The American Gaming Association (AGA), a trade group representing the American casino industry, has responded positively to the recent October 25th hearing on online gambling. The AGA submitted testimony at the hearing which mirrors the testimony of Poker Players Alliance Chairman Alfonse D’Amato. They agree that the primary focus for online gambling legislation should be consumer protection, fairly run venues and responsible gaming initiatives.

While the AGA states that is does not currently support any specific online poker legislation or bill, they have declared that they believe it should be ultimately up to each individual state if they wish to allow legalized online gambling within their jurisdiction. This falls in line with the current state of affairs. Gambling is legal under US federal law, but individual states are free to regulate or prohibit it as they see fit. Native American tribes are also free to run gambling operations on reserve land, due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1987. That ruling enables tribes to be considered sovereign nations and exempt from state laws that restrict gambling.

The AGA was established in 1995 and is an important group which seeks to inform the government and general public regarding important gaming entertainment industry maters. They hope to guide policy makers and gain public approval to help maintain safe, fair and properly regulated gambling legislation. Social responsibility is high on their list and they are very strong advocates of responsible gaming.

The AGA collects and provides many types of data, which they make available to both the general public and government agencies. They collect statistics on many areas relating to the gaming industry such as revenues, consumer spending, employment, responsible gaming programs and more.