As the week devoted to responsible gaming education in the USA comes to an end, the American Gaming Association (AGA) is to continue with its message. The Association's first ever television Public Service Announcements started airing at the end of July on The Travel Channel network, and some AGA member companies, such as Station Casinos and Ameristar, are using the PSA in their advertising on television stations.

Responsible Gaming Education Week has had the theme of keeping gambling fun. The PSA may only run for 30 seconds but it emphasises the importance of gamblers setting themselves limits and gives other advice on gambling responsibly. The AGA offers free guides on the matter in both Spanish and English. The sale of the bright orange wristbands for $1 to casino employees and the public has raised money for the National Centre for Responsible Gaming (NCGR). The NCGR is an independent nonprofit organization that funds peer-reviewed research on disordered gambling as well as educating the public about the problem.

The AGA and its members are obviously pro gambling but they are also in the business of ensuring that problem gambling does not tarnish the industry’s image. It has often been said that anything can be proved by the use of statistics but it is generally agreed that the rapid expansion of gambling in the USA over the last twenty years has not led to a corresponding rise in the prevalence of pathological gambling. Casinos should be about entertainment and, as the AGA says in its 8th annual Responsible Gaming Education Week, players should ‘Keep it Fun.’ (E-08.05.05)

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