Exploring the latest news, issues and research relating to gambling disorders and responsible gaming
Can’t make it to the 12th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction that starts today? Keep up with all the breaking news from the event by subscribing to Gambling Disorders 360° for daily updates, on-site reporting about the sessions and audio posts from leading researchers and industry representatives.
Responsible gaming programs typically advise gamblers to set a budget for time and money spent gambling and other self-management techniques designed to avoid problems with gambling. Research is now beginning to examine the types of strategies used by recreational gamblers and people with gambling problems. A new study from Australia demonstrates this trend (Moore et al., 2011).
Click below for the NCRG blog team’s exclusive interview with Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Longevity Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior. Nathan Smith, program officer for the NCRG, sat down with Dr. Small to discuss how technology affects brain development, the differences between digital immigrants and digital natives, and his book, iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind.
The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) announced today that Mark S. Gold, M.D., and David Takeuchi, Ph.D., have joined the NCRG Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). These two distinguished researchers and professors will help to enhance the Scientific Advisory Board’s ability to ensure that the NCRG follows rigorous standards in awarding grants, monitor the work of the NCRG Centers of Excellence in Gambling Research and advise the NCRG on funding initiatives and educational activities. The NCRG is the only national organization devoted to funding peer-reviewed research on gambling disorders and creating public education initiatives to help increase the understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective treatment methods of gambling disorders and youth gambling.
What is the impact of Internet gambling and video games on young people? Are the rates of gambling and problem gambling in this population remaining stable or changing? Researchers Randy Stinchfield, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, and Marc Potenza, M.D., Ph.D., Yale University, will discuss this topic at the 12th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction. Their session on Monday, October 3 is titled “What the Research Shows: The Latest on Teen Gambling” and will report on the latest research on youth gambling.
Regarding youth gambling, results from the Minnesota Student Survey suggest that the rates of youth gambling have declined from 1992 to 2007. According to Dr. Stinchfield’s (2011) study published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, an analysis of this survey suggests a decline in gambling behaviors among ninth and 12th grade Minnesota public, charter and tribal school students. In an interview with the NCRG earlier this year, Dr. Stinchfield offered explanations for some of his findings.
As children across the country start back to school this fall, the NCRG is partnering with Young Minds Inspired (YMI) to create a new educational program titled “Know the Odds.” This resource will be used to encourage teachers and parents to help students understand the warning signs of problem gambling and the facts about underage gambling. The program was developed based on the NCRG’s brochure “Talking with Children about Gambling” and will be distributed to middle and high school students in 418 schools as they begin the school year.
There is less than a week left to receive the early bird registration rate for the NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction! Register by September 12 to receive the low registration rate of $295 and join leaders in the healthcare sector, gaming industry, government and academia at this year’s event. You can register online or print and fax your registration form with payment. There is also a discount on the pre-conference workshops with Dr. Jon Grant and Dr. David Hodgins when you register by the early bird deadline.
Is it possible for gaming floor employees to tell the difference between their patrons who gamble responsibly and those who have a gambling disorder? A recently published Australian study that was featured in the August 10 edition of The WAGER observed that while there are visible indicators of gambling problems (e.g. gambling for long periods of time, using ATMs, placing high risk bets and avoiding social contact), gaming venue staff are not very accurate in their estimation of who has a gambling problem and who does not (Delfabbro, Osborn, Nevile, Skelt, & McMillen, 2007; Schellinck & Schrans, 2004 and Delfabbro, Borgas, & King, 2011). Visible indicators (e.g. gambling for long periods of time, using ATMs, placing high risk bets and avoiding social contact) may not be the most reliable form of identifying problematic gambling behavior (Delfabbro, Osborn, Nevile, Skelt, & McMillen, 2007; Schellinck & Schrans, 2004). Future research is needed to lead to better employee training that will help identify problematic gambling.
Connect with the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) for the latest news on gambling disorders and responsible gaming.
