Campaign Will Highlight Gray Market Misinformation

The American Gaming Association (AGA) and the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) announced a new partnership to combat the unchecked spread of unregulated gaming machines throughout the United States. The ongoing campaign will focus on providing state and local policymakers, law enforcement, and regulatory agencies with new resources and tools to stop the proliferation of unregulated gaming machines.

Casino gaming is one of the most highly regulated industries in the U.S. with more than 4,000 state and tribal regulators dedicated to overseeing all forms of gaming, including electronic gaming machines. The recent growth of unregulated machines across the country raises a host of concerns which the organizations outlined in a fact sheet released today. Among them are the lack of testing, consumer protections, and responsible gaming measures, which underscore the need for states with gray market and illegal machines to make this a priority area of focus.

“Stamping out the illegal market that threatens the safety of consumers will always be one of the gaming industry’s highest priorities,” said Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “We are proud to work with the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers and our fellow industry partners to combat the spread of illegal machines. The AGA is encouraged that policymakers in some states such as Virginia have begun to recognize the dangers of these machines and have taken recent legislative action toward outlawing them. Unfortunately, other jurisdictions where these machines have become pervasive may believe their only recourse is to regulate and tax them. Rewarding bad behavior is not the answer, and we hope our education efforts will make it clear that the only real solution is to stop the spread of these devices.”

“The regulated gaming industry has rarely been more united on a singular issue and now we have a tool to address the misinformation and deception that unregulated machine companies use to confound law enforcement, the courts, and local citizens,” said Marcus Prater, executive director of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers. “The spread of these machines represents a serious threat to the overall regulated market that has invested billions in infrastructure while also creating thousands of jobs and substantial tax benefits in the communities they serve. Moreover, unregulated machines prey on confused players who see slot machine symbols and think they’re getting a fair chance when they absolutely are not.”

More than 20 professional gaming organizations have joined the AGA and AGEM in opposition to the spread of unregulated gaming, including the National Indian Gaming Association, the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, the International Center for Responsible Gaming, the National Council on Problem Gambling, multiple state casino and tribal associations, and both of the leading independent gaming equipment test labs. View the full list here.

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SlotCatalog, the analytics provider of real-time industry slots popularity and performance today, revealed its ‘Level-Up’ project, which released new game sections and expanded data filters for its growing user base.

The Maltese based firm is committed to making its platform the go-to hub for data-driven games performance, management, and resource tools for casino managers looking to drive market insight across regulated operational consumer markets.

A company spokesperson said: “We’ve just returned from ICE London iGB Affiliate London and listened to many industry peers, clients, and more. Given the headwinds of regulatory scrutiny, executives are looking to data to potentially unlock market gaps as they develop an ongoing responsible gambling marketing strategy.

The Games section now included Top Ranked Games, by month, year and Megaways, and Progressive slots performance data. Our filters now include Market, Game Type, Brands, Release Date, RTP, Volatility, Max Exposure, Min & Max Bet, Game Features, Casino Quantity, and Layout for a deeper delve and interrogation into our expanding data archives.

We are always thriving to improve the user experience at SlotCatalog, and welcome industry feedback and requirements metrics for any informed decision making in the digital casino landscape for the operator, affiliate, and developer and likewise for the slots player, so do get in touch”.