LAS VEGAS, March 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and BetMGM today announced a unified commitment to responsible gaming and to providing the tools needed to help players make responsible, informed decisions while playing. This comes as MGM Resorts and BetMGM join the National Council on Problem Gambling in promoting Problem Gambling Awareness Month throughout March.
With sports betting and iGaming rapidly expanding access and growing in popularity across the United States, BetMGM is prioritizing responsible gaming by integrating education and outreach into the player experience and through customer service. As part of a new joint-initiative, BetMGM and MGM Resorts' employees will participate in a weekly educational series provided by EPIC Risk designed to provide employees with unique and diverse perspectives on problem gambling and insight into how operators can play an important role in problem gambling prevention.
"We're committed to providing BetMGM employees with the responsible gambling tools, information, and empowerment they need to ensure the highest level of customer service and care possible," said Richard Taylor, Responsible Gambling Program Manager, BetMGM. "Throughout the month they'll hear from experts about the nature of problem gambling, the importance of research and policy, and the role they can play in preventing problem gambling. We're pleased to collaborate on this critical initiative."
BetMGM is also promoting the Eighth Annual Gambling Disorder Screening Day, led by Harvard Medical School faculty at the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance. The event provides resources including an online screening toolkit to enable individuals to identify if they may be exhibiting behaviors associated with increased risk of harm. Additionally, BetMGM will be adding further responsible gaming resources and tools within the BetMGM app.
MGM Resorts is an established leader in responsible gaming with its award-winning program GameSense, which is integrated into its casinos and sportsbooks nationwide. Developed and licensed by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) in 2017, GameSense transformed the industry's approach to responsible gaming by incorporating education and outreach into MGM Resorts' industry-leading customer service model. Whether it's through personal interactions with trained staff, touch screens or programs built into player interfaces, GameSense promotes responsible gaming education through positive, proactive interactions with players to give them the tools to keep gaming fun and responsible. The program has earned recognition multiple times from the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Stephen Martino, SVP & Chief Compliance Officer, MGM Resorts, said, "MGM Resorts has a long and storied history of supporting responsible gaming efforts and we are proud to support the NCPG's efforts in addressing problem gambling. Our team members stand ready to assist guests in to helping them understand the risks, where to get help, and ultimately, how to make sure that gambling remains fun."
These efforts are taking place as BetMGM and MGM Resorts prepare for an influx of visitors to retail sportsbooks and digital properties during March's college basketball tournament. As BetMGM continues to expand into new states, responsible gaming education remains a key focus.
ABOUT MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences through its suite of Las Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses 29 unique hotel and destination gaming offerings in the United States and Macau, including some of the most recognizable resort brands in the industry such as Bellagio, MGM Grand, ARIA and Park MGM. The Company's 50/50 venture, BetMGM, LLC, offers U.S. sports betting and online gaming through market-leading brands, including BetMGM and partypoker. The Company is currently pursuing targeted expansion in Asia through the integrated resort opportunity in Japan. Through its "Focused on What Matters: Embracing Humanity and Protecting the Planet" initiative, MGM Resorts commits to creating a more sustainable future, while striving to make a bigger difference in the lives of its employees, guests, and in the communities where it operates. The global employees of MGM Resorts are proud of their company for being recognized as one of FORTUNE® Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies®. For more information, please visit us at www.mgmresorts.com. Please also connect with us @MGMResortsIntl on Twitter as well as Facebook and Instagram.
About BetMGM
BetMGM is a market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Entain Plc (LSE: ENT), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM's U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain's US-licensed, state of the art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. For more information, visit www.betmgminc.com.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON PROBLEM GAMBLING
Based in Washington DC, the National Council on Problem Gambling is the only national nonprofit organization that seeks to minimize the economic and social costs associated with gambling addiction by working with constituents in all facets of gambling. If gambling becomes a problem, NCPG urges people who gamble, as well as their loved ones, to contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline, which offers hope and help without judgment or shame. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-522-4700 or visit www.ncpgambling.org/chat. Help is available 24/7 – it is free and confidential.
Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking" statements and "safe harbor statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and/or uncertainties, including those described in MGM Resorts' public filings with the SEC. MGM Resorts has based forward-looking statements on management's current expectations and assumptions and not on historical facts. Examples of these statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the pace of expansion of sports betting and iGaming. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements include effects of economic conditions and market conditions in the markets in which MGM Resorts operates and competition with other destination travel locations throughout the United States and the world, the design, timing and costs of expansion projects, risks relating to international operations, permits, licenses, financings, approvals and other contingencies in connection with growth in new or existing jurisdictions and additional risks and uncertainties described in MGM Resorts' Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports (including all amendments to those reports). In providing forward-looking statements, MGM Resorts is not undertaking any duty or obligation to update these statements publicly as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. If MGM Resorts updates one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those other forward-looking statements.
Media Contacts
MGM Resorts
Marc Jacobson
media@mgmresorts.com
BetMGM
Elisa Richardson
press@betmgm.com
National Council on Problem Gambling
John Norton
Communications Manager
JohnN@ncpgambling.org
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