Report highlights diversity in US gambling industry, 61% of employees minorities
A new report released by the American Gaming Association (AGA) shows that the gambling industry defeats current diversity benchmarks in the US.
The AGA compiled data from a total of 26 member organisations to create the study, comprised of eight manufacturers, 18 commercial and tribal operators.
Employees who agreed to participate were asked to complete a form that requested data on their ethnicity, gender and job classification.
The study found that 61% of all employees in the American gambling industry were minorities, which compares favourably to the 42% average of the general workforce.
In the gaming sector, 23% of employees were hispanic and 19% were African American, while 45% of gaming manufacturer employees were minorities.
The percentage of minorities in the operator sector is up 20% from 2011, totalling 60%.
Bill Miller, AGA President and CEO, said: “Consumers, policymakers and investors are raising their expectations for all businesses on how they contribute to society beyond the bottom line.
“Encompassing data from across commercial, tribal and manufacturing gaming verticals, the survey both highlights our industry’s leadership on diversity while presenting areas for continued progress.”
The report also found that 45% of first and mid-level management were minorities and 43% were professionals.
This ranks the gambling industry 10 points above national diversity benchmarks and 12 points above hospitality ones.
However, while the gambling workforce is 48% female, this amount decreases in senior management roles.
Milled added: “As today’s report shows, our industry has made impactful strides toward becoming more diverse, but there is more work to do.
“The AGA will use this research to engage our membership on how we can collectively advance DEI in gaming in the months and years to come.”
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