GAMBLING DISORDERS 360°

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.

Friday, April 3, 2015
2 - 3:30 p.m. (EDT)

Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment: Research Priority for 2015

Speaker: Ken C. Winters, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry
University of Minnesota Medical School

Moderator: Christine Reilly
Senior Research Director, National Center for Responsible Gaming

The 2015 research grants program of the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) will focus on investigations of SBIRT (screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment) in order to improve identification of disordered gamblers, explore the efficacy of brief interventions for this population and increase the rate of disordered gamblers referred to treatment. This webinar is intended to help researchers interested in applying to the NCRG for an SBIRT project. However, healthcare providers and public health professionals will also find this program useful in view of the fact that SBIRT is being implemented by many state and national organizations, including the Addiction Technology Transfer Centers associated with SAMHSA. In addition, treatment providers and public health professionals interested in collaborating with researchers on an SBIRT research project are also encouraged to participate.

Did you know that only about 15 percent of disordered gamblers in the US seek treatment or attend self-help groups (Slutske, 2006)? However, nearly half of lifetime disordered gamblers received treatment for some other mental or substance problem (Kessler et al., 2008). According to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, increased screening for emerging gambling problems in clients already in treatment might be an opportunity to prevent full-blown gambling disorders (Kessler et al., 2008).

Research by two NCRG-funded investigators has recently received broad media coverage. Marc Potenza, MD, PhD, principal investigator of the Yale Center of Excellence in Gambling Research, was the senior author of an article published in the high-impact journal JAMA Psychiatry in February 2015. This twin study sheds new light on the relationship between gambling disorder and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. The study finds that individuals with severe obsessive-compulsive behaviors — or those who demonstrate specific forms of the behavior, such as fear of germs or desire for order in the environment — are also more likely to meet diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder.

• First and foremost, thanks to our multi-year, pledged donors whose generous and continuing support provides NCRG with stability and the ability for long-term planning: Las Vegas Sands Corp., MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, Boyd Gaming Corporation, Penn National Gaming Inc., Wynn Resorts, Reed Exhibitions, and Churchill Downs Incorporated. We also deeply appreciate the companies and individuals who contributed to the NCRG through participation in the 2014 Gaming Hall of Fame, the AGEM/AGA Golf Classic Presented by JCM Global, and the 2014 NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction as sponsors.
  

New gambling research is not usually represented at the premiere national scientific meetings focused on addiction. If you are a young investigator with new gambling-related research to present, you can help fill the void! Apply for an NCRG Travel Grant category to support your participation in conferences such as College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), the American Psychological Association, the Society for Neuroscience and other academic meetings.

Aug. 21, 2-3 p.m. ET | Click here to register

The field of gambling disorder has seen many changes over the past year, many of which are due to the American Psychiatric Association's fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the Affordable Care Act. Many private health insurance policies and plans exclude treatments for gambling disorder from insurance coverage. However, healthcare providers specializing in disordered gambling have hoped that the Affordable Care Act and the strengthening of the federal mental health parity law would address this shortcoming. But is this the case?

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." 

Who will be the next generation of gambling researchers? The NCRG is not leaving this question to chance. Since 2004, the NCRG has funded grants specifically designed to offer new investigators the opportunity to focus on a research project under the mentorship of senior scientists. The NCRG is proud of the many accomplishments of these emerging scientists.

We're excited that the first recipient of an NCRG new investigator grant, Silvia Martins, M.D., Ph.D., has been awarded a $656,465 grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to continue her work on “Predictors of High-Risk Behaviors Among Youth.” Dr. Martins is now associate professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Want to join the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) in Las Vegas for the 15th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction from Sept. 28 to 30, 2014? Is your travel or conference budget a little tight this year? Each year, the NCRG awards scholarships to more than 15 individuals to attend the NCRG Conference. A portion of these scholarships may also include travel assistance. 

To apply for a scholarship, visit the Conference Scholarship website and submit your application by 5 p.m. PT today through our online form. This year's lineup is packed with nationally renowned speakers and experts in the field of addiction, gambling disorder and responsible gaming that you won't want to miss!