Two-thirds of Americans see the gaming industry in a positive light, says AGA

American favorability toward gaming keeps growing as the industry expands, says the American Gaming Association. According to new AGA research, Americans’ positive view of gaming is at its highest, with two-thirds of adults considering it a positive economic contributor that provides high-quality jobs, while 73% support legalized sports betting in their state.

The results come from two online polls conducted by Kantar and YouGov on behalf of AGA in late summer among national samples of 2,000 Americans aged 21 and older. Highlights of the survey found that nearly 7 in 10 Americans believe the gaming industry behaves responsibly and a majority (57%) believe the industry gives back to the communities where it operates.

“We are a committed, responsible partner and economic driver in communities across the country,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “Because of this, we’ve risen from the most devastating period in our history and embarked on a record-setting comeback.”

One of the key findings of the study is how American perception of responsible gaming efforts within the industry has changed. The number of Americans who believe the industry is committed to safe gaming has increased by nearly 40% since 2018, while nearly 80% of past-year gamblers are aware of industry-provided responsible gaming resources. Within this group, three-quarters point to specific measures such as deposit limits, casino employee training and time limits as most effective.

These findings arrive at the start of the Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW), September 19-25. Throughout RGEW, industry stakeholders join forces to promote responsible gaming education. According to Miller, the week provides “an opportunity to highlight the tremendous work” the industry does every day within the field.

“[RG] is part not only of our regulations, but our social license to operate. It’s part of our culture of compliance and our commitment to our communities.”

For #RGEW21, AGA’s @CaitDeBaun discusses how the industry is promoting responsible gaming: https://t.co/fCgSpMJJ6v

— American Gaming Association (@AmericanGaming) September 20, 2021

“As legal gaming expands to new geographies and verticals, everyone engaged with legal gaming must work together to grow responsibly,” added AGA’s CEO. The Responsible Gaming Education Week features the association’s Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly public service campaign, which encourages responsible sports wagering through partnerships with leagues and teams, operators and suppliers, and media companies.

This effort is complemented by a series of proposed fundamentals of responsible wagering for bettors: setting a budget and sticking to it, knowing the odds, keeping it social, and only playing with legal operators.

In addition, last year AGA launched its Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering, which aims at protecting consumers and set standards for advertising with self-imposed restrictions on target audiences while mandating responsible gaming inclusion across marketing activity.

Measures to promote responsible sports betting result timely, as a study shared by AGA prior to NFL kick-off showed that a record 45.2 Americans plan to wager throughout the season.

Increased wagering responds to the expansion of legal sports betting in states throughout the country and increased fan enthusiasm, says the association. Online sportsbooks are expected to see the largest increase when compared to 2020, up 73%. As of this season, a record 107 million Americans can place legal wagers in their home states.