Supplier News
US – AGA and academics launch Responsible Gaming Collaborative
By Phil - 24 April 2018
The American Gaming Association (AGA) recently convened leading gaming industry organisations, academic professionals and advocacy groups to chart a new course on the complex issue of responsible gaming.
The Responsible Gaming Collaborative will identify the programs and policies that best address responsible gaming and the prevention of problem gambling and hold government accountable for supporting proven, effective solutions. The Collaborative’s launch deepens the gaming industry’s commitment to responsible gaming.
“It’s time to comprehensively review existing responsible gaming policies and regulations,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the AGA. “We must drive a new discussion around proven, effective programs and ensure that governments are appropriately allocating resources.”
The gaming industry is estimated to provide governments with hundreds of millions of dollars annually for responsible gaming research and treatment. The spending of those resources is inconsistent across jurisdictions and no programs exist today to ensure accountability.
In addition to the AGA, key Responsible Gaming Collaborative participants include The National Council on Problem Gambling, the National Center for Responsible Gaming, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas International Gaming Institute, Harvard University’s T.H. Chan Public School of Health, Yale School of Medicine, the National Indian Gaming Association, the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
“This Collaborative with its diverse set of stakeholders is a welcome step forward to creating a unified approach to addressing problem gambling,” said Keith Whyte, Executive Director of the National Council on Problem Gambling.
“No one party or way of thinking is ever enough to create transformative change. That’s why this group is so essential,” said Russell Sanna, Executive Director the National Center for Responsible Gaming. “We appreciate healthy dialogue and debate and are striving to use focused, evidence-based proposals to drive improvement – in both industry practices and government regulations.”
In the coming months, the Collaborative will conduct a comprehensive review of current responsible gaming policies and regulations and identify programs that work and those that fail to meet their objective. It will study regulations to determine which are based on solid evidence and decide whether government resources are being properly targeted toward effective programs and prevention. It will work to develop a set of recommendations and industry best practices and work with regulators and other stakeholders to understand the best approaches.
“The word ‘Collaborative’ was chosen deliberately,” said Mr. Freeman. “Our goal is to work with regulators, policymakers, experts, advocates and other stakeholders to find the best solutions and direct resources to them.”
