Get to Know Gaming: Las Vegas, NV

A diverse set of panelists—ranging from casino operators and suppliers to gaming regulators and sports—joined the American Gaming Association at the UNLV International Gaming Institute to discuss the future of responsible gaming and the importance of responsible gaming during Responsible Gaming Education Week.

Elizabeth Cronan, AGA’s senior director of gaming policy, kicked off the event by noting that AGA and its members “are committed to ensuring that responsibility remains a core priority among all industry stakeholders.”

To that end, the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) announced a new fund dedicated to research on responsible sports betting at the outset of the panel. The fund, supported by AGA and several of its members, will equip operators, policymakers, and the more than 4,000 regulators across the U.S. with science-based evidence to assess and design gaming provisions and policies that protect consumers and prioritize responsible gaming above all else.

Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairwoman Sandra Douglass Morgan moderated the panel and remarked that the NCRG fund marks a “truly exciting moment for the industry,” as “regulators and policy makers need stakeholder involvement to solve and address our most pressing challenges to protect the integrity of gaming.”

Responsibility in the Gaming Industry

100% of AGA member companies surveyed have a responsible gaming policy

422,000 volunteer hours from AGA member company employees per year

Scott Warfield, managing director of gaming, NASCAR, commented that responsible betting is so important to the sport because “we want to provide [fans] new engagement opportunities, but we want them to [bet] responsibly,” adding that “NASCAR is joining the NCRG sports betting research fund because it’s the right thing to do…and we need to do this the right way”

Dr. Russell Sanna, executive director, NCRG, spoke to importance of a culture of responsibility that encourages customers to talk to fellow customers, while Paul Pellizzari, vice president of global social responsibility, Hard Rock International, spoke about the importance of prevention as an emerging area in responsible gaming, explaining that “all of our responsible gaming programs start with reaching players in the place that is most relevant to them in a voice that is natural to them.”

Other topics included the use of technology in self-exclusion efforts and identifying at risk populations, protecting youth and vulnerable groups, and how the media will impact the dialogue around responsible sports betting.

The panel also featured Tammi Barlow, Head of Responsible Gaming, William Hill US; Alan Feldman, Distinguished Fellow, Responsible Gaming, UNLV International Gaming Institute; Jade Luchauer, CSR Manager, Global Brand, Marketing & Communications, IGT; and Virginia McDowell, Independent Non-Executive Director, GVC Holdings.