NCRG Launches Website To Help Address Gambling On College Campuses
CollegeGambling.org Offers Tools and Resources for Campus Officials, Parents & Students
Mar 29, 2011
WASHINGTON–The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) announced today that it has launched a new website,www.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 each school.
“There is a distinct need for sound, science-based policies and programs about gambling and gambling disorders on college campuses,” said Glenn Christenson, chairman of the NCRG. “As the only national organization exclusively devoted to public education and funding research of gambling disorders, the NCRG is committed to helping schools inform students about the risks of gambling disorders and provide recovery-oriented measures.”
Research finds that 75 percent of college students gambled during the past year (whether legally or illegally, on campus or off). While the vast majority of those old enough to legally gamble can do so responsibly, the most recent research estimates that 6 percent of college students in the U.S. have a serious gambling problem that can result in psychological difficulties, unmanageable debt and failing grades. For those who are not of legal age to gamble, there is no level of responsible gambling.
College students appear to mature out of gambling problems, as they do with alcohol and drug use, after college. This is evidenced by the fact that only 1 percent of the adult population has a gambling disorder in the U.S. Still, addressing gambling on college campuses should be a priority.
“Nearly all U.S. colleges and universities have policies on student alcohol use; however, only 22 percent have a formal policy on gambling,” said Pat Ketcham, Ph.D., CHES, associate director of health promotion for Oregon State University’s Student Health Services and chair of the CollegeGambling.org advisory committee. “Students who admit to having a gambling problem sometimes find a lack of support on campus. CollegeGambling.org is a great resource because it not only suggests program ideas to help integrate information on college gambling into existing drug and alcohol programs, but it also directly reaches students who want to learn more these issues.”
CollegeGambling.org is a comprehensive resource for students, campus administrators, campus health professionals and parents. In addition to providing those who are concerned about a gambling problem with resources to find help, the website includes separate sections for each of these audiences, and content is tailored to address the needs, questions and concerns of each of these groups.
Additionally, CollegeGambling.org offers collateral materials, such as brochures about college gambling and responsible gambling, fact sheets, posters, and stickers, that can be downloaded for free to help raise awareness about gambling and gambling disorders on campus.
“CollegeGambling.org isn’t just about helping college students with gambling problems—it’s also about helping them avoid the problems,” said Christine Reilly, senior research director of the NCRG. “Education is the key to this mission. Educating students about warning signs and giving them the tools to learn about responsible gaming will help them develop healthy behaviors that they can carry with them further into adulthood.”
The development of CollegeGambling.org was guided by an Advisory Committee of leading scientists, clinicians and student life experts. The NCRG has relied on the Advisory Committee to help ensure the materials created for the site are firmly grounded in the highest-quality research on these issues and will be effective for the intended audiences. Members of the Advisory Committee include: Patricia Ketcham (chair), Ph.D., CHES, Oregon State University; Keith J. Anderson, Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Carlos Blanco, Ph.D., Columbia University; William DeJong, Ph.D., Boston University School of Public Health; Jeff Derevensky, Ph.D., McGill University; Mary Anne Nagy, MBA, Monmouth University; and Ryan Travia, M.Ed., Harvard University.
CollegeGambling.org builds on the recommendations of the Task Force on College Gambling Policies, which provide schools with a roadmap for reducing gambling among students and enabling those who are struggling with addiction to participate more fully in college life. Visit thewww.ncrg.orgto view the Task Force’s “Call to Action” report.
CollegeGambling.org has been endorsed by several members of the Task Force on College Gambling Policies, including: Stacy Andes, MA, ABD, Villanova University; Ann Bailey, Ph.D., Mississippi State University; Bo Bernhard, Ph.D., University of Nevada; Madalyn Eadline, Lehigh University; Patricia Ketcham, Ph.D., CHES, Oregon State University; Ryan Martin, Ph.D., The Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School Teaching Affiliate; Sally J. Morgan, MA, University of Nevada; and Kristy Wanner, Med, University of Missouri-Columbia.
For more information about college gambling, visitwww.CollegeGambling.org. To learn more about the NCRG and its programs, visitwww.ncrg.org.
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The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is is the only national organization exclusively devoted to public education and funding research that will help increase understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the NCRG is the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) affiliated charity. For more information, visitwww.ncrg.org. NCRG funds provide grants to researchers to increase understanding of pathological gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. The funds are distributed through the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, an independent program of the NCRG. For more information, visitwww.gamblingdisorders.org.
