The casino gaming industry supports 350,000 small business jobs in the US and thousands of them are in New York, the American Gaming Association announced at Rivers Casino and Resort Schenectady during the American Gaming Small Business Jobs Tour.
The event is part of AGA’s “Get to Know Gaming” tour, which aims to educate communities about gaming’s role as a community partner in 40 states across the country.
“Casino gaming is a strong community partner in New York and across the country where hundreds of thousands of small business jobs are supported,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of AGA. “We are particularly proud of our support for minority and women-owned businesses and the unique opportunities that our industry makes possible.”
“Rivers Casino has fast become an important part of our community,” said Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy. “Not only does the casino provide jobs, but the entire facility enhances the hard work we’ve put in to making downtown Schenectady a fun place to be and a great place to do business.”
Earlier this year the AGA released a report, the Gaming Industry’s Impact on Small Business Development in the United States, that examined nearly a dozen US gaming markets and assessed casino gaming’s direct and indirect impact on local, small businesses.
Researchers from Spectrum Gaming Group concluded that gaming’s widespread impact is felt in markets across the country, but has larger impacts in small to mid-sized communities where local businesses work to integrate into gaming operations.
In addition, $52bn in annual small business revenues go toward real estate, finance, health care, STEM, manufacturing, information technology and other industries.
According to the AGA’s State of the States 2017 report, due out later this year, New York casinos saw an increase in both gaming revenues (3.4 per cent) and direct gaming tax receipts (3.3 per cent) in 2016. Overall, eight of New York’s nine racetrack casinos reported revenue increases for the year.
