MGM Resorts sustains support for ICRG to bolster RG research

MGM Resorts International has committed a further $360,000 to its ongoing effort to sustain and support responsible gambling research and advance understanding of gambling-related harm. The recipient of the grant is the International Center for Responsible Gambling (ICRG), one of the longest-standing research bodies that has been actively seeking to address the matter and advance regulatory and industry understanding of how problem gambling works and how consumers may be protected.

The Center was established in 1996 and it has been one of the most active and driven institutions dealing with the subtler aspects of responsible gambling which has brought clarity to what operators must be doing in order to protect consumers, and also how lawmakers can establish gambling frameworks that ensure harm prevention.

As these efforts continue, the ICRG will now benefit from the grant money for the next 2 years to support various projects that have to do with understanding, preventing, and ultimately addressing the potential risks associated with gambling.

ICRG President Arthur Paikowsky hailed the new commitment on the part of MGM Resorts International and thanked the organization for continuing to support the Center’s research efforts. Paikowsky hailed MGM Resorts’ ongoing commitment to tackling problem gambling and the support that the company has shown for the center.

He said that the funding would help with a number of standing issues that the research institution has about gambling disorders, including how gender may impact the condition, as well as what health risks casino employees face.

"The ICRG is very grateful for the company's long-standing and continuing support of the ICRG," Paikowsky noted. MGM Resorts SVP & Chief Compliance Officer Stephen Martino was similarly happy with the opportunity to see his company champion responsible gambling and advance industry-wide understanding of the issue at hand.

"These research projects are critical to the continued success of the industry and are in the best interest of our guests, company, employees, and the communities where we operate," Martino noted," and reaffirmed his company’s commitment to supporting ICRG’s critical work in finding and helping establish the best practices in responsible gambling.

The ICRG has been able to elicit an industry-wide response for its research projects and sustained itself with the help of operators and gambling companies that have been equally interested in helping safeguard consumers. Earlier this year, Bally’s Corp donated $600,000 to the center, following on similar contributions from Las Vegas Sands and MGM Resorts which has been donating repeatedly throughout the years.

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