More Research Needed On Problem Gambling
Published: Thursday, December 08, 2005 Online-Casinos.com
MORE RESEARCH NEEDED ON PROBLEM GAMBLING
"In the past we haven't had good research," says responsible gambling
official
Christine Reilly, executive director of the National Center for Responsible
Gaming appealed to delegates at a responsible gambling conference this week
to be guided by science in future research into problem gambling.
Speaking at a conference at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Reilly said that as
research into problem gambling increases, more scientific data is becoming readily
available to health professionals, offering a better understanding of what drives
a person to wager beyond their means and how best to treat the addiction.
"In the past, we haven't had good research, but that has changed," Reilly
said. "We hope this idea shapes the whole conference going forward and that
what we find from our research become practices guided by science."
The two-day program, the sixth conference for the centre, featured discussions
on the role of personal choice in addiction, advances in drug treatments for pathological
gambling, the challenges of executing self-exclusion programs and the concept
of creating "safe" gambling machines.
"We don't know if self-exclusion programs really work," Reilly said.
"The research is becoming available to help us understand this aspect."
The National Center for Responsible Gaming was established in 1996 and is funded
primarily by the gaming industry and related businesses, which have contributed
more than $15 million. The center has funded more than $12 million in support
of research on gambling disorders.
The conference addressed the "Reno Model," a position paper authored
by three researchers that describes public health issues associated with problem
gambling. The authors believe responsible gaming initiatives must reduce or eliminate
the potential harms associated with gambling while also maximising the activity's
potential benefits.
"We believe all parties, even the anti-gambling organisations must participate
in the discussion," Reilly said.
U.S. Sen. George McGovern gave the keynore address at the conference, saying:
"The ongoing challenge of promoting responsible gaming is developing a strategy
that prevents and reduces gambling-related harm while respecting the rights of
individuals who safely engage in recreational gambling,"
This year, Nevada established an advisory committee on problem gambling that will
decide how to distribute $2.5 million raised through a special slot-machine tax.
The money will go to organisations specialising in compulsive gaming treatment,
education, prevention or research.
