Responsible Gaming Education Week 2021 Begins, Poll Finds Positive Views on Industry

Posted on: September 21, 2021, 01:54h. 

Last updated on: September 21, 2021, 11:40h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW) is underway and runs through Sept. 25. The annual event is tailored towards showcasing and promoting responsible gambling programs and services throughout the industry.

Responsible Gaming AGA gambling help
Massachusetts Gaming Commissioner Enrique Zuniga stands inside a GameSense information center at the Plainridge Park Casino during Responsible Gaming Education Week in 2017. The gaming industry says it is committed to promoting responsible gambling, and new polling suggests its efforts are prevailing. (Image: Massachusetts Gaming Commission)

Results compiled from two recent polls perhaps demonstrates that the gaming industry is adequately working to combat potential negative costs of legal and widespread gambling.

The surveys asked 4,033 Americans about their attitudes and opinions on the domestic gaming sector. Nearly seven in 10 Americans (67 percent) believe the “gaming industry behaves responsibly in the communities where it operates.” Sixty-five percent added that legal, regulated gaming provides a positive benefit to the economy.

American attitudes on associated addictions have also improved. The poll found that the percentage of adults who believe the gaming industry is committed to responsible play has increased more than 40 percent since the same question was asked in 2018.

The American Gaming Association (AGA), the industry’s leading lobbying group in DC, contracted both polls. They were conducted by Kantar and YouGov, two data analytical firms based in the United Kingdom.   

Industry Pillar

AGA President Bill Miller said this week that RGEW is a time for industry stakeholders to remind employees and customers that responsible gambling is of utmost importance.

As legal gaming expands to new geographies and verticals, everyone engaged with legal gaming must work together to grow responsibly,” Miller said. “Our collective success depends on it.”

RGEW 2021 is largely focused on sports betting, which continues to flourish across the country and become legal in new states. The AGA’s responsible sports betting initiative is “Have a Game Plan. Bet Responsibly.”

The public service campaign sets out to educate new customers regarding the principles of sports betting and how to participate responsibly. The AGA’s four key components for novice sports bettors are setting a budget, keeping sports gambling fun and social, understanding the odds, and wagering through a legal outlet.

Help Available

During this week, the AGA is encouraging casinos, iGaming firms, sportsbooks, and lotteries to promote the industry’s commitment to responsible gaming, as well as available resources for those seeking help.

The vast majority of Americans say they are well aware that there are programs readily accessible for those who feel that they might be losing control when it comes to their gambling. Of the more than 4,000 US adults polled, 78 percent said they could identify at least one responsible gaming resource.

The AGA says its industry stakeholders annually “invest hundreds of millions of dollars and works closely with the country’s more than 4,000 regulators to protect consumers and promote responsible gaming.” The AGA explains that effective, widely available problem gambling resources are key to the industry’s long-term growth.

The lobbying group last month called for various responsible gaming reforms. One key suggestion from the AGA is for the industry to embrace a nationwide gaming resource center — as opposed to a state-by-state approach.

The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that up to three percent of US adults meet the criteria to be classified as having a gambling problem.