ICRG News

2011 was a year of growth for the NCRG. We have many accomplishments to celebrate, from the launch of a first-of-its-kind online resource for college students and administrators to a redesigned website and new social media channels. Taking a cue from Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institutes of Mental Health, we decided to make a list of the NCRG’s top 11 accomplishments in 2011.

The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) today announced Alan M. Feldman, senior vice president of public affairs for MGM Resorts International, has been named the new chairman of the organization’s board of directors. Feldman replaces Glenn C. Christenson. Christenson, managing director of the investment firm Velstand Investments, LLC, who has served as chairman of the board of directors for three years and will remain on the board. The NCRG board also elected Mark Vander Linden, executive officer of the Office of Gambling Treatment and Prevention at the Iowa Department of Health, to join as a board member.

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.

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.

The NCRG is excited to announce the release of two publications: an updated version of Research & Resources: A Guide to Gambling Disorders and Responsible Gaming and the sixth volume of Increasing the Odds: A Series Dedicated to Understanding Gambling Disorders. We strive to provide useful resources, both published and available online, to be used by researchers, academicians, clinicians, gaming industry professionals, legislators and other non-profit organizations. These two resources are available online for you to download. You can also request printed copies by emailing Amy Martin, communications and outreach manager of the NCRG, at amartin@ncrg.org.

The 14^th annual Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW) was in full swing last week with casinos, manufacturers and other non-profit organizations are implementing creative ideas to educate their employees and patrons about the odds of casino games. To see some of the many activities that the RGEW participants did last week, you can view the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) press release, as well as their Facebook and Twitter feeds.

The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is partnering with the AGA to help provide resources to many other organizations and continue promoting responsible gaming efforts through this blog, as well as our Facebook and Twitter accounts. The NCRG caught up with Reece Middleton, executive director for the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling, to see how he is celebrating RGEW this year. The Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for and/or providing cost effective quality assistance for all individuals in the State of Louisiana who may be affected by gambling problems. 

The NCRG will be pulling into Boston, Mass. later today to begin the fifth annual Road Tour. Each year, the NCRG Road Tour travels to a new city to share information about the latest research on gambling disorders and make key stakeholders aware of the science-based programs and resources the NCRG has to offer. These meetings are great opportunities to form new partnerships and educate others on the most up-to-date information about gambling disorders and responsible gaming. Make sure you follow the NCRG on Twitter and Facebook for the latest update on Road Tour activities! We are also posting articles here on Gambling Disorders 360˚ later in the week to recap the meetings and workshops.

As a part of this year’s NCRG Road Tour to Boston, Mass., we want to bring together university administrators, campus mental health professionals, student leaders and those who work with college students on a daily basis for a consortium to discuss what national and local organizations are doing to address gambling and gambling-related harms on college campuses. Join us on July 26 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling offices at 190 High Street, Suite 5, in Boston, Mass. You can RSVP by July 19 to Amy Martin at amartin@ncrg.org or 202-552-2689.

For the NCRG, summertime brings a busy season of travel, exciting conferences and speaking engagements. This summer is no exception, and we want to make sure you know where we will be discussing research on gambling disorders and the latest in responsible gaming.