MGM Resorts International Thursday announced a $360,000 donation to the International Center for Responsible Gaming to support two research projects. The projects, each lasting two years, are designed to understand, prevent, and address potential risks associated with gambling.
“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,” said MGM Resorts Senior Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer Stephen Martino in a statement.
Established in 1996, the ICRG is a provider of responsible-gaming and problem-gambling research, producing articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. MGM’s donation will help fund research designed to educate treatment providers, researchers, advocates, operators, regulators, and public-policy makers about responsible gaming and problem gambling.
“We salute MGM Resorts for supporting our research that will answer the many questions we have about the impact of gender on gambling disorder and address the health risks of casino employees,” said ICRG President Arthur Paikowsky.
A release stated that MGM Resorts is committed to training and educating more than 60,000 of its employees on the benefits and risks associated with gambling. The company also uses a responsible gaming program, GameSense, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts in 2017 by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. GameSense focuses on positive, transparent, and proactive conversations with players about how to gamble responsibly.
The ICRG’s research will be shared with other licensees of the GameSense program, and other operators who may benefit from its findings.
The partnership with the ICRG and collaboration with other industry advocates includes the American Gaming Association. MGM Resorts and BetMGM are both official partners of the AGA’s Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly public service campaign that educates new and veteran bettors on responsible sports wagering.
