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Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

American Gaming Association

68 Million Americans to Wager on March Madness

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Growth of Legal Market Driving Tournament Betting

A quarter of all American adults (68 million) plan to wager $15.5 billion on this year’s NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, according to a new survey from the American Gaming Association (AGA).

31 million American adults plan to place a traditional sports wager online, at a retail sportsbook, or with a bookie.
* 21.5 million plan to bet casually with friends.
* 56.3 million plan to participate in a bracket contest.

“March Madness is one of the best traditions in American sports and America’s most wagered-on competition,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “Critically, the expansion of regulated sports betting over the past five years has brought safeguards to more than half of American adults who can now bet legally in their home market.”

The growth in March Madness betting is driven by a resurgence of bracket contests as well as Americans taking advantage of the expansion of legal online wagering. Three-fourths of online bettors say this will be their first time betting on March Madness online.

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While 18 million more American adults plan to wager on March Madness compared to last month’s Super Bowl, Americans are expected to wager half a billion dollars less on the tournament than they planned to wager on the Big Game.

Since last year’s tournament, Kansas, Massachusetts and Ohio have launched retail and mobile sports betting markets, while Maryland has launched mobile wagering. This year’s March Madness, with 67 games over three weeks, will be the first to feature Las Vegas as a regional host location.

“With the excitement around March Madness, the AGA and our members want to remind anyone getting in on the action to have a game plan to bet responsibly. That means setting a budget, knowing the odds, keeping it social and always playing legally,” added Miller.

Among bettors, Kentucky is the most popular choice to win the national title (9%) followed by Texas A&M (8%) and Gonzaga, UCLA and Alabama (6%).

Background
33 states and Washington, DC currently feature live, legal sports betting markets, with three additional legal markets awaiting launch. More than half of American adults (57%, 146 million) live in a live, legal sports betting market. AGA’s Have A Game Plan Bet Responsibly campaign is bringing sports betting stakeholders together to promote responsible gaming.

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Methodology
Morning Consult conducted the online survey on behalf of the AGA between March 1 to 3 among a national sample of 2,200 adults. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment and region. The margin of error is +/- 2 percent and greater among sub-groups. Bettors include those who expect to place a bet online, with a bookie, with a casino sportsbook, casually with family or friends or as part of a bracket contest.

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AGA

Commercial Gaming Revenue Growth Continues in Q3 2024, Driving Industry’s 15th Consecutive Quarter of Growth

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U.S. commercial gaming revenue reached $17.71 billion in Q3 2024, the industry’s highest-grossing Q3 on record, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. This makes Q3 2024 the industry’s 15th consecutive quarter of annual revenue growth, with September marking the 43rd straight month of rising year-over-year commercial gaming revenue.

Through the first nine months of the year, nationwide commercial gaming revenue stands at $53.24 billion, pacing 8.0 percent ahead of 2023 and putting the industry on track for a fourth straight record revenue year.

In Q3 2024, 29 of the 35 commercial gaming jurisdictions operational last year saw increased year-over-year revenue. This growth resulted in an 8.9 percent year-over-year increase in state and local taxes tied directly to gaming revenue, with commercial gaming operators contributing $3.79 billion in taxes across the quarter.

Quarterly revenue from land-based gaming – encompassing casino slots, table games and retail sports betting – totaled $12.56 billion, 0.62 percent lower than Q3 2023. Meanwhile, combined revenue from online sports betting and iGaming totaled $5.14 billion in Q3 2024 as online gaming made up 29.0 percent of commercial gaming revenue, a significantly higher share than in Q3 2023.

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Looking at each sector in Q3 2024:

  • Traditional Gaming: Traditional brick-and-mortar casino gaming generated quarterly revenue of $12.38 billion, a contraction of 0.9 percent year-over-year.
  • Legal Sports Betting: Americans legally wagered $30.3 billion on sports, generating $3.24 billion in quarterly revenue (+42.4% YoY). Recent market launches in Kentucky, Maine, North Carolina and Vermont contributed to this growth.
  • iGaming: iGaming generated $2.08 billion in revenue, marking a 30.3 percent year-over-year increase.

“Q3 2024 continued gaming’s momentum from the first half of the year, with online casino and sports betting driving strong growth. At the same time, new brick-and-mortar casino openings bolstered traditional gaming, which still accounts for the bulk of industry revenue,” said AGA Vice President of Research David Forman. “More than a quarter of commercial revenue now regularly comes from online sources, raising the importance of continued sustainable growth with consumers in those states.”

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American Gaming Association

AGA Statement on Introduction of SAFE Bet Act

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American Gaming Association Senior Vice President of Government Relations Chris Cylke issued the following statement in response to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-20) introducing the SAFE Bet act, which would implement a “nationwide prohibition” on sports betting:

“Today’s regulated sports wagering operators are contributing billions in state taxes across the U.S., protecting consumers from dangerous neighborhood bookies and illegal offshore websites, and working diligently with over 5,000 state and tribal regulators and other stakeholders to ensure a commitment to responsibility and positive play. Six years into legal sports betting, introducing heavy-handed federal prohibitions is a slap in the face to state legislatures and gaming regulators who have dedicated countless time and resources to developing thoughtful frameworks unique to their jurisdictions, and have continued to iterate as their marketplaces evolve.”

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American Gaming Association

MGM Resorts & BetMGM to Increase Responsible Gaming Messaging at NFL Stadiums During Upcoming Season

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MGM Resorts International and BetMGM announced that they are once again partnering with the American Gaming Association (AGA) to promote Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM 2024) in September. The two companies will execute their responsible gaming campaign at designated National Football League (NFL) stadiums for the second year, with increased exposure for GameSense. GameSense is an industry-leading responsible gaming program first developed and licensed to MGM Resorts in 2017 by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC). The program focuses on positive, transparent, and proactive engagements with guests and customers about how to gamble responsibly. With this development, GameSense marketing will appear more often and in more prominent venue locations during each game.

GameSense messaging will be promoted at the following stadiums:

• Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers)
• Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas Raiders)
• Empower Field at Mile High (Denver Broncos)
• Ford Field (Detroit Lions)
• GHEA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs)
• M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens)
• MetLife Stadium (New York Jets)
• Nissan Stadium (Tennessee Titans)
• State Farm Stadium (Arizona Cardinals)

In 2023, MGM Resorts and BetMGM were among the first gaming operators to promote responsible gaming through marketing within League stadiums.

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“We’re excited to bring responsible gaming initiatives directly to fans in these NFL venues again this season. We are setting a new standard for safety and awareness in the industry. At BetMGM, we believe that protecting our players and promoting responsible play is essential to the future of sports betting,” Rhea Loney, Chief Compliance Officer at BetMGM, said.

BetMGM will also add to its catalog of advertisements in the coming months that highlight its comprehensive responsible gaming resources. The spots will feature brand ambassadors sharing engaging messaging, similar to its highly regarded responsible gaming commercial featuring NHL MVP Connor McDavid.

Also, coinciding with RGEM 2024, MGM Resorts is announcing a $440,000 contribution to fund responsible gaming research through the International Center for Responsible Gaming and Kindbridge Research Institute. These studies aim to advance industry best practices and fill significant research gaps on under-studied populations, including women military Veterans.

Stephen Martino, SVP and Chief Compliance Officer at MGM Resorts, said: “The importance of responsible gaming research funding cannot be overstated. As a gaming industry leader, it’s imperative that our company supports efforts to better understand the diverse impact gambling has on various populations, including those that may be at greater risk of developing problematic behaviors.”

Throughout RGEM 2024, MGM Resorts and BetMGM will continue to conduct extensive training to raise employee awareness of responsible gaming. Recently, MGM Resorts’ GameSense Advisor Program certified more than 500 customer-facing employees, equipping them with the skills and confidence to educate customers about casino games and empower them to make informed decisions. BetMGM will also deploy extensive employee training, including additional education for its VIP Staff, while advancing responsible gaming through lived experiences with its EPIC Global Solutions partnership.

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Additionally in September, new GameSense messaging will be displayed prominently on table games throughout MGM Resorts’ properties nationwide. Similar messaging will continue to be featured on all slot machines, 8000 of which include QR codes offering access to responsible gaming information and educational materials from GameSense. Responsible gaming tips will also appear on MGM Resorts’ Las Vegas marquees and on more than 35,000 screens across the company’s portfolio. BetMGM will release improved responsible gaming tools within its platform as well. These tools are designed to help players manage their budgets, stay within their limits, and promote a responsible and sustainable entertainment experience.

MGM Resorts and BetMGM continue their partnership with the AGA’s “Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly.” public service campaign to educate new and seasoned bettors on responsible sports wagering. The campaign aims to protect customers and reinforces the use of regulated markets, which prioritizes player protection and safeguards.

Joe Maloney, SVP of Strategic Communications at American Gaming Association, said: “Collaboration is integral to strengthening our collective responsibility efforts. Both in their work with the AGA and throughout the legal, regulated gaming industry, MGM Resorts and BetMGM continue to be leaders in forming innovative partnerships that are advancing responsible gaming in meaningful ways.”

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