During the 21^st annual Responsible Gaming Education Week, industry stakeholders convened at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Gaming Institute to highlight the industry’s work in responsible gaming and discuss forthcoming responsibility initiatives.

U.S. Representative Dina Titus (NV-1) delivered the keynote address, updating the audience on recent developments in the gaming industry, placing much of her focus on the expansion of legal sports betting since the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018. With states across the country legalizing sports betting, Titus stressed the importance of looking at the evolution of the gaming industry “from the standpoint of responsibility.”

The American Gaming Association (AGA) announced an update to the Responsibility Code of Conduct, which guides industry efforts to build a more cohesive dialogue on responsible gaming. The update expanded responsibility guidelines to include wagers on sports, as well as new advertising provisions to ensure casino and sports betting marketing is targeted to an age-appropriate demographic with tasteful content and reasonable frequency.

Jennifer Shatley, responsible gaming policies and compliance specialist at Caesars Entertainment, said the advent of widespread legal sports betting “offers an opportunity.” Adding, “there’s not really regulations or frameworks around [sports betting], and this is the time when we really can regulate how to do this in a responsible manner…how to advertise in a responsible manner, how to operate in responsibly. We already know there’s a huge market out there that is betting on sports illegally…so now we have the ability to build something and protect the consumer.”

Connie Jones, director of responsible gaming at the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, spoke about technological innovations in responsible gaming, touching on the potential for cashless gaming to offer effective spending controls. As an example of a technological innovation that allows casino-goers to play responsibly, Jones cited PlayMyWay, a responsible gaming app developed by Scientific Games that allows players to gauge how they are tracking against their self-imposed budget in real time.

The panel’s moderator, Bo Bernhard, executive director of the International Gaming Institute at UNLV, concluded the event by underscoring the importance of the industry continuing its dedication to researching responsible gaming and collaborating to advance the issue.

Additional panelists included Sara Slane, AGA’s senior vice president of public affairs and Robin Bernhard, senior manager, marketing & education at BMM Testlabs.

Media Highlights

• AGA expanding code of conduct for responsible gaming, Las Vegas Review-Journal 
• Responsible Gaming Advocates Hope Lawmakers Pass Legislation To Help Consumers, Gambling Compliance

Washington, D.C. – The American Gaming Association (AGA) commenced Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM) 2022 today by releasing a new edition of the Responsible Gaming Statutes and Regulations Guide.

Updated for the first time since 2019, the 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 iGaming as of July 1, 2022. Since the last guide was released, two new states have legalized land-based casino gaming, 16 states have legalized sports betting, and two states have legalized iGaming.

“While our members’ responsibility commitments go above and beyond what is required of them, this guide is a valuable resource for our industry to maintain its high standards of regulatory compliance in all facets of responsible gaming,” said AGA Vice President, Strategic Communications & Responsibility Cait DeBaun.

The release of the updated guide coincides with the beginning of RGEM 2022, expanded from a week to a month for the first time this year. RGEM 2022 is organized around four weekly themes that encompass the industry’s commitment to responsible gaming:

• Sept. 1-10: Empowering Customers to Play Responsibly
• Sept. 11-17: Legal, Regulated Gaming Protects Players
• Sept. 18-24: Employees—the RG Front Line
• Sept. 25-30: Advancing Responsible Gaming with Technology

“Our industry’s focus on responsibility has only grown with the expansion of legal gaming,” continued DeBaun. “RGEM 2022 provides an extended opportunity to highlight our industry’s responsible leadership while continuing to strengthen player and employee education. We are thrilled for the entire U.S. gaming community to join us throughout September.”

AGA’s Have A Game Plan.^® Bet Responsibly.™ campaign will feature prominently during RGEM this year, bringing together leagues, teams, operators and other sports betting stakeholders to educate consumers on responsible wagering as the legal sports betting market grows.

The AGA will host two webinars during RGEM:

• The State of Responsibility & Player Protection | Sept. 15 at 2 PM ET | Register Today
• Advancing Responsible Gaming through Collaboration and Technology | Sept. 27 at 3 PM ET | Register Today

Learn all the ways to get involved this September: RGEM 2022 – How to Participate and download RGEM 2022 educational resources and materials.

###

About RGEM
Established in 1998 by the AGA as Responsible Gaming Education Week, Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM) is the U.S. gaming industry’s annual celebration of responsible gaming. The event provides companies and individuals associated with the industry with opportunities to elevate their everyday commitment to responsible gaming by promoting gaming literacy and consumer education, strengthening employee training, and working with partners to advance our understanding of the issue.

WASHINGTON – The American Gaming Association (AGA) kicked off the 21^st annual Responsible Gaming Education Week by updating its Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming to incorporate sports betting and add new provisions regarding responsible advertising.

AGA’s Code of Conduct guides industry efforts to build a more cohesive dialogue on responsible gaming. The updated code expands its guidelines to include wagers on sports, as well as new advertising provisions to ensure casino and sports betting marketing is targeted to an age-appropriate demographic with tasteful content and reasonable frequency. 

“The American Gaming Association and its members are committed to fostering a gaming environment that focuses on education, wellbeing and responsibility,” said Sara Slane, AGA’s senior vice president of public affairs. “As gaming enters a new landscape, our industry is prepared to be a proactive partner in how we approach responsible gaming, highlighted today with our updated Code of Conduct that spells our obligations to our patrons, employees and communities.”

About Responsible Gaming Education Week:

Gaming operators and manufacturers across the United States will commemorate the industry’s responsible gaming efforts by holding dozens of local events and responsible gaming educational activities. AGA will host two Get to Know Responsible Gaming panels this week with industry leaders, responsible gaming experts and thought leaders in Las Vegas and Boston.

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’ 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.

###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the American Gaming Association (AGA) announced the Gaming Hall of Fame classes of 2020 and 2021, recognizing leaders who have distinguished themselves through significant contributions to the gaming industry.

“Each of these pioneers has left a unique, indelible mark on our industry,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “Under their leadership, tribal gaming has boomed, professional sports leagues have embraced sports betting, and the gaming industry is thriving despite the challenges we’ve faced over the past year and a half.”

Since its establishment in 1989, the Gaming Hall of Fame has honored an annual class of industry leaders until last year when the selection and event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the Class of 2020 and 2021 will be honored during the invitation-only Chairman’s Reception featuring the Gaming Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Global Gaming Expo.

“This year’s honorees have been key players in proving that gaming is a world-class entertainment experience,” added Aristocrat Technologies CEO and AGA Chairman of the Board Trevor Croker. “We’re proud to recognize them and the important role they’ve played shaping gaming into the dynamic industry it is today.”

Hall of Fame honorees are selected by an independent panel of gaming executives. This year’s selection committee members include:

• Joe Bertolone, Executive Director, ICGR at UNLV
• Kirsten Clark, Executive Director, International Association of Gaming Advisors
• Mary Cheeks, President and General Manager, Jamul Casino
• Trevor Croker, CEO, Aristocrat Technologies and Chairman, AGA
• Christie Eickelman, Vice President, Global Marketing, GLI and (former) President, Global Gaming Women
• Alan Feldman, Board Chairman, International Center for Responsible Gaming
• Brian Hansberry, President, Delaware North, Gaming
• Steve Sutherland, President and CEO, Konami Gaming Inc.
• Virginia Valentine, President and CEO, Nevada Resort Association

Headshots of the inductees can be downloaded for editorial use here. The inductees’ accomplishments include:

Knute Knudson, Jr., Vice President of Global Business Development and Tribal Ambassador, IGT
Knute Knudson, Jr. has dedicated his career to tribal gaming and the entire Indian community, serving as an advocate, mentor, and transformative business leader. His efforts have influenced the success of hundreds of tribes as they established and expanded their Indian gaming operations across the U.S. In his early career at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Knudson led efforts to implement the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, working on compacts, trust applications, and National Indian Gaming Commission appointments. He played an integral role in securing economic self-sufficiency for Indian Country throughout the 1990s and authored Getting Started in Indian Gaming, which became the blueprint for the first decade of tribal gaming startups. Knudson is recognized across the industry for the vital role he played, and continues to play, in the growth and economic modernization of tribal gaming.

Jeremy M. Jacobs, Chairman, Delaware North
Jeremy “Jerry” Jacobs is a pioneer of gaming and hospitality. He is currently the chairman of Delaware North, owner, chairman, and governor of the Boston Bruins, and chairman of the NHL’s Board of Governors. He led a transformation of Delaware North into a global company with roots in gaming, hospitality, and entertainment. Whether casino gaming in its early days or sports betting today, Jacobs helps stakeholders understand the benefits of the industry to the economy and communities. He built coalitions of competitors who shared the same goals and always played the long game, which is reflected in today’s thriving, modern gaming industry. This is most evident in the NHL and sports leagues transformation on sports betting. Jacobs is enabling critical partnerships between gaming operators and the leagues and franchises by educating colleagues on the mutual benefits of sports betting. The more than 200 sports-gaming partnerships today would have been inconceivable when Jerry started his career, but his vision and commitment to gaming’s growth paved the way. Today, Delaware North owns or operates gaming destinations in seven U.S. states as well as in Darwin, Australia, and owns Ruby Seven Studios, a leading social casino developer.  The company recently announced a partnership with GAMING1 to launch Gamewise, a joint venture for sports betting and iGaming.

James R. Maida, President and CEO, Gaming Laboratories International
James R. Maida is a legend in the casino business. As a lawyer in the New Jersey regulatory system, he quickly saw that his agency was getting overwhelmed with requests to test slot machine systems, so he began to do it himself out of his spare bedroom in his apartment. He started Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®) in 1989, and today has grown it into an international company serving the needs of the gaming industry and regulators alike. Through Maida’s innovation at GLI, jurisdictions everywhere have embraced gaming, unencumbered by the burden of establishing, running, and continually funding their own government-run labs.

Jim Shore, General Counsel, Seminole Tribe of Florida
Jim Shore’s career has defined the Florida gaming industry and reverberated across tribal gaming. As the first member of the Seminole Tribe to become a lawyer, he has served as the Seminole Tribe’s general counsel since the 1980s. Shore is credited with leading the compact negotiations and legal efforts that have helped make the Seminole Tribe and its gaming ventures the success they are today. He recently led compact negotiations with the state of Florida to expand into new forms of gaming.

Jeffrey A. Silver, Of Counsel, Dickinson Wright PLLC
Jeffrey A. Silver’s contributions to gaming and, specifically Las Vegas, reach every aspect of the industry from regulatory to casino operations to legal. Silver first made his mark in gaming when he took a stand against organized crime as a member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and subsequently laid the foundation for corporate investment in gaming. His reputation opened the door for innovation when he took on leadership roles at various Las Vegas casino resorts. Silver is attributed with bringing the first food and beverage corporate partners into the casino, leading “The Burger King Revolution” that was key to driving middle class tourism to Las Vegas in the 1980s. Silver’s third act as an internationally recognized lawyer and trusted advisor has helped shaped today’s global landscape.

Dr. Mark Yoseloff, Retired Chairman, CEO, Shuffle Master, Inc.; Founder, UNLV Center for Gaming Innovation
Dr. Mark Yoseloff’s innovative mind transformed casino table games and, today, inspires the next generation of gaming. As a Ph.D in mathematics he created classic games like Mississippi Stud Poker and other legendary table games. Yoseloff—the owner of hundreds of gaming patents—led ShuffleMaster from a small shuffling machine company to an international giant introducing groundbreaking products and services to the casino floor. Yoseloff then used his talents to create UNLV’s Center for Gaming Innovation to teach the next generation of game creators. His internationally acclaimed program has led to the creation of countless new games and patents—all owned by his students to empower them on their path into the gaming industry.

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.

Today, the American Gaming Association (AGA) released the following statement in response to the “Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act of 2018,” introduced by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

“This bill is the epitome of a solution in search of a problem, representing an unprecedented and inappropriate expansion of federal involvement in the gaming industry, which is currently one of the most strictly regulated in the country,” said Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs for the American Gaming Association. “Across the country, nearly 4,000 dedicated public servants already regulate all forms of gaming, including sports wagering, with more than $500 million committed to ensuring the integrity of commercial casinos’ operations and $822 million spent on regulation of tribal gaming in 2015 alone. These state and tribal regulators have decades of experience effectively overseeing gaming operations within their jurisdictions.

“Additional areas this bill seeks to address – including the mandatory use of official league data and the creation of a national sports wagering clearinghouse – can, and should, be decided by marketplace negotiations between private businesses and cooperative agreements among jurisdictions. In the mere six months since the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for legal, regulated sports betting, significant developments on both of these fronts have already occurred without any federal involvement.

“While federal regulation of sports betting will continue to be a non-starter for the gaming industry, we appreciate the sponsors’ recognition that more must be done to curb illegal sports betting operations, which continue to pose the biggest impediment to the success of a legal market that will benefit and protect consumers, sports leagues and casino operators alike.”

Today, the American Gaming Association (AGA) released the following statement in response to the “Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act of 2018,” introduced by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

“This bill is the epitome of a solution in search of a problem, representing an unprecedented and inappropriate expansion of federal involvement in the gaming industry, which is currently one of the most strictly regulated in the country,” said Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs for the American Gaming Association. “Across the country, nearly 4,000 dedicated public servants already regulate all forms of gaming, including sports wagering, with more than $500 million committed to ensuring the integrity of commercial casinos’ operations and $822 million spent on regulation of tribal gaming in 2015 alone. These state and tribal regulators have decades of experience effectively overseeing gaming operations within their jurisdictions.

“Additional areas this bill seeks to address – including the mandatory use of official league data and the creation of a national sports wagering clearinghouse – can, and should, be decided by marketplace negotiations between private businesses and cooperative agreements among jurisdictions. In the mere six months since the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for legal, regulated sports betting, significant developments on both of these fronts have already occurred without any federal involvement.

“While federal regulation of sports betting will continue to be a non-starter for the gaming industry, we appreciate the sponsors’ recognition that more must be done to curb illegal sports betting operations, which continue to pose the biggest impediment to the success of a legal market that will benefit and protect consumers, sports leagues and casino operators alike.”

As gaming continues to expand into new states and verticals, Americans continue to appreciate the benefits and excitement of legal, regulated gaming. New AGA research shows that 42 percent of American adults participated in some form of gambling in the past year, while casino visitation rebounded to 34% of Americans, up from 28% in 2021.

The AGA’s annual survey of Americans’ attitudes towards gaming shows that two-thirds of Americans recognize gaming’s economic impact: 64% say that gaming has a positive impact on the U.S. economy and 66% say that the gaming industry is a source of high-quality jobs.

In addition to the well-understood economic benefits that come with legal gaming, the industry’s ongoing investment in responsible gaming continues to resonate with gaming consumers. Eighty-seven percent of past-year gamblers (participated in land-based or online casino gaming or sports betting) are aware of at least one responsible gaming resource and nearly half (45%) noted an uptick in the volume of responsible gaming information over the past 12 months. Awareness is slightly higher among sports bettors, with 92 percent of past-year bettors being familiar with at least one responsible gaming tool and 51 percent having seen or heard more responsible gaming information in the past year.

Overall, 82 percent of past-year gamblers (and 92% of past-year sports bettors) recall seeing or hearing about responsible gaming in the past year.

• Sports bettors and iGamers most often recall seeing responsible gaming information on casino or sportsbook websites or apps, as well as on online/social media
• In-person casino gamblers most often see such information on online/social media, signs/posters in a casino area and radio or television ads.

In addition to nearly universal awareness of responsible gaming tools, a large majority (73%) of past-year gamblers (82% of past-year sports bettors) view those tools as effective.

As a result of the widespread awareness of responsible gaming resources and confidence in their efficacy, 73% of past-year gamblers (81% of past-year sports bettors) agree that the industry is committed to encouraging responsible gaming and combatting problem gambling.

Methodology
Kantar, on behalf of the American Gaming Association, conducted an online survey August 17-23, 2022 among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 American voters aged 21 and over related to responsible gaming and industry perceptions. The margin of error is +/- 2 percent and greater among subgroups.

The American Gaming Association released the following statement after the Responsible Gambling Collaborative announced new effectiveness principles for responsible gaming and a state-by-state study on the allocation of responsible gaming funding:

“I can think of no better way to lead our industry into a new decade than renewing our commitment to effectively promote responsible gaming and tackle problem gambling head on,” said Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “The Responsible Gambling Collaborative has an important role to play as we chart a new course for responsible gaming, and the AGA is proud to be a part of it. The research released today provides important insight into the allocation of funding for essential programs. As the top benefactor of gaming taxes, it’s troubling to see that state responsible gaming funds are not always used for their intended purpose.”

You can view the effectiveness principles here and full study here.

With a burgeoning casino industry, Massachusetts gaming industry leaders gathered during the 21^st annual Responsible Gaming Education Week to discuss how they view responsible gaming as not just a pledge, but a priority.

Stephen Crosby, chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, began by sharing how when he took his role as chairman, he knew little about the industry, and as a result he was curious if casinos would be proactive partners on responsible gaming efforts. Since then, Crosby has seen firsthand that the industry “does take the [responsible gaming] issue seriously,” and is “tremendously collaborative” in responsibility efforts.

Later in the discussion, Crosby remarked that funding for responsibility programs and research would soon be increased to $15-20 million because of the introduction of casino gaming to the state—up from $1 million in funding when gambling was restricted exclusively to the lottery.

Alan Feldman, executive vice president of MGM Resorts International, stressed the importance of finding a balance between harm minimization and healthy behavior maximization, emphasizing the need to educate the public on the risk involved in gambling and how to identify signs of problem gambling. He added that casino operators have prioritized this issue by being the top funders of peer-reviewed research on problem gambling over the last two decades.

Russell Sanna, executive director at the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG), observed that gambling has always been part of the world’s social fabric—the questions are: “what is it that people are doing that allows them to enjoy gaming [normally],” and “what is going on at the service level” where we can better engage those that may need help. If we can solve those two questions, Sanna says, we can amplify our impact on responsibility in gaming.

The event also highlighted AGA’s updated Code of Conduct and AGA’s Responsible Gaming Collaborative, both of which represent a membership-wide commitment to holding the industry to the highest standards of responsible gaming.

Additional panelists included Jim Baldacci, deputy chief compliance officer, Penn National Gaming; Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs, American Gaming Association; and Marlene Warner, executive director, Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling and president of the board of directors for the National Council on Problem Gambling.

Media Highlights

• Opinion: Responsible betting is a priority for gaming backers in Massachusetts, Dorchester Reporter 
• AGA Hosts Responsible Gaming Education Week Event in Boston as Industry Expands in State, CDC Gaming Reports