WASHINGTON—The American Gaming Association (AGA), the National Center for
Responsible Gaming (NCRG) and almost 100 casino and gaming companies across
North America are coming together to encourage employees, patrons and the public
to engage in a conversation about responsible gaming during the 11th annual
Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW), which begins today. The theme of this
year’s event, scheduled for Aug. 4-8, “Let’s Talk About Responsible Gaming” is
aimed at encouraging employees to begin a conversation about responsible gaming
at home, on the job and in the community.
“Responsible gaming is not just an issue for casinos, it’s an issue for the
whole community,” said Frank Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the American
Gaming Association (AGA). “Encouraging industry employees to share their
knowledge about this topic and the importance of making educated decisions about
gambling is crucial, not just during Responsible Gaming Education Week, but
throughout the year.”
As it does every year, the AGA has created buttons, stickers and ribbons for
members to make available to their employees to help promote RGEW, and
individual properties will display promotional materials throughout their
properties and provide both employees and customers with copies of important
responsible gaming education materials. All of the AGA’s responsible gaming
educational and promotional materials are available in both English and Spanish.
The AGA also has developed a number of additional materials to enhance the
responsible gaming training efforts of individual companies and help them to
promote RGEW among their employees and in their communities.
In conjunction with the coordinated nationwide activities occurring during
RGEW 2008, individual casinos and gaming companies have devised additional ways
to inspire a conversation about responsible gaming:
- Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa in Riverside Mo. will be running a Design a
Game Contest where team members can create a game, coloring book or word game
highlighting responsible gaming themes. Winners will receive family vacation
prize packages.
- Ameristar Casinos, Inc. properties across the country will include
responsible gaming themes in their “on-hold” phone messages, hold pre-shift
meetings regarding responsible gaming and RGEW, and seek city proclamations
supporting the week in all operating jurisdictions.
- At New York New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., employees will be
encouraged to wear the AGA’s orange “Keep It Fun” awareness wristbands because
the property’s “Responsible Gaming Prize Patrol” will be walking around the
property to catch someone “orange banded.” If the Prize Patrol can catch an
employee wearing their orange wristband and they can correctly answer a question
about responsible gaming, they will receive a prize and be mentioned in a future
employee newsletter.
- Leading gaming equipment manufacturer, Aristocrat Technologies, will be
sponsoring a poster contest open to all employees with the theme of responsible
gaming. Winners will be decided at the end of the week, and winning posters will
be displayed for the balance of the year.
- At properties owned by Boyd Gaming Corporation, employees will be receiving
informal refresher training on the company’s policies and procedures regarding
disordered gambling and the AGA Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming. Puzzles
and quizzes will be used to reinforce employees’ understanding of what they
learn.
- At Harrah’s Phoenix Ak-Chin Casino in Arizona, team members will wear
responsible gaming buttons throughout the week, managers and supervisors will
incorporate responsible gaming messages in their pre-shift meetings, and
employees that successfully complete responsible gaming puzzles will be eligible
for a prize drawing.
“Promoting responsible gaming is something our industry takes very seriously
365 days a year. The activities taking place during RGEW are just a small
representation of the many training and awareness efforts our employees
participate in every day,” Fahrenkopf said. “We’re proud of the efforts put
forth by both our companies and their employees to further public education and
awareness of responsible gaming and spread the word about how everyone, everyday
can keep it fun.”
Responsible Gaming Education Week was developed in 1998 as part of the
Responsible Gaming National Education Campaign, a long-term, comprehensive
program spearheaded by the AGA. RGEW is designed to heighten awareness of
responsible gaming and disordered gambling among employees, patrons and the
general public.
The AGA represents the commercial casino-entertainment industry by
addressing federal legislative and regulatory issues. The association also
serves as a clearinghouse for information, develops educational and advocacy
programs, and provides leadership on industry-related issues of public
concern.
The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national
organization exclusively devoted to funding research that helps increase
understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective methods of
treatment for the disorder. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)3 charitable
organization, the NCRG’s mission is to help individuals and families affected by
gambling disorders by supporting the finest peer-reviewed, scientific research
into pathological and youth gambling; encouraging the application of new
research findings to improve prevention, diagnostic, intervention and treatment
strategies; and advancing public education about responsible gaming. The NCRG is
the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) affiliated charity. For more
information, visit www.ncrg.org.
