AGA: US Gaming Sector Leads in Workforce Diversity

The national trade group representing the US casino industry, the American Gaming Association (AGA), released a new report that sought to determine the diversity within the gaming sector. Data regarding the new in-depth examination of the US gaming industry reaffirmed that it is more diverse than the larger hospitality sector and the US workforce. This latest data reaffirmed the efforts of gaming companies in the country toward a more diverse workforce.

According to AGA’s president and CEO, Bill Miller, the new study underlines the success of the gambling sector in diversifying its workforce. The president and CEO acknowledged that gaming companies need to dedicate further efforts in that field, but at the same time, acknowledged the progress achieved in the last decade. Finally, Miller said: “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.”

“As today’s report shows, our industry has made impactful strides toward becoming more diverse, but there is more work to do.“

Bill Miller, CEO and president of the American Gaming Association

The Gaming Industry Hires More Minority Employees

The new study uncovered that the gaming industry has more employees from minorities when compared to other sectors. For example, AGA said that minorities within the total US workforce are at 42% and 52% within the broader hospitality sector. In contrast, that percentage increases to 62% within the gaming sector, reaffirming that there are more minority employees.

Some 19% of the gaming employees are Black, while 23% are Hispanic. Those results are higher when compared to the hospitality industry and the national workforce. Moreover, Asian employees have a significant presence within the gaming sector with 14%, which is double the national workforce, says the new report.

Additionally, the new report revealed that over the last decade, the workforce racial diversity within the gaming sector has seen an increase. For example, back in 2011, some 20% of the operator employees were minorities, while the share of workers who are Black was only 12%.

“Importantly, across job levels, gaming’s leadership pipeline is significantly more diverse than national averages at the first/mid-level manager and professional levels: 45 percent of first/mid-level managers are minorities while 43 percent of professionals are minorities, both 10 to 12 points above national and hospitality benchmarks,” explained AGA’s recent report.

Last but not least, the new study confirmed that manufacturers within the gaming vertical have a more diverse workforce when compared to other electronic manufacturers. Some 45% of the employees of gaming manufacturers are from minorities, compared to 38% of employees within other electronic manufacturers.