Responsible Gaming

The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown has had many effects on society and various industries including the gambling industry.  Many commercial gambling establishments were forced to close, while online venues continued to operate.

Gambling play management systems are preventative tools used to keep patrons within set budget limits.  PlayMyWay is the first used within a casino setting with the US, described as “innovative budgeting tool designed to allow customers the ability to monitor the amount of money they spend on electronic gaming machines, and to inform their decision to continue or stop play” (Tom et al., 2017).

This year’s Gambling Disorder Screening Day is Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Sponsored by the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, the event offers free resources to make hosting Screening Day easier than ever. Any provider or organization can host. Registration is not required to use these free resources. To learn more about the Toolkit and how to navigate it, visit www.divisiononaddiction.org.

The gaming industry broke all previous fundraising records at the 19th annual AGEM/AGA Golf Classic Presented by JCM Global, bringing in an astounding $155,000. Proceeds directly benefit research conducted by the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG). To date, the Golf Classic has raised more than $1.7 million to advance the NCRG’s important research.

“We are thrilled that the golf classic broke all records this year. The money will help NCRG find effective treatment for gambling disorder,” said NCRG executive director Russell Sanna.

Gambling Disorder Screening Day (Screening Day) is a one-day event held annually on the second Tuesday of March during Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Established in 2014 by the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance, Screening Day has included supporters and screeners from Cambridge Health Alliance, Massachusetts and New England, the United States, and around the world. Screening Day has helped identify individuals in those regions who might have Gambling Disorder and should seek further assessment.

The NCRG has made it a priority to disseminate research findings on gambling disorder and responsible gaming beyond academia. We are especially committed to ensuring that credible scientific research informs gaming regulations designed to reduce gambling-related harms. Toward this goal, the NCRG has teamed up with the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) to present NCRG @ IAGA, a one-day conference scheduled for June 2, 2015, the day before IAGA’s International Gaming Summit begins at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver.

What does "responsible gaming" mean to you? Is it setting a limit before you walk into a casino or play a game with friends? Is it making sure to keep the experience fun, instead of one that gets a person into financial, emotional or otherwise in trouble?  To help educate the public and gaming operators about responsible gaming, we are celebrating Responsible Gaming Education Week this week! Each year, the casino industry and the public participate in activities to increase awareness of disordered gambling among gaming industry employees and customers and to promote responsible gaming nationwide. Driven by the American Gaming Association (AGA), this year's RGEW is helping people around the nation "Get to Know Responsible Gaming." 

As the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos take to the field on Sunday, millions of people from around the world will be tuning in to watch who wins Super Bowl XLVIII. Many people may even want to place a bet or two on the game’s outcome. We know that research shows that 1% of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with a gambling disorder, while 2-3% of the population has a gambling problem.

If you’re one of those who likes to wager on sports and can do so without problems,  you can establish your own limits and provide direction to others by developing a set of personal guidelines to determine whether, when and how much to gamble. Here are a few things to consider:

The NCRG’s Amy Kugler is at the New Horizons in Responsible Gambling conference in Vancouver, BC. This two-day event is designed to cover responsible gaming from an international prospective, bringing together members of the gaming industry, researchers and clinicians to discuss best practices for responsible gaming programs. Watch this video to learn the highlights of the first day of the conference and stay tuned to the NCRG on Twitter and Facebook for more.

The 16^th annual Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW) comes to a close today, but that doesn’t mean that promoting responsible gaming best practices will stop there. Join us next month at the 14^th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction from September 22-24, where we will continue the conversation during several conference sessions that give insights for effective responsible gaming programs.