The commercial casino industry has been implementing employee and public education programs to increase awareness of problem and underage gambling and promote responsible gaming practices within their facilities for many years.
Caesars Entertainment Corporation, for example, has been a leader in this area, promoting responsible gaming since the early 1980s through its Operation Bet Smart®: Know When To Stop Before You Start® and Project 21© programs. Operation Bet Smart® formally trains employees about the importance of responsible gaming and the policies and procedures of Harrah´s responsible gaming programs. Project 21© teaches casino employees, minors, parents, and guardians about the consequences of gambling under the legal age through compelling front and back-of-house signage, detailed employee training on cues for identifying minors, and the on-going creation of materials. These programs have been so successful that Harrah's has licensed them to many other casino companies for use at their own properties.
When the American Gaming Association (AGA) was established in 1995, it built on these individual company efforts, developing industry-wide responsible gaming programs. In 1998, the AGA created the Responsible Gaming National Education Campaign, an industry-wide umbrella initiative comprised of a number of programs focused on educating casino employees and the public about responsible gaming. In 2003 the AGA developed the AGA Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming, a complete set of guidelines for the gaming industry to implement in the areas of employee and customer education, underage gambling, alcohol service, advertising and research. Enacted by the AGA board of directors September 15, 2003, and fully implemented by AGA member companies a year later, the code is a commitment to employees, patrons and the public to make responsible gaming an integral part of daily operations. A complete copy of the AGA Code of Conduct can be found on the AGA's responsible gaming website.
