AGEM Board of Directors Actions – March 2019
- The AGEM Gaming Census covering North American slot, table and systems data supplied by operators starting December 2018 was recently shared with members. This latest report reflects the year-over-year improvements in the survey numbers and with 431,000 slots included, which represents the most comprehensive slot sampling in the industry’s history.
- AGEM’s recent initiative to make changes to the current regulations that prohibit slot machine or table gaming companies to show games or new innovations that don’t have lab approval at the annual Washington Indian Gaming Association-organized trade show had some success recently. The Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC) is working toward having everything resolved in time for this year’s show, set for June 17-19 at Tulalip Resort Casino in Marysville, Washington.
- AGEM’s Nevada workforce development effort to lower the age of gaming supplier employment and internships from 21 to 18 is moving forward as Assembly Bill 221, which has its hearing by the Assembly Judiciary Committee on March 13.
- AGEM members recently approved sponsorship of some forthcoming trade shows and events which included $15,000 for a reception at the Canadian Gaming Summit to be held June 18-20, Edmonton, Alberta; $5,000 to support the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) 38th annual International Gaming Summit, June 4-6, at Half Moon Bay, California; and $50,000 for a two-year title sponsorship of the AGEM-AGA Golf Classic Presented by JCM Global—this continues to be a key event for AGEM providing a fundraiser for the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG). Now in it’s 21st year, the event has raised almost $3 million in donations for this very worthy organization.
- The UK Dealer Championship 2019 organized by the National Casino Forum was recently held at Genting International Casino, Resorts World Birmingham. This year’s competition included 26 finalists from casinos all over the U.K. and saw Catalina Huzum of Les Ambassadeurs Club become the first female to hold the title, along with receiving a £2,000 cash prize. Both Huzum and first
Runner-up Chris Hall, from Crockford’s Casino London, now go forward to the European Dealer Championship, of which AGEM is a main sponsor, where they will represent the U.K. in Tallinn,
Estonia in late April.
- AGEM welcomed a new Associate member in March—Butler Snow LLP, a law firm serving the gaming industry from multiple states. This takes membership to an all-time high of 173 companies.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
- The Gaming Law Speaker Series will be held on February 21 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Thomas & Mack Moot Courtroom. The event is open to all AGEM members for free. Ex-Chairwoman Harris, among others, will speak.
- The annual Go Red For Women Luncheon in support of the American Heart Association will be held on February 22 at the Four Seasons, Las Vegas. AGEM is a proud sponsor of this very successful and well-run event, and will host a table of 10.
AGEM INDEX
The AGEM Index increased in February 2019 by 0.15 points to 463.73 points, a 0.03 percent gain from January 2019. The largest positive contributor to the AGEM Index in February 2019 was Scientific Games Corporation (SGMS), which added 6.47 points due in large part to a 15.96 percent increase in stock price. International Game Technology Plc. (IGT) experienced a 5.44 percent stock price gain from $16.36 to $17.25, which led to an index contribution of 2.91 points. Overall, most AGEM Index companies reported good results in stock price performance during the month, with nine trending positively and five moving negatively. The monthly performance of the AGEM Index was reflected in the major stock indices, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 increased by 3.7 percent and 3.0 percent, respectively, while the NASDAQ grew by 3.4 percent.
