Responsible Gambling Education Month is here, and many Ohio sports betting operators have already announced ways each is stepping up to help spread the message.
The American Gaming Association hosts Responsible Gaming Education Month every September to promote better education throughout the industry. To do so, it focuses on operators, players, lawmakers, and industry partners for spreading the word.
Many Ohio sports betting operators will participate this month to boost the impact of responsible gambling initiatives within the state and beyond, each doing so in their own unique way.
What is Responsible Gambling Education Month?
The American Gaming Association explained its Responsible Gaming Education Month on its website.
“This September, join the American Gaming Association and our members as we highlight the industry’s responsible gaming education efforts. Together, we can promote gaming literacy and consumer education, elevate employee training, and work with partners to advance our understanding of responsible gambling.”
Along with that description, the American Gaming Association also provided a Responsible Gaming Education Month toolkit, which outlined requests for four different parties related to gaming: operators, players, lawmakers, and industry partners.
The American Gaming Association is asking for the most expansive efforts from operators, which include:
- Place an op-ed in the local newspapers or through a media outlet.
- Reach out to local news to give a statement.
- Highlight its own responsible gaming efforts through different channels.
- Interview staff for a video, social media, or blog post on how they prioritize responsible gambling practices.
- Add refresher training for employees at all levels to maintain education across the company.
- Add responsible gaming messaging on internal communications and in frequented public areas like break rooms.
Additionally, legislators and regulators are being asked to sign a proclamation recognizing Responsible Gambling Education Month or use its communication channels to amplify responsible gaming resources. Also, the American Gaming Association asks regulators and lawmakers to highlight responsible gaming efforts.
Industry partners are also being called upon to stop promoting illegal gambling websites or entering into agreements with them. This is aimed at offshore operators such as Bovada. The American Gaming Association also requests industry partners to collaborate more with responsible gaming resources and feature responsible gaming messaging on its public channels.
For players, the American Gaming Association is asking for a bit less. It hopes that people who partake in gambling will promote responsible gaming messaging on social media to extend its responsible gambling resources to as many users as possible.
So, what have Ohio sports betting operators done so far in September?
Ohio sportsbooks announce plans for Responsible Gaming Education Month
Already, Ohio sports betting operators have begun supporting Responsible Gaming Education Month and boosting its reach through different means.
MGM Resorts and BetMGM partnered directly with the American Gaming Association to promote Responsible Gaming Education Month. The partnership includes expanded responsible gambling marketing at NFL stadiums and further integration with GameSense to enhance responsible gaming.
BetMGM Chief Compliance Officer Rhea Loney said MGM is excited to set a new standard for safe betting:
“We’re excited to bring responsible gaming initiatives directly to fans in these NFL venues again this season. We are setting a new standard for safety and awareness in the industry. At BetMGM, we believe that protecting our players and promoting responsible play is essential to the future of sports betting.”
American Gaming Association Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications Joe Maloney also gave a statement regarding MGM as one of the leaders in responsible gambling:
“Collaboration is integral to strengthening our collective responsibility efforts. Both in their work with the AGA and throughout the legal, regulated gaming industry, MGM Resorts and BetMGM continue to be leaders in forming innovative partnerships that are advancing responsible gaming in meaningful ways.”
Similarly, Caesars Entertainment released a press release outlining its efforts toward responsible gaming in recognition of Responsible Gaming Education Month and to make those resources available to more people. The press release also included a statement from Caesars Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Tom Reeg:
“Responsible Gaming is at the heart of our business and it’s imperative that we provide the best resources for our guests to encourage safe play. Through the hard work of our Team Members over the last 35 years, we’ve innovated and invested to provide guests with various tools and education opportunities and championing industry change. We’re proud to be a leader in Responsible Gaming and look forward to expanding our programming as the gaming industry evolves.”
FanDuel creates conversation with special RGEM project
FanDuel Sportsbook announced a new project called “Trusted Voices: Conversations About Betting” in honor of Responsible Gaming Education Month.
The program stems from a partnership between FanDuel, former NBA player Randy Livingston, and sports agent Anita Smith. Livingston, who is married to Smith, has dealt with problem gambling habits himself which is why Livingston and Smith wanted to partner with FanDuel. Livingston wants to use his experience to help others.
“As legal sports betting continues to become more accessible, I knew I wanted to use my experience to help families engage in proactive and informed conversations about gambling. It became apparent to me and Anita that FanDuel shares our goal of helping parents navigate these tough, but important conversations.”
For Smith, her goal is to help others identify irresponsible gambling habits and have the tough conversations needed to get better. Smith said both her and Livingston are excited to partner with FanDuel to work toward those goals.
“It is important to normalize conversations about gambling, and this program is intended to help families get comfortable with traditionally uncomfortable conversations. Randy and I are delighted to work with FanDuel to amplify the program’s content and drive positive outcomes for young people and anyone who may be struggling with problem gambling.”
