2019 Scientific Achievement Award Winner

Michael J. A. Wohl, PhD

Professor of Psychology

Carleton University

The NCRG is pleased to honor Dr. Michael Wohl with the 2019 NCRG Scientific Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the fields of gambling disorder and responsible gambling.

Dr. Wohl conducts cutting-edge research that has advanced our understanding of ways to minimize the risks associated with gambling. He has helped develop an array of responsible gambling tools and test these tools’ responsible gambling utility — tools that can, and now are, used in gambling venues around the world. For instance, Dr. Wohl produced a 9-min educational animation to teach electronic gaming machine (EGM) players how EGMs work and the need to set a money limit and adhere to that limit. As a result of the success of the animation to facilitate limit setting and adherence, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and Ontario Lottery and Gaming commissioned him to produce a shorter 3-min version for an online audience, which is now used in several jurisdictions both by casino operators and treatment providers.

From his methodological skills and responsible gambling expertise, Dr. Wohl has been involved in numerous research projects to evaluate existing responsible gambling programs for Canadian and international operators. In an important study, he obtained data from 779 Swedish online gamblers who received behavioral feedback via Svenska Spel’s PlayScan tool. At- risk gamblers using PlayScan significantly reduced monetary deposits and expenditure compared to those who did not use PlayScan. The finding that this result did not generalize to the problem gamblers has important implications for targeting of responsible gambling tools. Currently he is evaluating the uptake of OLG’s new limit-setting tools called MyPlaySmart (MPS). This longitudinal assessment examines why players enroll (or not) in MPS, as well as how enrollment influences play (by way of player-account data). This research will have far reaching basic and applied implications for the development and refinement of RG programs offered by gambling operators.

Another game changer in the gambling field that Dr Wohl helped to spearhead is the development of the Positive Play Scale (PPS), the first psychometric scale assessing positive beliefs and behaviors around responsible gambling, which has been adopted as a tracking tool by gambling operators in most regions in Canada, as well as the United States, Europe, and Australasia. Dr. Wohl’s commitment to knowledge mobilization and the application of research data is highly unusual in our field and was formalized in 2015 when he established the Gambling Research Exchange and Training (GREaT) Hub at Carleton University. As director, he stresses a model of open innovation—engaging in cross-collaborations using a multidisciplinary approach that involves all stakeholders (gamblers, treatment providers, industry) at all stages of research and its dissemination.

Dr. Wohl’s many honors include having twice received Carleton University’s Research Achievement Award. In 2018, the American Psychological Society and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology recognized his contribution to psychological science by naming him a fellow of their respective organizations.

SELECTION COMMITTEE

Donald Black, MD

Professor of Psychiatry

University of Iowa College of Medicine

T. Celeste Napier, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry

Rush University Medical Center

Katherine Spilde, PhD, MBA

Endowed Chair, Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming

Professor, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

San Diego State University