WASHINGTON – The American Gaming Association (AGA) and the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) announced a new partnership to combat the unchecked spread of unregulated gaming machines throughout the United States. The ongoing campaign will focus on providing state and local policymakers, law enforcement, and regulatory agencies with new resources and tools to stop the proliferation of unregulated gaming machines.
Casino gaming is one of the most highly regulated industries in the U.S., with more than 4,000 state and tribal regulators dedicated to overseeing all forms of gaming, including electronic gaming machines. The recent growth of unregulated machines across the country raises a host of concerns which the organizations outlined in a fact sheet released today. Among them are the lack of testing, consumer protections, and responsible gaming measures, which underscore the need for states with gray market and illegal machines to make this a priority area of focus.
“Stamping out the illegal market that threatens the safety of consumers will always be one of the gaming industry’s highest priorities,” said Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “We are proud to work with the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers and our fellow industry partners to combat the spread of illegal machines. The AGA is encouraged that policymakers in some states such as Virginia have begun to recognize the dangers of these machines and have taken recent legislative action toward outlawing them. Unfortunately, other jurisdictions where these machines have become pervasive may believe their only recourse is to regulate and tax them. Rewarding bad behavior is not the answer, and we hope our education efforts will make it clear that the only real solution is to stop the spread of these devices.”
“The regulated gaming industry has rarely been more united on a singular issue and now we have a tool to address the misinformation and deception that unregulated machine companies use to confound law enforcement, the courts, and local citizens,” said Marcus Prater, executive director of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers. “The spread of these machines represents a serious threat to the overall regulated market that has invested billions in infrastructure while also creating thousands of jobs and substantial tax benefits in the communities they serve. Moreover, unregulated machines prey on confused players who see slot machine symbols and think they’re getting a fair chance when they absolutely are not.”
More than 20 professional gaming organizations have joined the AGA and AGEM in opposition to the spread of unregulated gaming, including the National Indian Gaming Association, the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, the International Center for Responsible Gaming, the National Council on Problem Gambling, multiple state casino and tribal associations, and both of the leading independent gaming equipment test labs. View the full list here.
About the AGA
The American Gaming Association (AGA) 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.
About AGEM
AGEM is a non-profit international technology trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of electronic gaming devices, lotteries, systems, game content, table games, online technology, sports betting, key components and support products and services for the gaming industry. AGEM works to further the interests of gaming equipment suppliers throughout the world. Through political action, regulatory influence, trade show partnerships, educational alliances, information dissemination and good corporate citizenship, the members of AGEM work together to create benefits for every company within the organization. Together, AGEM has assisted regulatory agencies and participated in the legislative process to solve problems and create a business environment where AGEM members can prosper while providing a strong level of support to education and responsible gaming initiatives. For more information, visit www.AGEM.org.
Washington, D.C. – American support for legal sports betting has grown significantly since the federal ban on sports wagering was lifted in 2018, according to new American Gaming Association (AGA) research. Key findings show:
- 85 percent of American adults agree with the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), compared to 63 percent in 2019.
- 77 percent of American adults support legalization in their state of residence.
- 39.2 million American adults have placed a traditional sports wager in the last 12 months.
- 78 percent of bettors place all or most bets through regulated operators.
- 77 percent of online sports bets are now placed through regulated operators, compared to just 44 percent in 2019.
“American adults have always enjoyed betting on sports, and overwhelmingly value the ability to bring their action into a legal market, close to home,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “The rapid spread of legal sports betting—fueled by regulated, responsible entities—has contributed to communities and established consumer protections by migrating betting away from the illegal market monopoly that PASPA perpetuated.”
Since May 2018, Americans have legally wagered $220 billion nationwide, generating $3 billion in state and local taxes for education, healthcare, infrastructure, responsible gaming and problem gambling resource funding and more.
Bettor Migration to Legal Sportsbooks
As the legal market grows, it is increasingly attracting and retaining customers from illegal bookies and offshore operators:
- Nearly half (46%) of bettors that currently bet primarily with unregulated operators plan to transition to regulated operators within the next 12 months.
- Nine in 10 (90%) bettors who place most of their bets legally intend to stay within the legal market in the next year.
Among the top reasons bettors are choosing legal operators over illegal operators are confidence bets will be paid out (71%), trust in account security and easier payment options (68%), and availability of responsible gaming resources (58%).
Consumer Awareness
Compared to five years ago, consumers have a significantly better understanding of the legal status of sports betting in their state, however, survey results also point to continued need for consumer education:
- Only 29 percent of American adults say they are unsure of the legality of online sportsbooks in their state, a 45 percent decrease since 2018.
- Yet, 70 percent of sports bettors who placed most of their bets with illegal operators believed they were betting either exclusively with legal sportsbooks or splitting their bets evenly between legal and illegal operators.
Consumer confusion is in part attributable to illegal offshore sites misrepresenting their legal status by marketing themselves as regulated sites. Among online sports bettors, they believe a site is legal based on a statement on the website (38%), odds being mentioned by the media (36%), and search results (32%).
“Five years post-PASPA, the AGA and our members continue to support responsibly expanding the legal market while cracking down on predatory illegal operators,” continued Miller. “The regulated industry and our partners across the entire ecosystem—policymakers, law enforcement, regulators, leagues, media, technology providers and more—have made significant strides in our collaborative consumer education efforts since 2018, and we will continue to find new ways to enhance consumer protections as the market matures.”
Background
- 33 states and Washington, D.C. currently feature live, legal sports betting markets, with four additional legal markets awaiting launch.
- More than half of American adults (57%, 141M) live in a live, legal sports betting market.
- AGA’s Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ campaign is bringing sports betting stakeholders together to promote responsible gaming.
- AGA research shows Americans currently wager $64 billion annually with illegal operators, down from pre-PASPA estimates of $150 billion. This 40 percent of market share robs states of $700M in tax dollars annually.
Methodology
Heart+Mind Strategies conducted the online survey on behalf of the AGA between March 14-20, 2023, among a national 21+ sample of 1,066 general population adults and a sample of 1,005 sports bettors. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, race/ethnicity, gender and region. The overall margin of error is +/-3 percent. Sports bettors are defined as adults who have placed a traditional sports bet at a casino, online or with a bookie in the past 12 months.
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Gaming contributes $328.6 billion to the U.S. economy
Generates $52.7 billion in tax revenues to federal, state and local governments
Supports nearly 1.8 million jobs across the country
The gaming industry has an expansive impact on the U.S. economy – providing stable jobs to nearly two million Americans and generating billions of dollars in tax revenue. This research represents the first comprehensive report on the gaming industry’s national economic impact since 2018.
The gaming industry supports a total economic impact including:
- $329 billion of output (business sales)
- 1.8 million jobs with $104 billion of labor income (wages, salaries, tips, benefits and other labor income)
- $53 billion of federal, state and local taxes, including $13.5 billion of gaming taxes
The gaming industry directly employs more than 700,000 people in the U.S. This includes nearly 600,000 jobs on-site at casinos and corporate offices, more than 23,000 at U.S.-based operations of gaming manufacturers, and 89,000 at businesses providing goods and services to casino patrons during casino trips.
$1.8 Billion Gaming-supported jobs nationwide
$329 Billion Annual contribution to the U.S. economy
$52.7 Generated in federal, state and local tax revenue
The gaming industry directly employs more than 700,000 people in the U.S. This includes nearly 600,000 jobs on-site at casinos and corporate offices, more than 23,000 at U.S.-based operations of gaming manufacturers, and 89,000 at businesses providing goods and services to casino patrons during casino trips.
The $53 million in taxes generated by the gaming industry provides critical funding for local public programs and services, including education, infrastructure and economic development, as well as supplemental revenue for state general funds.
According to the report, America’s gaming industry directly employs more than 700,000 people in the U.S. Put in context with the broader U.S. economy:
- Gaming provides more direct jobs than the air transportation, postal service or motion picture and video sectors.
- Direct casino employment accounts for 1 in 33 leisure and hospitality jobs.
Recent, related AGA research shows the economic benefits generated by gaming are widely recognized by Americans, with a record 71 percent of adults saying the casino gaming industry has a positive impact on the U.S. economy.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. commercial gaming revenue reached a quarterly record of $16.60 billion in Q1 2023, marking the industry’s eighth straight record-breaking quarter, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. The quarter was highlighted by the industry’s highest-grossing month ever of $5.90 billion in March.
“After two full years of successive growth post-COVID, the U.S. gaming industry has never been stronger,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “With record growth across every gaming vertical—from brick-and-mortar casinos to mobile gaming—American adults continue to choose gaming as one of their top entertainment options.”
Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker Highlights
Across the country, 18 of 35 commercial gaming markets set new revenue records for the quarter, with only Mississippi trailing its quarterly revenue from Q1 2022.
Every commercial gaming vertical saw quarterly revenue records in Q1 2023. Retail gaming accounted for 75.3 percent of total revenue while online gaming represented its largest share ever, 24.7 percent. Looking further at each sector:
- Traditional Gaming: Traditional brick-and-mortar casino gaming generated quarterly revenue of $12.30 billion, surpassing the previous high of $12.26 billion in Q3 2022.
- Legal Sports Betting: Nationwide, Americans wagered a record $31.11 billion on sports in Q1 2023, generating an all-time high of $2.79 billion in quarterly revenue (+70.1% year-over-year). The growth compared to Q1 2022 was largely driven by new market launches in Kansas, Massachusetts and Ohio.
- iGaming: iGaming grossed $1.48 billion in Q1 2023, marking a 22.7 percent year-over-year revenue increase.
State of the States 2023
The AGA released its annual State of the States report today, which provides the definitive state-by-state economic and regulatory analysis of U.S. commercial gaming in 2022 for policymakers, gaming stakeholders and industry observers.
State of the States 2023 reveals that commercial gaming generated a record $13.48 billion in direct gaming tax revenue paid to state and local governments in 2022—up 15.3 percent from 2021. This does not include the billions more paid in income, sales or other taxes.
“As one of the biggest taxpayers in states across the country, we know that when gaming is successful, so are our communities,” added Miller. “Beyond our significant tax contributions, our industry is engrained in local communities, bolstering economic development through job creation, supporting local charities and nonprofits, and setting the standard on corporate responsibility.”
Background
- AGA’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker provides state-by-state and cumulative insight into the U.S. commercial gaming industry’s financial performance based on state revenue reports. This issue highlights Q1 2023 results.
- 34 states and the District of Columbia featured operational commercial gaming markets in Q1 2023, including casino gaming, sports betting and iGaming.
- AGA’s State of Play Map charts gaming’s economic impact, industry regulations and casino locations on a state-by-state basis for both the commercial and tribal gaming sectors.
About State of the States
AGA’s annual State of the States report details the commercial gaming industry’s financial performance, including analyses of each of the 35 jurisdictions with commercial gaming operations in 2022. The report, developed with VIXIO GamblingCompliance, also provides a breakdown of the legality of types of gaming and number of casinos by state, summarizes major gaming policy discussions, and previews opportunities and challenges for the industry.
About the AGA
As the national trade group representing the U.S. casino industry, the American Gaming Association (AGA) fosters a policy and business environment where legal, regulated gaming thrives. The AGA’s diverse membership of commercial and tribal casino operators, sports betting and iGaming companies, gaming suppliers, and more lead the $261 billion industry and support 1.8 million jobs across the country.
WASHINGTON – The National Hockey League (NHL®) and the American Gaming Association (AGA) announced a partnership today to promote responsible gaming activity through the Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly. public service campaign.
Through the partnership, the NHL will use league-owned, in-arena, and digital marketing inventory for co-branded videoboard images, public address announcements, and animations of hockey-specific marketing materials that encourage responsible sports betting. The league will provide unique assets for each club in legal sports betting markets, including arena, desktop and mobile, and email applications.
“The National Hockey League is proud to partner with the American Gaming Association on this vital initiative to educate NHL fans about the importance of responsible betting,” said Keith Wachtel, NHL Chief Business Officer. “The fan experience remains one of our highest priorities as more hockey fans than ever have the opportunity to legally and responsibly bet in their home states. Ensuring that our passionate fans know how to participate in this exciting new opportunity is important, and we’re thrilled to be working with the AGA to share the responsibility in this worthy education.”
The AGA’s Have a Game Plan. campaign focuses on the core principles of responsible sports betting: setting a budget and sticking to it, keeping betting social, knowing the odds, and playing with trusted, regulated operators. The NHL is only the second professional league to adopt the campaign. NASCAR announced a partnership with the AGA effort in mid-September.
“Teams and leagues are increasingly embracing sports betting as they explore new fan engagement opportunities during COVID-19,” said Bill Miller, AGA President and CEO. “Educating patrons about how to engage in this activity responsibly is critical to the success of the sports betting opportunity as it continues to expand throughout the country. We’re thankful for the NHL’s continued leadership on responsible sports betting. Their partnership on this initiative will be important for hockey fans everywhere as they cheer on their teams in coming seasons.”
HaveAGamePlan.org equips bettors with myriad resources for wagering responsibly, including locations for legal, regulated sportsbooks and how to get help if sports betting is no longer a fun, affordable form of entertainment.
Wachtel will discuss the partnership at a Global Gaming Expo (G2E) 2020 panel titled, “The Fan of the Future? How Leagues Are Capitalizing on Sports Betting Through Partnerships,” Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, at 12:30 p.m. ET. Media can register to attend here.
Background
- The NHL and its teams have formed 17 marketing and data sharing partnerships with gaming operators and suppliers since May 2018.
- AGA research has found that the NHL’s annual revenue may increase by $216 million a year due to legal sports betting.
- An AGA survey of sports bettors found that 27 percent of bettors wagered on the NHL in the past year—19% at a casino sportsbook, 41% online, and 22% with a bookie.
- 18 states plus Washington, D.C. now offer legal, regulated sports betting, with another four not yet operational and six considering legalization.
- Nearly half (11) of the 23 U.S. jurisdictions with legal sports betting are home to NHL teams.
This compelling panel discussion dives into how the U.S. and Canadian gaming industries are leading the way in responsible gaming. Panelists explore practical strategies for promoting responsible play, protecting consumers and balancing business objectives with regulatory requirements. They also share insights into real-world challenges and successes, opportunities for stronger collaboration among stakeholders and emerging trends that could shape the future of consumer protection.
Panelists
Tammi Barlow-Marang
Moderator
Executive Board Member, African Americans in Gaming
Justin Carter
SVP, Regional Operations | PENN Entertainment
Christopher Hebert
Chairman | Louisiana Gaming Control Board
Catherine Meade
Vice President, Community, Sustainability, & Social Responsibility | Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
Vena Schexnayder
Executive Director | Arkansas Council on Problem Gambling
Rush Street
“Rush Street Gaming has had a strong commitment to ESG principles since we started the Company. We have worked hard to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture where our team members are empowered to do their best work and be their best selves. We built the first LEED Gold certified casino in the world in 2011 and have continued to develop our projects with sustainability as an important objective. All our properties strive to be great local partners, and I’m proud of the positive impact we have had in each of the communities where we operate.” – Greg Carlin, CEO, Rush Street Gaming
“We believe that actively incorporating ESG considerations into our growth strategy and business decisions is critical to the long-term success of RSI and the gaming industry. RSI is committed to fostering and prioritizing an equitable, diverse, and responsible culture where employees are empowered to do their best work, customers can safely enjoy fun entertainment experiences, and our partners and the communities in which we operate continue to thrive.” – Richard Schwartz, CEO, Rush Street Interactive
Advancing Sustainability
Lowering Carbon Emissions
Rush Street Gaming has been a leader on advancing sustainability in the gaming industry.
Rush Street Gaming’s Des Plaines property was the first casino in the world to be LEED certified, designed with a sustainability plan to achieve LEED certification for energy, lighting, water and material use, as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable elements.
The Company’s newest property in New York was built with an eye towards energy and environmental efficiencies and is also LEED certified. Rush Street Gaming plans to introduce sustainability requirements for suppliers and vendors.
Strengthening Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Strengthening Employee DEI
The Rush Street companies are committed to ensuring their workplace culture and supply chain reflect equitable practices with a top-down approach, offering a respectful and supportive workplace to attract and retain a diverse workforce representing the companies’ customers and communities. To recruit and retain a diverse workforce that is best in class, we build and sustain relationships with community outreach partners, practice culturally appropriate interviewing skills and brand Rush Street as a diverse employer of choice. Employee training on D&I is also a key feature of our efforts.
Engaging Diverse Suppliers and Vendors
Beyond this, the companies are committed to supplier diversity and are developing metrics to show their commitment to D&I. Rush Street strives for increases in minority and/or women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) vendors while also making strong efforts to use local vendors.
Investing in Communities
Delivering in Times of Crisis
With the onset of COVID-19, Rush Street Gaming created strategies to keep communities safe. The Company offered multiple vaccination clinics and partnered with charities to provide food for thousands of families during the pandemic. The Company continues to expand and adjust initiatives based on community needs and work diligently toward making these communities more inclusive and better places to live, work, and raise a family.
Expanding Education & Career Opportunities
The Rush Street companies have a particular focus on partnering with agencies and organizations that work alongside underrepresented young people to promote workforce and education programs, including career development and academic support services and accredited training in green construction, weatherization and healthcare, among others. These organizations educate and empower young people to recognize their social impact and exercise transformative influence in their communities.
Addressing Critical Community Needs
Investing in the vitality of the communities in which Rush Street operates, including flagship locations in Chicago, New Jersey, Colombia and Estonia, uplifts and encourages positive transformative change for businesses, nonprofits and individuals and families. Since beginning its philanthropic work, Rush Street Gaming has seen nonprofits expand services and outreach and build more affordable and safe housing, as well as an increase in employment opportunities.
Responsible Leadership
Protecting and Empowering Customers
The Rush Street companies’ position on operating responsibly is clear: all customers should enjoy games, have fun and be responsible. While many customers can gamble responsibly, a small portion of the population can develop serious gambling problems. To protect those who are vulnerable to gambling problems and others affected by their behavior, the companies have established internal and external policies and guidelines that address issues such as underage and problem gambling.
The companies take a multifaceted approach towards responsibility. Its responsible leadership efforts include responsible gaming consumer education programs, employee training to promote responsible gaming among patrons, responsible gaming training for new hires with annual follow-up and testing and implementing higher responsible gaming or marketing standards than regulations require.
Investing in Research and Partnering with Advocacy Groups
The companies support and partner with academic and advocacy groups to advance responsible gaming and awareness of problem gambling services and participate in Responsible Gaming Education Month. Rush Street is a partner in the AGA’s Have a Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ public service campaign as well as members of the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Novomatic
“As an operator of international venues and a worldwide exporting technology supplier, we recognize our responsibility towards our approximately 21,000 employees as well as customers around the globe. Driven by our sustainable business strategy, we are strongly committed to ESG issues.” – Johannes Gratzl, Executive Board Member
Advancing Sustainability
Lowering Carbon Emissions
NOVOMATIC is aware that the way in which a Company handles energy, CO2 emissions, waste and water consumption has a major impact on the environment. The main priority for NOVOMATIC is to keep consumption of all resources as low as possible in both manufacturing and gaming facility operations.
NOVOMATIC aims to continuously reduce its absolute and relative energy use, as well as Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions. The Company continues to increase use of energy from renewable sources, including generating electricity via solar panels in Australia. In Spain, Basque Gaming and Salones Macao already use 100 percent renewable energy. In the UK, the Company is expanding its vehicle fleet with hybrid cars. In addition, NOVOMATIC facilities worldwide are adopting LED lighting.
Reducing Resource Consumption & Waste
NOVOMATIC is committed to minimizing its environmental footprint through efficient handling of energy and resources, as well as by reducing the waste and emissions that it produces. The Company strives to make positive contributions to environmental protection using both production and operational measures.
Evaluation of previous years shows clearly that the majority of waste produced is non-hazardous. The goal is to continue to reduce total and relative waste volume in the future.
Strengthening Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Strengthening Employee DEI
NOVOMATIC’s principles include promoting diversity and equality for all groups, regardless of age, ethnicity, religion, gender and sexual orientation. Embracing diversity, integration and equal opportunities is a basic principle of the NOVOMATIC corporate culture. Doing so also provides a decisive competitive edge for sustainable corporate success. For years, the Code of Conduct, valid for the entire Group, has stated that any type of discrimination within the Company or towards third parties (e.g. customers, suppliers) has no place at NOVOMATIC.
NOVOMATIC acknowledges that it is responsible for creating fair working conditions when hiring and selecting personnel, during career development, as part of the compatibility of family and career, and as part of generation management. NOVOMATIC Americas has a people first, multicultural diversity and inclusion strategy in the U.S. market which has enabled the Company to attract and retain a robust and diverse workforce that represents its country, customers and community well. In job postings, NOVOMATIC uses gender-neutral language and offers applicants the option to use a third gender (m/f/d where “d” stands for diverse). Currently, 56 percent of NOVOMATIC employees are women.
The Company also continued the employee connection programs NOVOSilver Family and NOVOMoms & Dads. In Austria, NOVOMATIC continues to use the job platform WiSR to find and hire older applicants for their technical experience and expertise.
Increasing Board and Management Diversity
In 2020, 39 percent of the NOVOMATIC’s management positions were made up of women.
Investing in Communities
Addressing Critical Community Needs
NOVOMATIC’s commitment is to contribute to society by sponsoring activities, donations and volunteering. The Company is an active and responsible corporate citizen and invests in its local communities by promoting valuable partnerships and sustainable initiatives. As an international industry leader, NOVOMATIC takes social responsibility seriously. In addition to its economic and regional importance for the economy, the labor market and tax revenue, NOVOMATIC makes an important contribution to society with its social commitment. The Company focuses sponsorship efforts on problem gambling prevention and player protection, sports and competition, art and culture, and strengthening the economy.
In selecting which projects to support, NOVOMATIC looks for international and regional connections, promotion of education and talent, and long-term cooperation in place of short-term activism.
Biometric System
One NOVOMATIC innovation in the area of responsible entertainment is the NOVOMATIC Biometric Systems (NBS). This biometric system allows for unique authentication of registered customers using fingerprints and offers the advantage of fully automated access. The advantage for player protection is its unique allocation of biometric data to a registered guest. This means vulnerable groups, such as minors and customers who have been banned from this location, can be quickly identified and excluded.
Responsible Leadership
Protecting and Empowering Customers
NOVOMATIC creates suitable framework conditions to keep gaming fun. The Company prevents minors and other vulnerable groups from using its products through innovative technology. NOVOMATIC welcomes clear legal regulations and is only active in regulated gaming markets.
At NOVOMATIC, Responsible Entertainment covers measures for gaming addiction prevention in the gaming segment as well as measures in the sports betting, lottery and online gaming segments. Responsible Entertainment is a key element in the implementation of business activities at NOVOMATIC.
Responsible gaming initiatives at NOVOMATIC include implementation of Responsible Entertainment employee training, gaming venue visits and workshops in cooperation with the Gesellschaft für Spielerschutz und Prävention (Society for Player Protection and Prevention, GSP), and development of a comprehensive social program for sports betting businesses together with GSP.
Training Employees
NOVOMATIC makes sure its employees are well trained in player protection and that they pay close attention to identifying problematic behavior and act accordingly.
Investing in Research and Partnering with Advocacy Groups
NOVOMATIC understands that prevention and player protection is not just important on-site at gaming facilities. It also takes on central importance in connection with sustainable funding. NOVOMATIC uses long-term partnerships to support initiatives that deliver important scientific information and help improve treatment options. Recently, the Company sponsored the Medical University of Vienna’s research on addiction and addiction therapies.
Americans Embrace Gaming Industry’s Economic Impact and Commitment to Responsibility
More Americans than ever participated in gaming-related entertainment over the past twelve months, according to new AGA research. That exposure and increasing familiarity with the gaming industry is driving widespread recognition of the industry’s commitment to operating responsibly and positively impacting the communities where it operates.
AGA research shows that more than half of all American adults (55%) participated in some form of gambling in the past year. More than a quarter of adults (28%) gambled at a physical casino in the past year, while 21% placed a sports bet.
The record level of engagement with the gaming industry comes as nearly 9-in-10 (88%) Americans find casino gambling to be acceptable for themselves or others. Overall, gambling acceptance has remained consistent for over a decade. However, this year, 59% of Americans found gambling personally acceptable, an all-time high.
122 million adult Americans, or 49% of the population, visited a casino for gambling or other entertainment purposes in the past 12 months, the highest level of casino visitation on record.
Compared to other entertainment options, consumers see casino gaming as innovative and high-value entertainment spending. 90% of casino visitors consider the entertainment provided by casinos to be innovative, while 89% believe that casinos offer good value for money compared to other entertainment options.
That innovation and value continue to attract younger adults to casino properties. The average age of casino-goers has fallen for five consecutive years, from 49.6 in 2019 to 41.9 in 2024.
Widespread Acknowledgement of Gaming’s Economic Benefits
Large majorities of Americans continue to recognize gaming as a growing and value-adding segment of the U.S. economy.
More than three-quarters (76%) of Americans say that the gaming industry has a positive impact on the overall U.S. economy.
Further, strong majorities of Americans also acknowledge gaming’s local impact; more than three-quarters credit the industry’s contributions to local economies, job creation and tourism:
- 85% say casinos bring entertainment and dining options to areas or regions that might not otherwise be able to attract them.
- 84% agree casinos increase tourism and brings conventions and meetings to areas where they are located.
- 83% say the industry produces jobs and investments here in the U.S. that cannot be outsourced to other countries.
- 80% agree that gaming creates good paying jobs.
Operating Responsibly
As more Americans interact with the gaming industry, they are increasingly aware of our commitment to responsibility, whether around gaming itself or in industry marketing practices.
65% of Americans say the gaming industry is committed to encouraging responsible gaming and combating problem gambling, up from less than 40% in 2018. This confidence is even stronger among those who engage with the industry directly, with 81% of physical casino players and 88% of sports bettors agreeing with this sentiment, up from 70% and 78%, respectively last year.
There has also been a significant rise in the number of Americans exposed to responsible gaming information. Specifically, 46% of land-based casino players and 57% of sports bettors noted an increase in responsible gaming messaging. Notably, 66% of all Americans say they have encountered responsible gaming messaging in the past year, up from 56% in 2022.
Methodology
Kantar, on behalf of the American Gaming Association, conducted an online survey July 31-August 9, 2024 among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 registered 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 (AGA) and its members prioritize responsible gaming as an integral part of our industry’s daily operations. Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW)—September 13-19, 2020—provides an opportunity to showcase our dedication to responsible gaming programs. It also provides a specific opportunity to refresh employee training, promote transparency and gaming literacy to customers, and work with community partners on advancing responsible gaming initiatives.
For 2020, the AGA is focusing RGEW on Have A Game Plan.™ Bet Responsibly, a campaign to educate new consumers and seasoned bettors on responsible sports wagering. The expansion of legal sports betting to 22 states and the District of Columbia makes it even more important that bettors are provided resources to wager responsibly.
Check back as more resources are added leading up to Responsible Gaming Education Week.
If you have questions about RGEW or Have A Game Plan™, please reach out to Cait DeBaun.