“The favorability of our industry has never been higher. As gaming expands across the U.S. and more Americans engage with our industry’s offerings, they see firsthand gaming’s positive impact on local economies and its value as a community partner,” said Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association.
“I’m committed to continuing the association’s work to translate gaming’s vast popularity into political capital, one of my top priorities for AGA,” Miller added.
1,000 Americans were surveyed during the research, carried out by The Mellman Group on behalf of the AGA, with interviews carried out over the phone and online.
The research, unveiled at G2E yesterday (15th), has revealed a 44% growth in the number of American adults that have visited a casino in the last 12 months, with almost half (49%) stating that they would visit a casino again.
There has also been a shift in perception of the casino industry, with 49% of those surveyed believing that casinos are supportive of local communities. 57% believe that they contribute to local economies, while 71% noted that casinos are a major job source.
Research also found that two-in-three Americans (67%) think that the gaming industry provides high-quality entertainment and 63% believe casino entertainment options are innovative.
With the spread of gambling regulation across the US, the results of the research are said to be consistent with previous AGA research showing nearly nine out of 10 Americans view gaming as a mainstream form of entertainment.
These results come at a time of unprecedented growth for the gaming industry. With the spread of legal, regulated sports betting, 43 states plus the District of Columbia will soon have some form of casino gaming or sports betting. Gaming revenue for the U.S. casino industry reached an all-time high of US$75.4 billion last year according to AGA’s annual State of the States report and National Indian Gaming Commission data.
Source: GMB
