Massive Impact. Absolute Independence.
The International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) is the engine fueling research, shaping policy and driving progress for the good of the gambling, sports betting and Tribal gaming industries, as well as the people and communities affected by them.
As the gaming landscape evolves, the ICRG leads the charge.
The work that we fund isn’t just academic; it is a practical engine for progress that:
- Informs Public Policy: Providing lawmakers with peer-reviewed data that inspires informed, conscientious policy based on scientific reality.
- Strengthens Responsible Gaming: Creating smarter, more effective industry standards, products and experiences.
- Protects Communities: Improving the health and vitality of players, employees and individuals in Tribal Nations and across an expanding market.
- Drives Global Change: Strengthening the global gambling industry by enabling players to engage responsibly in an entertaining and acceptable activity free of negative stigma.
With over $50 million committed by diverse stakeholders—from sports wagering and tribal casinos to equipment manufacturers—our impact is noteworthy. However, our independence is absolute. We maintain a rigorous scientific firewall to ensure that every dollar funded translates into objective, uncompromised research that the world can trust.
ICRG Firewall
The ICRG’s research program is funded primarily by companies involved in the gambling industry. Because of concern about undue influence or bias, the ICRG created a firewall to insulate the research from industry influence. First, all of ICRG’s funding initiatives are developed and approved by the Scientific Advisory Board, an independent panel of prominent scientists in the addictions. Second, calls for proposals are distributed to more than 1,000 scientists around the world. Third, grant applications submitted to the ICRG are vetted by independent peer review panels composed of leading scientists in the gambling field. Fourth, their evaluations are then reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Board, which makes the final funding decisions. Neither the governing board nor the donors have any input into this process, and research findings are not announced until published in a peer-reviewed journal. The successful publications records of ICRG-funded investigators—more than 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals since 1996—demonstrates that quality is what drives the ICRG research grants program.
A Quantum Leap in Knowledge: The Legacy of The ICRG
The ICRG didn’t just join the conversation on responsible gambling; we built the foundation for it. Before our landmark founding in 1996, gambling research was a fragmented, underdeveloped field lacking the rigorous data needed to accurately and effectively address public risk. As the world’s first serious funding engine for gambling studies, the ICRG transformed the landscape by mandating a new gold standard: absolute scientific rigor through peer-reviewed research.
Through a combination of high-quality scientific research and evidence-based education, we empowered the industry, the public and Tribal Nations with the tools to strengthen responsible gaming while protecting community wellbeing.
Our insistence on research with integrity has fundamentally shifted what the world now knows about gambling. The impact of our commitment is clear:
- ICRG-funded studies have yielded over 400 scholarly articles published in the world’s most competitive scientific journals.
- Between 1999 and 2003, the ICRG fueled a surge in discovery, accounting for approximately one-third of all global research on gambling risks published during that era.
Much of the modern understanding of gambling behavior has been unearthed in just the last few years—a direct result of the ICRG’s strategic funding. We are proud to have pioneered this expansion of knowledge to provide not only regulators, operators, and Tribal governments, but the world with the essential data needed to understand and mitigate the health consequences of gambling.
