaming on the Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group (BSAAG), a group organized by FinCEN to collaborate with stakeholders in the financial sector.