WASHINGTON—Addiction treatment professionals, scientific researchers, gaming industry representatives, legislators and regulators will have a new resource for practical learning about gambling disorders and responsible gaming with the Aug. 27 launch of the National Center for Responsible Gaming’s (NCRG) new webinar series. The NCRG Webinar Series will provide year-round educational opportunities designed to help individuals better understand and address critical issues related to gambling disorders and responsible gaming.
“With the NCRG Webinar Series, the NCRG is expanding its commitment to advancing public education about gambling disorders and responsible gaming by providing unique learning opportunities throughout the year for stakeholders in various sectors,” said Glenn Christenson, chairman of the NCRG. “We expect these expert-led sessions will attract individuals from across the U.S. and around the world who want to keep up with the latest developments as they are happening and hear about best practices and real-world solutions they can apply in their own work.”
Created in conjunction with Global Gaming Expo (G2E), the NCRG Webinar Series will bring together the field’s leading experts to tackle current issues in the treatment, research, responsible gaming and regulatory communities.
The first webinar, “Treating Pathological Gambling with Motivational Interviewing and CBT: A Webinar for Addiction Professionals,” will focus on treatment strategies such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) that have been effective for people seeking to recover from substance use disorders and discuss whether these strategies have a place in the treatment of gambling disorders. The webinar will feature two leading researchers – David Hodgins, Ph.D., professor of psychology in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Calgary; and David M. Ledgerwood, Ph.D., assistant professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Moderated by Christine Reilly, executive director of the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, the session will be held Aug. 27 from 2-3 p.m. EDT.
On Oct. 22, the second installment of the NCRG Webinar Series will focus on new discoveries in the field of youth and college gambling. This session will feature the findings and recommendations of the Task Force on College Gambling Policies, a national task force of college administrators and health professionals convened by the Division on Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, to create detailed recommendations for adopting science-based gambling policies at higher education institutions across the country. The project was sponsored by the NCRG.
To ensure the webinar series reaches the broadest possible audience, the NCRG is offering the sessions free-of-charge. In addition, with the series being co-sponsored by the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, individuals participating in each one-hour webinar will receive CEU credit.
For more information about the NCRG Webinar Series, and to register for upcoming sessions, visit www.ncrg.org.
