SAN DIEGO – American Gaming Association CEO Bill Miller found a receptive audience Friday when he outlined some the Washington D.C.-based organization’s goals for 2020, including a continued push for sports betting legalization, telling the casino industry’s story of economic and social benefits, and modernizing payment processing.
The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) welcomed Miller’s remarks.
The organization, meeting this weekend at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, includes members from states with commercial and tribal casinos, racetrack casinos, lotteries and emerging sports betting markets.
In other words, jurisdictions where state lawmakers understand gaming issues in their respective markets who Miller can enlist in helping tell the industry’s story.
“We want to make sure policymakers’ views of our industry aren’t defined by ‘The Godfather’ movies of the 1970s, but by the real impact we’re having today in their states, cities, and communities,” Miller told roughly 200 conference attendees during a half-hour talk on the hotel’s terrace deck overlooking San Diego Bay.
“We’ll put hard data behind this story, about the jobs we create, the taxes we generate, the critical services and infrastructure we help finance,” Miller said. “And we will highlight the commitment of our people – including the more than 400,000 hours they dedicate every year volunteering in their communities.”
More than 40 legislators from 20 states attended the conference along with gaming operators, suppliers, sports executives, attorneys, analysts, regulators, public officials, and others with a stake in legalized gambling.
Sports betting
AGA CEO Bill Miller addresses the NCLGS in San Diego/Photo by Howard Stutz
Miller, who celebrates his first year as CEO of the AGA later this week, said the organization has several priorities in 2020, but the legalization of sports betting continues to rise to the top of all charts.
Fourteen states now offer sports betting at casinos, racetracks and online, following the Supreme Court’s decision to toss out the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May 2018. Another half-dozen states and Washington D.C. could launch sports betting this year, and a handful of states are considering legislation and ballot referendums governing the activity.
“We must get sports betting right,” Miller said. “Since the federal prohibition on sports betting ended, Americans have legally wagered more than $16 billion. A recent Morgan Stanley report predicts Americans will place more than $216 billion in legal sports wagers by 2025. Legalized sports betting pushes gaming further into the spotlight. That’s why we’re working to make sports betting a showcase of our industry’s commitment to responsible gaming.”
The AGA recently launched an educational advertising campaign at Washington D.C.’s Capital One Arena, home to the NHL’s Washington Capitols and NBA’s Washington Wizards, to educate consumers on responsible gaming practices. The arena will also house a sportsbook operated by William Hill US.
“We made this investment, and plan to extend it to other states, to protect the market and put responsible gaming front and center as sports betting rolls out,” Miller said.
Since the Supreme Court ruling, nearly 70 commercial partnerships have been formed between gaming companies with media operations, sports leagues, and individual teams.
“While our new gaming partners certainly realize the commercial opportunities this brings, we’re going to make sure they all appreciate what a real commitment to responsible gaming looks like,” Miller said. “All of us involved in sports betting – operators, leagues, technology providers, broadcasters, legislators, regulators – have a role to play in getting this right.”
Economics
Miller highlighted the industry’s economic impact in the U.S. generating $75 billion annually at commercial and tribal casinos, more than $9 billion annually in commercial gaming tax revenue, while contributing $261 billion in economic total impact and supporting nearly 2 million American workers.
“The more gaming grows, and the more Americans see us, the more respect they have for our industry,” Miller said. “Gaming’s popularity has never been higher, and perceptions of our industry have never been stronger.”
Miller also highlighted an initiative he touted during last October’s Global Gaming Expo – bringing cashless gaming to the forefront. He repeated his lament that the casino floor is “one of the last cash-only businesses on earth, right down there with garage sales and flea markets?”
He asked the state lawmakers to support the gaming industry technology advancements that allow digital payments to be used on casino floors.
“With today’s technology, we can empower consumers with easy tools to set budgets, time limits, and other safeguards that promote responsible gaming,” Miller said. He told the conference audience that digital payments make it easier for law enforcement to identify customer backgrounds, source of gambling funds, and early warning signs of potential criminal activity.
“Cashless payments create a digital record that can track money movements far more accurately than cash,” Miller said. “Working with regulators and using that digital paper trail, we can improve the robust anti-money laundering activities already underway at every casino in America.”
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
