Caesars Turns Pennies Into $200,000 Gift to Advance Responsible Gaming

The Caesars Foundation, which is the philanthropic branch of Caesars Entertainment, has recently donated $200K to the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG). 

The ICRG, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit, was established in 1996 to enhance funding for gambling research aimed at understanding how specific individuals develop gambling disorders and addictions. Since its establishment, the ICRG asserts that it has resulted in over 400 academic articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has been essential in mitigating gaming-related harms. 

The Caesars Foundation donated $180K to the ICRG last week for “competitive research grants” aimed at exploring the biological and psychological aspects of gambling. The funds will be utilized to further examine treatment innovations, public health communications, and the effects of gambling-related policies. 

Caesars contributed $20K to the ICRG to organize its 26th Annual ICRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction on October 5-6 at The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas. 

“This generous commitment from Caesars Foundation underscores their ongoing leadership in corporate responsibility and dedication to advancing the science of responsible gambling,” said ICRG President Arthur Paikowsky. “Together, we are helping ensure that policies, treatment options, and prevention strategies are rooted in rigorous and independent scientific evidence.” 

ICRG ‘Barrier’ 

Given that the ICRG mainly relies on funding from businesses involved in the gambling sector, like Caesars, the organization established a firewall intended to shield the nonprofits' research and grants from donor influence. The funding initiatives of the ICRG need the approval of its Scientific Advisory Board, which consists of independent experts in addiction and mental health. 

Neither the ICRG governing board nor the donors have a say in which research proposals receive funding. 

The Caesars Foundation is a private entity fully financed by Caesars Entertainment. A significant part of the company's yearly donation to the Foundation originates from customers through the Caesars Makes Change initiative. 

Caesars Makes Change operates in the majority of casinos managed by Caesars. The program enables players to contribute their ticket-in, ticket-out (TITO) vouchers rather than exchanging them for their cash value. The program attracts slots players who toss tens of thousands of vouchers annually into the containers, most valued at under a dollar. 

In the fiscal year 2024, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) reported that players discarded $24.4 million. Just a reminder, in most gaming jurisdictions, it is against the law to keep a found gaming voucher that isn’t yours. 

Caesars Foundation Key Focus Areas 

The Caesars Foundation focuses on multiple pillars for funding, including social equity and education, climate change and food security, as well as responsible gaming and mental health. 

Since its establishment in 2002, the Caesars Foundation has donated over $80 million. Key supporters consist of the National Park Trust, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Clean the World, Meals on Wheels, and Second Wind Dreams. 

Caesars’ philanthropic division is overseen by a board of directors led by Anthony Carano, who serves as president and COO at Caesars and is the grandson of Don Carano, founder of Eldorado Resorts. The board also features Katie Carano-Miller, a granddaughter of the family patriarch and the senior vice president of communications and government relations at Caesars. Carano passed away in 2017 at the age of 85.