IGSA to launch Responsible Gaming Committee; UNLV’s Alan Feldman agrees to serve

The International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) has announced that its board of directors unanimously approved the creation of a Responsible Gaming Committee (RGC). "All board members affirmed their intention to participate in and support the committee," said the association in a statement.

Additionally, Alan Feldman, an expert in responsible gaming and player protection, has agreed to serve. The IGSA notes that Feldman is a distinguished fellow at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Gaming Institute and Chair Emeritus of the International Center for Responsible Gaming. He has also spent nearly 30 years in the gaming industry with MGM Resorts. 

IGSA's Responsible Gaming Committee intends to offer support for regulators and operators with a multi-tier framework entitled the Responsible Gaming Maturity Model (RGMM). "This approach will offer regulators and operators a path from discovery to a highly quantifiable and predictable RG model," said IGSA.

The RGMM will ensure regulators and operators can grow from implementing basic policy to managing a precise dashboard of KPIs generated from quantitative data, a statement notes. The final and ultimate level will be "to embrace the power of prediction and preventive detection."

"The time has come to create a global standard, process, and path for predictive responsible gaming. Regulators have done an incredible job of creating their individual approaches. It is now time to pull the best practices together into a journey from discovery to quantitative management," stated Earle G. Hall, Chairman of IGSA.

"Moreover, it is time to shift the paradigm to a data-driven predictability model to remove the tremendous burden on regulators and operators. We are excited by the overwhelming response by our members, affiliates, and partners to be a part of this movement."

IGSA’s members and affiliates include several of the world’s top casino game producers, including Aristocrat Leisure, IGT, Light & Wonder, Ainsworth Game Technology and Konami Gaming. In an interview, Feldman said the rapid growth of technology in the gaming industry is part of why the committee’s work is important.

“Because of the growth of technology and the applications that are being used now, I think this is a perfect opportunity to consider how those technologies are utilized,” he said, as reported by Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Trying to understand that will be a critical part of the work we do.”