American Gaming Association grows public service campaign with new pillar

The national trade group, representing the US casino industry, the American Gaming Association (AGA), confirmed the expansion of its public service campaign, Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly.

New pillar expands AGA's public service campaign

On Thursday, the Association confirmed in a press release that its campaign received a new, fifth pillar called "Keep Your Cool."

The new pillar further grows AGA's public service campaign and as its title suggests, it encourages the bettors to wager responsibly on sports.

In addition, the "Keep Your Cool." pillar condemns athlete harassment, recognizing that such treatment is never appropriate.

AGA introduced its initiative, Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly. back in 2019. Since its launch, the campaign has established four foundational pillars with the list including:

• Set a Budget
• Keep It Social
• Play Legally
• Know the Odds

The first and second pillars encourage sports bettors to set a financial limit and engage in wagering responsibly.

On the other hand, the third and fourth pillars promote the use of legal and regulated betting operators and understanding the risks and associated gambling terminology when engaging in wagering.

There are two aspects of the latest pillar, "Keep Your Cool."

One of the pillar's principles states: "Stay Focused on Having Fun." This principle is self-explanatory and encourages bettors to engage in wagering on sports as an entertainment activity.

Equally as important is the pillar's second principle which is called "Respect the Game."

The principle highlights that while losses and wins are a normal part of sports betting, negative emotions such as attacks or insults regardless if online or in-person, are not.

Responsible gaming tools continue to make a difference

The expansion of the public service campaign by AGA follows research data that pointed to the effectiveness of responsible gaming programs across the United States.

Earlier this year, the Association confirmed that based on its latest research, an overwhelming majority of 66% of Americans consider that different responsible gaming initiatives are effective.

The aforementioned result marked an increase when compared to the 59% figure from last year.

In addition, some 79% of land-based casino players, as well as 85% of the sports bettors admitted that responsible gaming programs are effective.

Equally as important, within the 18-24 age group of sports bettors, some 73% agreed that such programs are working.

Bill Miller, AGA's CEO and President, shared his excitement about the latest announcement.

"Responsible gaming efforts like Have A Game Plan and other proactive efforts by legal operators are resonating with consumers and making a difference," he revealed.

"Keep Your Cool' builds on this momentum by reminding bettors that a betting result – good or bad – is not an invitation to criticize a team, official, or athlete," explained Miller in conclusion.

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