American Gaming Association President and CEO, Bill Miller took to the pages of Newsweek to support regulated sports betting and assure the nation that the rise of regulated gaming is a good thing. Miller, who represents the interests of the US-facing regulated gaming industry, painted his business as a branch of the entertainment industry that also happens to benefit the public via tax revenue.
At the top of Miller’s list was refuting the notion that Americans are going broke because of their gambling habits. He points out that the average American sports bettor is generally spending less than $100 a month on his or her sports betting “habit”. By way of comparison, Miller points out that the average American’s cell phone bill hovers around $140 a month.
Miller also singled out the gaming industry’s responsible gaming campaigns and other efforts to combat problem gambling. In any single year, Miller says, the US gaming industry spends nearly half a billion dollars on responsible gaming efforts.
The biggest benefit of regulated gaming, of course, is the money it generates for state and local governments. “The expansion of legal gaming has delivered other benefits to jurisdictions throughout the U.S., including billions in state tax revenue to fund initiatives such as public education in Maryland, shoring up pandemic-related losses in Detroit, and water conservation projects in Colorado. The industry today works with more than 5,000 state and tribal regulators nationwide to bring integrity to a market previously dominated by offshore criminal enterprises, and partners with those states to prevent those crime rings from reaching Americans in legal markets,” he said.
A big part of Miller’s job is acting as the voice and face of the regulated gaming business and educating the public about the industry’s benefits. With regulated sports betting now available in 38 states and Washington D.C., Miller’s job is more important than ever.