The American Gaming Association (AGA) represents the commercial casino industry on all legislative and regulatory issues. One of the responsibilities of the AGA is public education and it has initiatives to address critical issues in the gambling industry and also promote responsible gambling. Some of the challenges that the AGA takes on are underage gambling, disorderly gambling, alcohol services and research and advertising.
During the recent annual meeting of the gambling industry’s representative body Richard Haddrill, the CEO of Bally Technologies, was appointed as the new head of the American Gaming Association (AGA). Gambling has never felt the heat of the world spotlight more than it currently is and so Haddrill’s appointment is a timely one. AGA president Frank Fahrenkopf Jr. said he sees Haddrill and new vice-president James Murrell helping take the industry to a new level in the coming two years.
There are several States looking to push through legislation on online gambling after the U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released a formal opinion on the 1961 Wire Act that reversed former opinion on the policy. It was previously thought that the 1961 Wire Act banned all gambling wagers across the States, but in the new opinion the DOJ said it only applied to sports betting.
The states of Nevada, California and Iowa have already started to position themselves to be the first states to start running intrastate online gambling and so it seems Haddrill’s appointment could not have been made at a more crucial time.
