Q&A with American Gaming Association on Responsible Gaming Education Month efforts

This week kicks off the PGA TOUR’s efforts around Responsible Gaming Education Month, a campaign that runs through September and is spearheaded by the American Gaming Association (AGA).

To help understand more of the background and motivation behind the RGEM initiative, Golfbet spoke with Joe Maloney, senior vice president of strategic communications for the AGA, about some of the campaign’s role and history.

Golfbet: Let’s start with a little bit of the backstory around Responsible Gaming Education Month, what is the genesis behind its creation?

Joe Maloney: Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW) — the predecessor of Responsible Gaming Education Month — was created by the AGA in 1998 to increase awareness around promoting responsible gaming and preventing problem gambling. Beginning primarily as an employee education effort, RGEW evolved as the industry evolved, soon expanding to a customer-facing focus as operators across the country developed increasingly robust responsible gaming education programs. Today, Responsible Gaming Education Month builds on the industry’s longstanding efforts through RGEW to educate and empower both customers and employees with the knowledge and tools to promote responsible play.

Golfbet: In 2022, Responsible Gaming Education Week became Responsible Gaming Education Month. What went into that decision, and how has stretching the effort to a month impacted education efforts?

Maloney: As the gaming industry has expanded to new markets and to new verticals like sports betting and online gaming, the conversation around responsible gaming has become more complex. Leading up to September 2022, we recognized the need for a more robust platform to address these issues comprehensively. A single week, while impactful, limited our ability to cover the breadth and depth of topics necessary to address the various facets of responsible gaming.

By expanding to a month, we’ve been able to dedicate more time to key areas such as sports betting and emerging technologies, while also providing a more sustained focus on consumer education and operator best practices. The expanded timeframe has allowed for greater collaboration among industry stakeholders, more in-depth campaigns from gaming operators and suppliers, and increased consumer engagement — making our education efforts that much more effective.

Golfbet: Are there any themes for #RGEM2024 that you’d highlight for PGA TOUR fans?

Maloney: When it comes to betting on sports, AGA’s Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ campaign always features prominently during RGEM. With the PGA TOUR as a key campaign partner and nearing the conclusion of a spectacular season and FedExCup Playoffs, we encourage golf fans to know when to lay up and bet responsibly by:

• Always setting a budget and sticking to it
• Keeping betting social and only as a form of entertainment
• Knowing the odds
• Only betting with legal, licensed operators

Golfbet: Who generally participates in supporting RGEM messaging, and what do you feel are the most impactful ways they help support?

Maloney: RGEM messaging is supported by a broad coalition across the gaming ecosystem, including casino and sports betting operators, gaming manufacturers, advocacy groups and regulators. In recent years, sports leagues like the PGA TOUR have also played a key (and growing) role in expanding RGEM efforts to new audiences.

The most impactful support for RGEM comes from each industry stakeholder leveraging their unique platforms to reach consumers directly, whether through digital and in-person activations, in-app notifications, social media campaigns, or dedicated responsible gaming ads. For gaming operators in particular, another key aspect of RGEM employee training, ensuring that frontline staff across these organizations are equipped to promote responsible gaming and assist customers effectively.

Golfbet: This is the third year that the TOUR has produced a media campaign in support of RGEM. Can you talk a little bit about how that partnership has evolved and its impact?

Maloney: The partnership between the AGA and the PGA TOUR has grown significantly over the past few years, reflecting our shared commitment to promoting responsible gaming. Initially, our focus was on establishing a baseline awareness among TOUR fans and players through our “Have A Game Plan”partnership. As our collaboration has deepened, our efforts have become more sophisticated to add in new layers of education and fan engagement — for example, Sam, the Responsible Gaming Caddie! This partnership is a model of how the sports and gaming industries can work together to foster a culture of responsibility.

We can’t wait to continue to grow our responsible gaming efforts with the PGA TOUR in the future and the AGA is grateful for the TOUR’s leadership on this critical issue.

September is Responsible Gaming Education Month. For more information on how to put together your sports betting game plan, visit haveagameplan.org/pgatour.