gambling disorders

How many people have a gambling problem? That is the simple question posed by prevalence studies on gambling disorders. However, media reports and scientific articles reveal that this is not a simple issue. This Gambling Disorders 360˚ post is the first in a series called “Gambling Disorders Explained.” We are including these types of posts to help simplify and increase understanding of the different types of studies that exist about gambling disorders, as well as explain contributing factors to various research outcomes about this disorder.   

The NCRG is on the road again, and we’re heading to Miami, Fla., for the 2012 Annual Education Summit! Each year, the NCRG travels to a new city to hold a series of events that gives the NCRG the opportunity to meet with clinicians, legislators, public health officials, business leaders, government officials, academics and gaming industry members. These meetings allow the NCRG to discuss the latest research on gambling disorders and responsible gaming and share the most up-to-date resources and tools that can help attendees in their community leadership positions.

The NCRG is pleased to announce that we will be visiting Miami, Fla., from April 30 to May 2. If you are located in South Florida, please feel free to register for any of our Summit events by contacting Amy Martin (amartin@ncrg.org, 202-552-2689). All of the events are free for participants, and clinicians can also receive continuing education credits by attending the treatment provider workshop on May 2.

How does one measure the impact of research on a field of study and its implications on health care? The NCRG recently completed an analysis of its research grants to understand how the organization is helping to foster a better understanding of gambling disorders and responsible gaming. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is one way to assess the quality of the research and measure impact on the field. Not only did the count of publications from NCRG-funded research surpass 200 articles, but an analysis using Google Scholar revealed that these publications have been cited more than 10,000 times in the scientific literature.

Did your favorite college men’s and women’s basketball teams make it through the first few rounds of the NCAA tournament? It’s that time of year when people around the nation are cheering for their favorite college hoops teams and may be placing bets on the games. Visit our March Madness interactive quiz on CollegeGambling.org while you’re watching the games to learn more about gambling and gambling issues on college campuses.

What do college basketball and college gambling have in common? March is a good time to learn about both. As the NCAA basketball tournament approaches, college students and basketball fans across the country are filling out their brackets, and some may even place a wager on the games. During March Madness, the NCRG is launching a public awareness initiative to encourage college administrators, campus health professionals, students and parents to learn more about college gambling and gambling-related harms. The campaign also helps to educate students about how to make responsible decisions about gambling.

The NCRG on the Road blog series includes posts from NCRG staff members as they travel to continue the organization’s mission of funding the highest-quality research on gambling disorders and increasing public education opportunities. This post is from Amy Martin, the NCRG’s communications and outreach manager, about her recent trip to Denver, Colo.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to fly to the Rocky Mountains to tape footage for the NCRG’s video news release for our campaign that will highlight CollegeGambling.org during the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament. Christine Reilly, senior research director for the NCRG, and Holly Wetzel, vice president of communications for the American Gaming Association, joined me on this trip. We were at the University of Denver for a few days to shoot the video and talk with members of the Task Force on College Gambling Policies, Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado (PGCC) and the Colorado Gaming Association.

As part of the NCRG’s continuing effort to educate stakeholders about gambling disorders and responsible gaming, members of the NCRG staff will be traveling across the nation to conduct treatment provider workshops, speak at national conferences and meet with new groups to discuss the research and resources that the NCRG has to offer. Amy Martin, communications and outreach manager for the NCRG, will be blogging about her experiences on the road as she helps reach out to new audiences for the NCRG. Amy recently traveled to Columbia, Mo., to co-present at the NCAA Missouri Gambling Summit with Dr. Matthew Martens of the University of Missouri – Columbia.

The urge to gamble can be a powerful force among individuals with a gambling disorder and often precipitates relapse among those who are trying to reduce or quit gambling. Researchers are aware of these urges due to studies using self-reported data, but the field of research needs to have more objective data regarding the biological factors at play. There is now evidence of the neurobiological underpinnings of urges thanks to an innovative brain imaging study from the NCRG Center for Excellence in Gambling Research at Yale University. The study used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to examine the responses to sad, happy and gambling scenarios among 10 men with pathological gambling (PG) and a control group of 11 men without gambling problems (Balodis, I.M., Lacadie, C.M., & Potenza, M.N., 2011).

2011 was a year of growth for the NCRG. We have many accomplishments to celebrate, from the launch of a first-of-its-kind online resource for college students and administrators to a redesigned website and new social media channels. Taking a cue from Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institutes of Mental Health, we decided to make a list of the NCRG’s top 11 accomplishments in 2011.

In the final months of 2011, the NCRG’s Scientific Advisory Board and peer-review panels poured over applications for the Large Grants and Early Stage Investigator Grants to round out the year for NCRG-funded research opportunities. After careful consideration, the Scientific Advisory Board narrowed the candidates down and selected cutting-edge research studies using brain imaging, drug trials, social network analysis and brief interventions. We are pleased to announce the researchers that will receive a piece of $545,298 in NCRG research grant funding to support new projects that will help to improve methods of diagnosis, intervention, treatment and prevention of gambling disorders.