The rapid growth of legalized gambling, both domestic and international, has been responsible for the number of organizations being formed in recent years to analyze, teach, manage, and research many areas of the gaming industry and to train personnel to work in the industry. There is a great need for understanding and planning when evidence of social, economic, and political effects is seen as a result of gambling. The associations and institutes presented in this entry vary in purpose and size, but all of them have the common objective of managing information related to the gaming industry.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, International Gaming Institute
The International Gaming Institute (IGI) is part of the College of Hotel Administration located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The institute was started in 1993 to provide executive development programs, seminars, training, classes, and conferences for the gaming industry and for gaming regulators. The IGI utilizes experts in gaming and hospitality industries to provide a unique learning environment in its casino lab and support facilities as well as in Las Vegas casino/resorts and gaming-related businesses. The institute has five centers: Gaming Regulation Center, Publication and Information Center, Hospitality Research and Development Center, Gaming Management and Development Center, and the International Gaming Technologies (IGT) Gaming Resource Center.
Gaming Regulation Center
The purpose for the Gaming Regulation Center at IGI is to create a venue where gaming regulators can meet to discuss topics on public policy and the regulation of gaming. The center conducts seminars on law enforcement for gaming regulators, background and licensing investigation procedures, casino auditing, surveillance, and financial issues relating to casinos.
Publication and Information Center
The IGI has authored or sponsored several publications relating to the casino industry, and these are made available through the Institute’s Publication and Information Center. One objective of the IGI is to conduct research for the gaming industry, and toward this end, the IGI publishes a biannual academic journal, the Gaming Research and Review Journal. This professional journal is dedicated entirely to research and management of gaming operations, and it is designed to benefit gaming operators, industry consultants and researchers, government policymakers, and regulators.
Hospitality Research and Development Center
The Hospitality and Development Center (HRDC) is part of the University’s College of Hotel Administration, a situation that allows the HRDC to draw upon the experience of faculty members who are experts in the hospitality industry. HRDC provides nongaming educational seminars and workshops, customized executive programs, market research and customer surveys, expert witness testimony, and sessions on time management and team building.
Gaming Management and Development Center
The Gaming Management and Development Center designs, coordinates, and markets seminars as well as contracting conferences, seminars, and symposia for the gaming and casino industry. Seminar topics include table game management, mathematics of table games, slot volatility, game protection, casino marketing, analysis of customer game participation, rebates on losses, gaming financial issues, managing human resources in the gaming industry, several general management and leadership issues, and customer service. The center also offers a fast-track, rigorous Gaming Management Certificate Program, which focuses on several key areas of casino management.
The International Gaming Technologies Gaming Resource Center
The IGT Gaming Resource Center offers reference and referral services for researchers, businesspeople, and students. Referrals for questions beyond the resources of the center sometimes lead to gaming professors, government agencies, gaming organizations, and gaming resources in other libraries. The core of the IGT Gaming Resource Center is the Gary Royer Gaming Collection, an extensive compilation of documents and information relating to gaming.