One word didn’t pop up much during this month’s Responsible Gaming Education Week, an industry-led annual event to raise awareness of problem gambling.
“Casino.”
The American Gaming Association, which established the week-long commitment to the issue and has organized it for the last 23 years, wasn’t ignoring the nearly 1,000 commercial and tribal locations in 43 states.
“This year’s focus aligned with the mainstreaming of gaming,” said Cait DeBaun, the AGA’s senior director for strategic communications and responsibility. “The responsibility for us is to think beyond our brick-and-mortar communities that have carried the responsible gaming message into a broader scope.”
Cait DeBaun of the AGA
AGA CEO Bill Miller said the week highlights a year-long commitment by the industry, but uses the seven days to renew employee training, raise problem-gambling awareness, and work with community partners to advance new initiatives.
“Responsible gaming is an integral part of our daily operations and has been so for decades,” Miller said.
The focus on sports betting, an activity that has legal across the U.S. for just 29 months and can currently be found in 18 states and Washington D.C., took center-stage. The AGA activated a self-regulated enforcement process for the industry’s sports betting marketing code of responsibility. Two independent co-chairs from UNLV’s International Gaming Institute and five AGA industry members will seek to set a high bar for responsible advertising for sportsbooks.
Earlier this year, the AGA launched “Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly,” which targets sports fans for safe wagering practices. The initial campaign included signage at the Capitol One Arena in Washington D.C. and the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
During Responsible Gaming week, NASCAR became the first professional league to partner with the AGA in the campaign.
“Ensuring that our fans have the resources to bet responsibly is a founding principle of our gaming strategy,” said NASCAR Managing Director of Gaming Scott Warfield. “As sports bettors increasingly engage with NASCAR, we look forward to working together to promote bettor education and resources that help prepare our fans for the rapidly expanding legal sports betting landscape.”
BetMGM, the sports betting joint venture between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings, brought on a full-time responsible-gambling program manager.
‘Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly’ at T-Mobile Arena
BetMGM is also part of GameSense, a responsible-gaming program developed by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and licensed to MGM Resorts. GameSense focuses on positive, transparent, and proactive conversations with players about how to gamble responsibly.
Gaming technology provider GeoComply launched PlayPause, a responsible gaming tool that allows players to carry their self-exclusion programs for igaming and sports betting across state lines.
“PlayPause is not only an important compliance tool, but a way we can unite the industry and regulators to deepen their shared commitment to responsible gaming and consumer protection,” said GeoComply Chairwoman Anna Sainsbury.
DeBaun said the commitment within the gaming industry is to have responsible-gaming messages and efforts with the casino properties.
She noted that Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino at Charles Town in West Virginia added “Have A Game Plan” messaging throughout their property during responsible-gaming week.
“This week highlighted our new partners and their efforts,” DeBaun said. “Many companies are carrying the responsible-gaming message. Responsible gaming extends from the property into the new products.”
Miller, in a message posted to LinkedIn, said the casino gaming industry works with state gaming regulators to develop training programs for gaming employees and companies have invested “hundreds of millions of dollars annually to research, prevent, and address responsible and problem gambling.
“As our members welcome back patrons under strict (COVID-19) safety guidelines, advancing responsible gaming and tackling problem gambling head-on remains at the core of our work,” Miller said.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
