Illustrating the Impact of the Commercial Gaming Industry

Holly Wetzel, Vice President of Communications, American Gaming Association

FACT: The economic impact of the commercial gaming industry is equivalent to 1 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.

Surprised? It’s true! Commercial casinos provide jobs, tax revenues, business opportunities for suppliers and a diverse array of entertainment options for our customers. When you factor in how casinos impact the supply chain and employee spending trickles down through the economy, the positive impact of our business spreads well beyond our casino walls.

To learn more, check out the AGA’s new two-minute video “illustrating” the economic impact of commercial casinos:

Share this video and help spread the word about how commercial casinos help the economy.  And be on the lookout for more videos coming from the AGA throughout the year to help educate key stakeholders about our business. 

Examining the Future of Gaming

Brian Lehman, Communications Manager, American Gaming Association

This week, the American Gaming Association (AGA) released the 2013 State of the States: The AGA Survey of Casino Entertainment, and this year’s edition of the report, as usual, contains a comprehensive look at national and state-by-state economic impacts of the commercial casino industry, including gross gaming revenue, gaming tax contributions, employment and wages.

Another popular feature of the annual survey is public opinion polling that delves into the gambling habits and attitudes of casino visitors and the general public. This year, we took a closer look at young adult casino visitors with a survey of 300 past-year casino visitors age 21-35. Visitors are paramount to the success of the industry, and taking a look at this younger adult demographic allows us to get a glimpse of what casino companies may be offering in the future.

On the whole, the polling results show similar overall gambling habits for this younger cohort when compared to those of the general visitor population. However, some notable differences include the fact that young adults have the highest rate (39 percent) of casino visitation compared to other age groups. In addition to visiting casinos at a higher rate, young adult casino-goers are more likely to come back, as 90 percent said they plan to return to a casino in the next year (compared with 79 percent of the general population of casino-goers who said the same). Young adult visitors don’t just gamble in casinos, they also are more likely to participate in other forms of gambling like casual betting with friends, playing poker or gambling on the Internet.

When it comes to their activities during casino visits, young adult patrons are more likely to utilize all categories of non-gaming amenities such as dining, shopping or live entertainment. The games they like to play also differ somewhat, and while slot machines are their favorite games (just like the general population of visitors), table games are more popular among this age group, and young adult visitors are more likely to take part in a variety of different games during the course of a single visit.

All of this information and more is available in the State of the States report. Check it out and take a deep dive into the present and future of the commercial casino industry.

Around the World with Global Gaming Women

By Keli Elkins, Vice President of Industry Relations, American Gaming Association

Spring is an exciting time for the industry with conferences and trade shows scheduled around the globe. Global Gaming Women (GGW) is thrilled to be partnering with many event organizers to host our own programs at each. In fact, during the first week of May, you’ll find GGW at events from Panama all the way to Montreal.

On Tuesday, May 7, Southern Gaming Summit will host a GGW Luncheon in Gulfport, Miss. as part of the kick-off to their annual proceedings. At Island View Casino, AGA Senior Vice President and Executive Director Judy Patterson will moderate a top-notch panel of female gaming executives during a live take on GGW’s popular Coffee Break video series. Confirmed panelists include: June DeHart, partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLC; Holly Gagnon, CEO, Pearl River Resorts; Elaine Hodgson, CEO and president, Incredible Technologies, Inc.; Cathy MacKenzie, vice president and general counsel, Island View Casino; Sheila Morago, executive director, Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association; and Suszanne Trout, CMO, Rush Street Gaming.

Later that week, GGW looks forward to engaging several new audiences when it hosts events for the first time in Latin America and Canada. Monografie and Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) will sponsor a GGW Luncheon at the SAGSE Central America & Caribbean event in Panama on Thursday, May 9. Marta Sanchez of Covey Consulting will be the featured speaker. The following day, on Friday, May 10, GGW will join with the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) for a GGW Breakfast at the IMGL Spring Conference in Montreal.

Finally, at the end of the month, G2E will host GGW during G2E Asia in Macau. The breakfast event on May 23 will feature speed mentoring roundtables facilitated by experienced gaming executives from the region.

Do not miss out on the growing calendar of GGW events – join our mailing list today at www.globalgamingwomen.org, where you also can register or find out more about all of the programs mentioned above. We look forward to seeing you at GGW events this spring!