The American Gaming Association (AGA) commissioned a major international accounting firm to conduct a study into how much the casino gaming industry spent on responsible gaming initiatives. The report shows an investment of $471.8 million, a 72% increase from the $275 million spent in 2017.
Joe Maloney, AGA senior vice president of strategic communications, says this is illustrative of the legal industry’s commitment to fostering a safe and informed sports betting environment.
“Beyond the considerable taxes gaming companies contribute to fund responsible gaming and problem gambling resources, the industry also proactively invests hundreds of millions of dollars more to ensure our customers have the tools, knowledge and safeguards to play responsibly,” said Maloney of the findings.
❗️NEW: AGA research reveals a significant increase in responsible gaming investments from gaming industry companies, with total spending reaching $471.8M annually—up from approximately $275M (+72%) in 2017.
— American Gaming Association (@AmericanGaming) September 26, 2024
Read the release 👉 https://t.co/oZoJv5rsV7 pic.twitter.com/hgSF01VRDY
How it breaks down
Industry-wide investment in responsible gaming has grown at a faster rate than gaming revenue over the past seven years even with a record-setting number of Americans participating in gambling.
The areas seeing the most significant spending commitments are:
- Customer service interactions: $135.4 million
- Developing and maintaining responsible gaming programs: $122.4 million
- Consumer-facing responsible gaming education: $107.7 million
- Responsible gaming research and other non-profit RG organizations: $31.8 million
- Problem gambling supportive services: $26.1 million
September is Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM) in the industry, and earlier this month, the AGA released a first-of-its-kind Responsible Gaming Intervention Effectiveness Scale to provide academics, industry members and more with a research-based tool to evaluate responsible gaming messages.
Examples from around the industry
Members of New York’s Responsible Play Partnership (RPP) acknowledged this year’s RGEM by outlining its directive to continue working with New York sports betting operators to promote safe, responsible gambling.
The New York Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG), which is part of the RPP, added that it will continue to improve the state’s self-exclusion program, a voluntary measure prohibiting individuals from wagering at any legal gaming venue (retail or online) in New York.
Earlier this year, seven major sportsbooks representing more than 85% of the legalized online sports betting and iGaming market made headlines by launching the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA). BetMGM, bet365, Fanatics, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital, and PENN Entertainment made up the founding members of the ROGA.
FanDuel launched a new responsible gaming program and resource hub called "Trusted Voices: Conversations About Betting" as part of its REGM initiatives.
This marked the first time that major gambling companies are committing to share information about customers excluded because of problem gambling, and part of ROGA’s initial work will be to create a database that will allow member companies to collaborate on consumer protection efforts and to identify players who display high-risk attributes.
Just as the 2024 NFL season was getting kicked off, BetMGM also committed to a second year of responsible gaming messaging in NFL stadiums around the country. As part of the promotion, BetMGM and the AGA will promote responsible gambling advertisements within nine different NFL stadiums.
