American Gaming Association Beefs Up Code of Conduct

The American Gaming Association held its annual meeting last week and the result was a beefed up Code of Conduct for its members.
At the meeting, a constellation of gambling industry all-stars including, David Rebuck, Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement; Dean Hestermann, Corporate Director for Issue Management at Caesars Entertainment; Patrick Harris of MGM Resorts International; and Russell Sanna, Executive Director of the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG), unveiled the new code.
One of the biggest changes to the Code of Conduct is that it that it joins all arms of the industry under one code. That means that mobile and online operators, will be operating under the same standards as their land-based peers. This is a major change from the AGA’s standard operating procedures and marks a big step forward in the joining of the land-based and web-based gambling industries.
On their website, AGA officials praised the new code. Russell Sanna, Executive Director for the National Center for Responsible Gaming said:
Responsible gaming practices are for everyone involved with gaming. Our collective efforts to constantly improve responsible gaming will provide for a healthy industry that benefits local communities and our nation.
Other changes to the code included a section on the posting of odds at table games so that players don’t feel like they’ve got a better chance of winning than they actually do. The Code also includes a new effort by the industry to spot problem gamblers before their problems progress.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the AGA’s Code of Conduct and its expected that some of the larger operators, such as Caesars Mobile Interactive, will institute the new rules immediately.