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.