The American Gaming Association (AGA), a co-organiser of Macau-based casino industry trade show and conference Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia, has convened a think tank on the issue of responsible gambling.
The Responsible Gaming Collaborative will “identify the programmes and policies that best address responsible gaming and the prevention of problem gambling and hold government accountable for supporting proven, effective solutions,” said a press release from the association.
Contributors to the think tank will include the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, and the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The topic of responsible gambling is high up the agenda for Japanese lawmakers as they address the issue of implementing a casino industry in that country. It has been widely reported that responsible gambling will be the topic of a distinct piece of Japanese legislation aside from the Integrated Resorts (IR) Implementation Bill, which pro-casino lawmakers hope can be passed this calendar year.
Several U.S.-based casino groups that are AGA members have respectively expressed interest in bidding for one of the three casino licences likely to be available in the first phase of liberalisation.
“It’s time to comprehensively review existing responsible gaming policies and regulations,” said Geoff Freeman, president and chief executive of the AGA, as quoted in the press release about the new think tank.
“We must drive a new discussion around proven, effective programmes and ensure that governments are appropriately allocating resources,” he was further quoted as saying.
The announcement said that in “coming months” the think tank would: “conduct a comprehensive review of current responsible gaming policies and regulations; identify programmes that work and those that fail to meet their objective; study regulations to determine which ones are based on solid evidence; determine whether government resources are being properly targeted toward effective programmes and prevention; develop a set of recommendations and industry best practices; and work with regulators and other stakeholders to understand the best approaches”.
The AGA’s Mr Freeman was quoted saying: “Our goal is to work with regulators, policymakers, experts, advocates and other stakeholders to find the best solutions and direct resources to them.”
G2E Asia 2018 is taking place from May 15 to 17 at the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel.
