It’s rare for a child to have grand ambitions of becoming a gambling industry executive. It’s not uncommon for people to end up in the gambling industry by accident before they become mainstays.
There aren’t too many people who have had a more interesting career path into the industry as Richard Taylor. Taylor, Senior Manager for Responsible Gambling in BetMGM was the latest guest on the Martin Lycka Safety Bet Show Hot Seat. He detailed his career as a Marine Corp to a gambling executive.
He served four years in the army, which he called “the most important and impactful four years of my entire life, outside of being a dad and husband”.
Taylor learned from his experience valuable lessons that helped him succeed in the corporate environment. He did, however, develop some bad habits that were more difficult to change.
The first Friday I worked at the law office, I began to empty all the trash cans in the building. “What are you doing?” asked the managing partner of the firm. I replied, “It’s Friday. We have to take out the trash and empty it.” He told me that there were staff in the facility that did that.
Taylor and Lycka moved on to people who inspired them in the gaming industry, and specifically responsible gaming. They both cited Alan Feldman as a key person in bringing them into the RG world.
Alan is my friend and mentor. He gave me the opportunity to learn about responsible gambling. He is a friend. He cares, he shows empathy, he has an interest in what other people are going through.
It certainly had a big impact on me, because much of what I knew about responsible gambling and most of what i know about the industry was shaped in some form or another by my interactions with Alan.
The conversation quickly turned to responsible gaming and the strategy BetMGM uses in its 27 regulated state locations to protect players. Taylor explained the importance of collaboration and communication between organizations in order to develop a RG strategy.
Taylor, who is a member of the AGA’s Responsible Gaming Board, knows this well and acknowledges that maintaining positive relationships with regulators, other stakeholders, and BetMGM helps it to remain compliant.
“It’s important to have a relationship with stakeholders and show them what we do in terms of Responsible Gambling. We can also share some of our best practices and help them understand the seriousness that BetMGM, as well as other operators, take this issue.
“I believe that what has helped us a lot over the last few years is to be able open our doors to show them how to do this. How we approach this subject, and, most importantly, how to take care of our clients.”
