GAMBLING DISORDERS 360°

Self-exclusion is one of the most widely used responsible gaming strategies. These programs allow individuals to literally “exclude” themselves from a gaming venue as a way of dealing with problematic gambling behavior. Scientific research on the safety and effectiveness of self-exclusion is just now catching up to the establishment of such programs, which began more than a decade ago.

A new study from the Research Institute on Addictions at the University of Buffalo published in the Journal of Gambling Studies combined two national surveys to examine gambling and gambling problems across the lifespan, from the teenage years to retirement-age. The authors found that gambling involvement, frequent gambling (defined as gambling 52 times per year or more) and problem gambling increased during the teens, peaked in the 20s and 30s, and then declined in adults older than 40.

A new study from the Research Institute on Addictions at the University of Buffalo published in the Journal of Gambling Studies combined two national surveys to examine gambling and gambling problems across the lifespan, from the teenage years to retirement-age. The authors found that gambling involvement, frequent gambling (defined as gambling 52 times per year or more) and problem gambling increased during the teens, peaked in the 20s and 30s, and then declined in adults older than 40.

Today is the start of the 13^th annual Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW), a joint program of the American Gaming Association (AGA) and National Center for Responsible Gaming.  This year’s theme is “Taking the Mystery Out of the Machine,” and activities are focused on educating casino employees and the public about how slot machines and other casino games work and aims to correct some of the misconceptions about them.

Today is the start of the 13^th annual Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW), a joint program of the American Gaming Association (AGA) and National Center for Responsible Gaming.  This year’s theme is “Taking the Mystery Out of the Machine,” and activities are focused on educating casino employees and the public about how slot machines and other casino games work and aims to correct some of the misconceptions about them.

What if the director of a treatment organization is approached by researchers interested in testing an intervention for gambling disorders? That director is then confronted with a decision that involves weighing the risks of a clinical trial against the potential benefits for the clients who participate in the trial and the larger society. How can treatment providers ensure that such research would be conducted ethically? In this dispatch from the Midwest Conference on Problem Gambling & Substance Abuse, I report on Dr. Catherine Striley’s workshop on “Research & Practice Ethics: What You Need to Know.”

What if the director of a treatment organization is approached by researchers interested in testing an intervention for gambling disorders? That director is then confronted with a decision that involves weighing the risks of a clinical trial against the potential benefits for the clients who participate in the trial and the larger society. How can treatment providers ensure that such research would be conducted ethically? In this dispatch from the Midwest Conference on Problem Gambling & Substance Abuse, I report on Dr. Catherine Striley’s workshop on “Research & Practice Ethics: What You Need to Know.”

What if the director of a treatment organization is approached by researchers interested in testing an intervention for gambling disorders? That director is then confronted with a decision that involves weighing the risks of a clinical trial against the potential benefits for the clients who participate in the trial and the larger society. How can treatment providers ensure that such research would be conducted ethically? In this dispatch from the Midwest Conference on Problem Gambling & Substance Abuse, I report on Dr. Catherine Striley’s workshop on “Research & Practice Ethics: What You Need to Know.”

What if the director of a treatment organization is approached by researchers interested in testing an intervention for gambling disorders? That director is then confronted with a decision that involves weighing the risks of a clinical trial against the potential benefits for the clients who participate in the trial and the larger society. How can treatment providers ensure that such research would be conducted ethically? In this dispatch from the Midwest Conference on Problem Gambling & Substance Abuse, I report on Dr. Catherine Striley’s workshop on “Research & Practice Ethics: What You Need to Know.”

This is the first of several of our reports from the 7th Annual Midwest Conference on Problem Gambling & Substance Abuse in Kansas City, Mo. Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), opened the conference with a keynote address on the challenges and opportunities for addressing gambling disorders. CSAT promotes community-based substance abuse treatment services as part of the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.