Milestones
The timeline below offers a look at some of the ICRG's major accomplishments since it was founded in 1996.
At-A-Glance Timeline
1996: Members of the gaming industry establish the NCRG, the first organization devoted exclusively to funding independent peer-reviewed research on pathological and youth gambling and educating the public about problem gambling.
1997: The NCRG awards its first grant to Howard Shaffer, Ph.D., at Harvard University, whose resulting meta-analysis provides the first reliable statistic on the rate of gambling disorders in the U.S. and Canada. The report indicates between 1.14 and 1.60 percent of the adult population are pathological gamblers, a figure still widely published today.
1998: Representatives from the NCRG testify at hearings conducted by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC), and 10 investigators working on NCRG-funded research projects are invited to present their findings to a National Research Council panel formed by the NGISC. The testimony leads the NGISC to note in its final report that “perhaps surprising to some, the largest source of funding for research on problem and pathological gambling is the commercial casino industry.”
1999: The NCRG holds its first annual Conference on Gambling and Addiction. Today, the conference brings together leading experts from around the globe to discuss the latest advances in research on addiction and gambling disorder with clinicians, industry leaders, policy officials and treatment providers.
JCM American Corporation and the American Gaming Association co-sponsor the inaugural JCM-AGA Golf Classic benefiting the NCRG. Since 1999, the tournament (now the AGEM-AGA Golf Classic) has raised more than one million dollars for the NCRG.
2000: The NCRG shifts evaluation and funding of gambling research grants to the Division on Addiction at Harvard Medical School by awarding a $2.4 million contract to establish the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders.
2001: Responsible Gaming Quarterly, a joint publication of the NCRG and the American Gaming Association, debuts. The publication highlights initiatives throughout the industry, government, academia and the treatment community to address disordered gambling.
2002: The NCRG launches the annual Scientific Achievement Awards program to formally honor those individuals who have made exceptional scientific contributions to the field of gambling research. The late Robert Custer, M.D., and Nancy Petry, Ph.D., are honored with the Career Achievement and Young Investigator Awards, respectively, at the inaugural ceremony.
2003: The Fourth Annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction is expanded to offer a separate track providing a practical agenda for a government and industry audience in addition to its ongoing program for the academic and treatment community.
2004: Drs. Howard Shaffer, Alex Blaszcynski and Robert Ladouceur publish “A Science-Based Framework for Responsible Gaming: The Reno Model,” in the Journal of Gambling Studies. This paper outlines a strategic framework to help minimize the negative impact of gambling addiction.
2005: As part of its expanded public education mission, the NCRG officially becomes the American Gaming Association’s affiliated charity. While remaining committed to funding scientific research in the field of pathological gaming, the new structure can expand the positive impact of this vital research within casino communities nationwide.
2006: The Institute begins to translate its core curriculum on gambling disorders and responsible gaming into an interactive science-based training program, customizable for every level of casino employee, called EMERGE—Executive, Management & Employee Responsible Gaming Education.
The NCRG moves its annual conference to coincide with Global Gaming Expo (G2E) to heighten interaction between industry leaders, researchers and clinicians in order to generate a more lively exchange of ideas within the field of gambling research.
2007: The NCRG receives more than $7.6 million in new commitments from the casino gaming industry, equipment manufacturers, vendors and others to continue funding groundbreaking research into gambling disorders. This brings total funds committed—since NCRG’s founding in 1996—to more than $22 million.
2008: The NCRG publishes “Talking with Children about Gambling,” a research-based guide designed to help parents and others who work with youth deter children from gambling and recognize possible warning signs of gambling problems and other risky behaviors.
2009: The NCRG creates the NCRG Centers of Excellence in Gambling Research to support new seminal research on gambling disorders.
The NCRG-funded Task Force on College Gambling Policies releases its “Call to Action” report, detailing 10 recommendations for creating science-based policies and programs to address gambling on campus.
2010: The NCRG launches the NCRG Webinar Series, online educational programs offered year-round.
2011: The NCRG launches CollegeGambling.org to help colleges and universities address gambling and gambling-related harms on campus. The first site of its kind, CollegeGambling.org brings together the latest research and best practices in responsible gaming and the field of addiction awareness and prevention to provide a substantive and versatile resource that will help schools and their students address this issue in the way best suited to the school.
2012: NCRG distributes the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen (BBGS) in magnet form to 20,000 addiction professionals across the nation.
NCRG launches the Gambling and Health Series with the publication of Gambling and Health in the Workplace: A Research-based Guide about Gambling Disorders for Human Resources and Employee Assistance Professionals.
2013: The American Psychiatric Association unveils the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) that presents significant changes in the diagnostic code for gambling disorder—changes prompted in part by neuroscience research funded by NCRG.
NCRG embarks on an education campaign to help treatment providers and the public understand the changes in DSM-5 through a white paper, webinars, the annual conference, and social media.
NCRG launches The Discovery Project on ncrg.org. This easy-to-use resource provides instant access to peer-reviewed scientific research on gambling disorder and youth gambling.
2014: The NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction celebrates its 15th anniversary.
NCRG Board of Directors embarks on a strategic planning process to deal with the changing environment.
The first online gambling intervention for college students, BetOnU, is made available to students nationwide on NCRG’s website, CollegeGambling.org.
NCRG participates in National Screening Day by distributing thousands of BBGS magnets.
2015: The NCRG teams up with the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) to present NCRG@IAGA, a one-day conference in Vancouver.
The number of NCRG-funded articles in peer-reviewed journals breaks 300.
2016: The NCRG appoints Dr. Russell Sanna as Executive Director.
2019: The Conference on Gambling and Addiction celebrates its 20th anniversary.
The number of NCRG-funded articles in peer-reviewed journals breaks 400.
2020: The NCRG changes its name to the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG).
2021: ICRG Executive Director, Russell Sanna, retires.
The ICRG Board of Directors appoints Arthur Paikowsky as president of the organization
The ICRG awards the first grant funded by the Sports Wagering Research Fund.
