Scientists Honored For Outstanding Contributions To Pathological Gambling Research

NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards Recognize Young Investigator, Treatment Legend

Dec 13, 2002

LAS VEGAS– The late Robert Custer, a pioneer in the field of problem gambling, and Nancy Petry, an up-and-coming researcher in the field, were honored Monday at the inaugural National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) Awards for Scientific Achievement in Gambling Studies.

The awards, presented at the annual conference sponsored by the NCRG and the Harvard Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, recognize outstanding contributions to the study of problem gambling and gambling-related problems.

“This year’s honorees represent both the distinguished past and bright future of pathological gambling research,” said Maj. Gen. Paul A. Harvey (Ret.), chairman of the NCRG. “Dr. Custer’s early work laid the foundations for our field, putting problem gambling as an issue on the map and inspiring countless scientists and treatment professionals. Dr. Petry’s work shows just how far we’ve come, and her research is leading to exciting new discoveries that are already making a tremendous impact. Together, their contributions are undeniable.”

Dr. Custer, whose groundbreaking work led to the recognition of pathological gambling as a mental health disorder, was honored with the NCRG’s 2002 Career Achievement Award. A board-certified psychiatrist, Custer served as chief of treatment services of the Mental Health and Behavioral Science Service of the U.S. Veterans Administration. He established the first inpatient treatment center for disordered gambling at the VA Hospital in Brecksville, Ohio, and, along with Msgr. Joseph A. Dunne and Irving Sacher, founded the National Council on Compulsive Gambling, today recognized as the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). The NCPG is a national organization with 34 state affiliates that are dedicated to increasing public awareness of gambling disorders and promoting prevention and treatment.

Custer was the first to suggest that pathological gambling is a treatable disorder. Through his efforts, in 1980, the American Psychiatric Association classified pathological gambling as a psychiatric disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). This official diagnosis has served as an essential element of treatment and research programs.

Custer also created and served as the executive director of the National Foundation for the Study and Treatment of Pathological Gambling, and he helped organize a compulsive gambling treatment center at The Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

Although she has only held her doctorate for eight years, Nancy Petry, recipient of the 2002 NCRG Young Investigator Achievement Award, already has made an impact through her efforts to find effective treatment for pathological gambling.

Petry, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, has received more than $2 million from the federal government and the private sector in support of research on gambling disorders. Her recent grant to study treatment for pathological gambling was the first of its kind to be awarded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). This investigation is studying the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral treatment manual, developed by Petry, in comparison to Gamblers Anonymous. She has also received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to examine strategies to reduce gambling and HIV risk behaviors in substance abusers and has obtained funding to evaluate brief interventions for heavy, non-pathological gamblers.

In addition to numerous other research projects, Petry is a mentor to a number of fellows and students interested in the field of problem gambling and serves as a consultant or mentor on a number of grant applications for junior faculty throughout the country. She is a regular member of the NIDA Treatment Research Subcommittee and also reviews grants on gambling for the NIMH and the Alberta Gaming Association. She is on the editorial boards of four journals and also reviews gambling research for a number of other publications.

Petry has published 18 peer-reviewed articles directly related to her gambling research. Her gambling research has appeared in a number of prestigious journals, including Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Psychology of Addictive Behavior, and Addiction. Her writings have also been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, Reuters, the BBC, and NBC News with Tom Brokaw.

The NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards are sponsored by Argosy Gaming Company, Boyd Gaming Corporation, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc., Mandalay Resort Group, MGM MIRAGE TM and Station Casinos, Inc. Award-winners were selected by an independent committee of distinguished leaders in the field of addictions and gambling research chaired by Dr. Joseph Coyle, Harvard Medical School.

The NCRG, the only national organization devoted exclusively to public education about and funding of peer-reviewed research on pathological gambling, was established in 1996. The NCRG supports the finest peer-reviewed basic and applied research on gambling disorders; encourages the application of new research findings to improve prevention, diagnostic intervention and treatment strategies; and enhances public awareness of pathological and youth gambling. To date, the casino industry and related businesses have committed more than $7 million to this effort, and the NCRG has issued more than $6 million in support of groundbreaking research on gambling disorders. In 2000, the NCRG established the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders at Harvard Medical School’s Division on Addictions, the world’s preeminent medical research institution.

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Scientists Recognized For Exceptional Contributions To Research On Gambling Disorders

NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards Honor Young Investigator, Co-Author of Science-Based Framework for Responsible Gaming

Nov 22, 2004

LAS VEGAS –Alex Blaszczynski, a pioneer in gambling research, treatment and policy development, and Jon Grant, an accomplished young scientist who has made significant contributions to clinical research in pathological gambling and other impulse control disorders, were named recipients of the third annual National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) Scientific Achievement Awards.

Blaszczynski, chair in psychology and director of the Gambling Research Unit at the University of Sydney, is the recipient of the NCRG’s 2004 Senior Investigator Award. Grant, an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University Medical School, is the recipient of the 2004 NCRG Young Investigator Award.

The awards recognize outstanding contributions to the study of gambling disorders and will be presented Dec. 6 as part of the fifth annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction, sponsored by the NCRG and the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, a program at the Division on Addictions at Harvard Medical School.

“The scientific community has benefited enormously from Dr. Blaszczynski’s extensive work in the field of gambling research,” said Dennis E. Eckart, chairman of the NCRG. “His far-ranging contributions include studies of diagnostic and treatment issues, forensics, risk factors, suicide and the pathways of pathological gambling. We are extremely proud to honor Dr. Blaszczynski as well as Dr. Grant, who is an emerging force in the area of clinical research in pathological gambling.”

Blaszczynski has conducted seminal investigations of the relationship of disordered gambling behavior to anxiety, depression, substance use and suicide. His early research focused on the relationship between pathological gambling and sensation-seeking, impulsivity and other personality disorders. The author of more than 100 publications, he has published three of the 13 existing treatment outcome studies of pathological gamblers. A clinical psychologist, Blaszczynski is head of the department of medical psychology at Westmead Hospital.

Blaszczynski has made an impact through his efforts to apply rigorous scientific research to harm reduction and responsible gaming programs. He is the co-author of “A Science-based Framework for Responsible Gambling: The Reno Model,” with Robert Ladouceur and Howard Shaffer, which was published in the Fall 2004 issue of the Journal of Gambling Studies. Blaszczynski is a founding member of the Australian National Council for Problem Gambling, the National Association for Gambling Studies and a foundation director of the Australian Institute of Gambling Studies. He serves on the advisory board of the International Centre for the Study, Treatment and Prevention of Youth Gambling Problems at McGill University and the international advisory committee for the Electronic Journal of Gambling Issues. He also is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Gambling Studies.

In addition to his position at Brown, Grant is chief of impulse control disorders at Butler Hospital in Providence, R.I. His research has focused on understanding the clinical characteristics of individuals with pathological gambling and improving treatment strategies to help those individuals. He has taken a leading role in the development and testing of diagnostic instruments for pathological gambling.

Grant’s research also has been instrumental in the development of pharmacological treatments for pathological gambling and related disorders, and he has directed multiple treatment trials. He first-authored the publication describing the results of the first multi-center drug treatment trial for pathological gambling and is actively involved in testing additional pharmacological strategies to help improve treatment options. Grant was an investigator on the study of naltrexone as a drug treatment for gambling disorders, a University of Minnesota project supported by the NCRG. He recently received a career award from the National Institutes of Health to examine cognitive behavioral and motivational therapeutic approaches in the treatment of pathological gambling.

Grant’s extensive educational background includes a Master of Arts in English Literature and law degree from Cornell University, Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University and a medical degree from Brown University. During his medical residency alone, Grant authored 12 original research articles on pathological gambling. With Marc Potenza, he co-edited the recently published Pathological Gambling: A Clinical Guide to Treatment. He serves on the editorial board of Annals of Clinical Psychiatry and was recently appointed editor-in-chief of the Journal of Gambling Studies.

Recipients of the 2004 NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards were selected by an independent committee of distinguished leaders in the field of addictions and gambling research chaired by Joseph Coyle, the Eben S. Draper Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

The 2004 NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards reception will be held Dec. 6 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas during the NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction. The conference will take place Dec. 5-7 at the MGM Grand. To obtain press credentials for events related to the conference, or to arrange for interviews with conference participants or NCRG award winners, contact Holly Thomsen at 202-530-4508.

The NCRG, the only national organization devoted exclusively to public education about and funding of peer-reviewed research on disordered gambling, was established in 1996. The NCRG supports the finest peer-reviewed basic and applied research on gambling disorders; encourages the application of new research findings to improve prevention, diagnostic intervention and treatment strategies; and enhances public awareness of pathological and youth gambling. To date, the casino industry and related businesses have committed more than $13 million to this effort, and the NCRG has issued more than $8 million in support of groundbreaking research on gambling disorders. In 2000, the NCRG established the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders at Harvard Medical School’s Division on Addictions. For more information, visitwww.ncrg.org.

The Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders is a program of the Division on Addictions at Harvard Medical School. In accordance with the Harvard University name policy, the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders should not be referred to as the “Harvard Institute…” or the “Harvard Medical School Institute…”

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Sen. George Mcgovern To Keynote 6th Annual NCRG Conference

Sessions to Focus on Effective Public Health Approaches to Disordered Gambling

Oct 24, 2005

Washington, DC—Former senator, ambassador and presidential candidate George McGovern will explore the delicate balance between the rights of the individual and the responsibilities of government and industry in a free society during his keynote address at the 6th annual National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) Conference on Gambling and Addiction. McGovern’s keynote, Freedom of Choice and Addiction, will draw on his experience as a public policy leader and also as the parent of a child lost to addiction.

The keynote features prominently in this year’s conference, themed Finding Common Ground on Prevention, Treatment and Policy. Providing a comprehensive examination of international responsible gaming issues from a public health approach, the conference will be held Dec. 7-8, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

“The ongoing challenge of promoting responsible gaming is developing a strategy that prevents and reduces gambling-related harm while respecting the rights of individuals who safely engage in recreational gambling. Senator McGovern’s unique perspective and considerable knowledge of the public health system will provide a thought-provoking look at this dichotomy,” said Dennis Eckart, chairman of the NCRG. “His passion for addressing addiction issues and direct involvement in improving treatments are an inspiration to us all, and we are honored to have him with us at this year’s conference.”

The NCRG’s annual conference offers a unique opportunity for representatives from the gaming industry and government to interact with the world’s leading scientific and clinical professionals. In addition to the McGovern keynote and other plenary sessions, the conference features two distinct conference tracks aimed at examining advances in research and treatment, as well as practical applications for research.

The Scientific and Clinical track is co-sponsored by the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, a program at the Division on Addictions at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

Led by distinguished addictions researchers and clinicians, the Scientific and Clinical track will present new research findings on a variety of topics including new empirical evidence for the value of self-help groups and recent research from a multi-site study of drug treatment for disordered gamblers. With growing evidence of a common, underlying syndrome for all addictions, the sessions also will put pathological gambling within the context of related addictive and psychiatric disorders. Featured speakers include Alex Blaszczynski, Ph.D., chair in psychology, School of Psychology, University of Sydney and head of the Department of Medical Psychology at Westmead Hospital; G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., C.A.S., professor of psychology, University of Washington, Seattle; Howard Shaffer, Ph.D., C.A.S., associate professor of psychology in psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and director, Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance; Anne Helene Skinstad, Ph.D., assistant professor of public health, University of Iowa and program director, Prairielands Addiction Technology Transfer Center.

Using a practical, “nuts and bolts” approach, the Government and Industry track sessions will include a discussion of myths about gambling disorders that prevent the development of effective programs and provide concrete examples of how research can inform responsible gaming initiatives such as self-exclusion programs, employee education and evaluation of state-supported gambling treatment programs. The track also will feature sessions on the theory that gaming machines can be reconfigured to protect gamblers from excessive play and the potential for collaboration among the disparate stakeholders concerned with gambling using examples from responsible drinking initiatives.

Government and Industry track presenters will represent tribal gaming, commercial casinos, academia, regulatory commissions, public health and government, and include Ralph Blackman, president and CEO, The Century Council; Norman DesRosiers, commissioner, Viejas Tribal Gaming Commission; Alan Feldman, senior vice president, public affairs, MGM MIRAGE; Don Feeney, research and planning director, Minnesota State Lottery; Connie Jones, director of responsible gaming, International Game Technology; and Kevin Mullally, executive director, Missouri Gaming Commission.

“The expansion of legalized gambling on an international scale has increased interest among treatment providers, researchers, regulators, public policy makers and various sectors of the gaming industry in understanding the potential health risks of gambling,” said Eckart. “The NCRG and the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders have responded by providing a forum for these groups to address gambling as a public health concern and consider how they can minimize the potential harms of gambling through more effective responsible gaming practices, screening and treatment, regulations and public health policy.”

For a full conference program, as well as registration information, visitwww.ncrg.org/events.

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The NCRG, the only national organization devoted exclusively to public education about and funding of peer-reviewed research on disordered gambling, was established in 1996. The NCRG supports the finest peer-reviewed basic and applied research on gambling disorders; encourages the application of new research findings to improve prevention, diagnostic intervention and treatment strategies; and enhances public awareness of pathological and youth gambling. To date, the casino industry and related businesses have committed more than $15 million to this effort, and the NCRG has issued more than $12 million in support of groundbreaking research on gambling disorders. For more information, visitwww.ncrg.org.

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View The NCRG 7th Annual Conference Blog

Nov 1, 2006

7th Annual NCRG Annual Conference on Gambling and Addiction

Clickhereto view the Conference Blog

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Youth Gambling Researcher To Be Honored For Pioneering Contributions To The Field

Oct 18, 2005

Washington, D.C. –Dr. Ken Winters, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at the University of Minnesota, will be recognized for his distinguished career in the field of adolescent high risk behaviors with the National Center for Responsible Gaming’s (NCRG) 2005 Senior Investigator Award. Winters was nominated by his peers for his commitment and dedication to addressing youth drug and alcohol abuse and disordered gambling through academic, clinical and research channels.

Winters’ groundbreaking research in the field of addictions has provided considerable insight into identifying both the risk and protective factors associated with youth pathological gamblers and also has led to breakthroughs in understanding the course of early onset gamblers. These findings have significant implications for the prevention and intervention of youth disordered gambling.

“Dr. Winters’ impact in the field of disordered gambling research has been truly pervasive, affecting the way researchers, clinicians and academics worldwide approach their work in this field,” said Dennis Eckart, chairman of the NCRG. “We are honored to recognize his many accomplishments as an outstanding professional, colleague and mentor, and his ongoing contributions to the global understanding and treatment of pathological gambling.”

Recognizing outstanding contributions to the study of gambling disorders, the fourth annual NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards will be presented at a luncheon on Dec. 8 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The awards presentation will take place during the 6th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction, which is sponsored by the NCRG and the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, a program at the Division on Addictions at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

Winters’ early work in assessment strategies included the development of the most widely used instrument to assess gambling severity among adolescents, the SOGS-RA, which paved the way for numerous adolescent prevalence studies. Additionally, his work in understanding the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying gambling and its comorbidity with drug use and abuse has advanced clinical treatment programs for pathological gamblers, as well as the prevention of gambling problems.

In addition to his position at the University of Minnesota, Winters is a senior scientist at the Treatment Research Institute in Philadelphia. He also has served on a number of prestigious domestic and international committees, and has consulted to governments throughout the world on issues related to adolescent and young adult risky behaviors. A well-published researcher, Winters has co-authored 35 chapters and written 67 referred articles in peer-reviewed journals, including 12 in the Journal of Gambling Studies, the preeminent journal in the field of problem gambling research.

Winters was selected for the 2005 NCRG Senior Investigator Award by an independent committee of distinguished leaders in the field of addictions and gambling research chaired by Joseph Coyle, Eben S. Draper Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

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The NCRG, the only national organization devoted exclusively to public education about and funding of peer-reviewed research on disordered gambling, was established in 1996. The NCRG supports the finest peer-reviewed basic and applied research on gambling disorders; encourages the application of new research findings to improve prevention, diagnostic intervention and treatment strategies; and enhances public awareness of pathological and youth gambling. To date, the casino industry and related businesses have committed more than $15 million to this effort, and the NCRG has issued more than $12 million in support of groundbreaking research on gambling disorders. For more information, visitwww.ncrg.org.

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2009 NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards Honor Scientists From University Of Minnesota And University Of Amsterdam

Researchers Recognized for Exceptional Work in the Field of Gambling Disorders

Nov 16, 2009

LAS VEGAS—Dr. Jon Grant, a leading international expert on the course and treatment of gambling disorders, and Dr. Anna Goudriaan, a rising expert in the neurocognitive bases of pathological gambling, will be honored today with the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) Scientific Achievement Awards in the Senior Investigator and Young Investigator categories, respectively. The NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards annually recognize scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the field of gambling research.

“The body of scientific evidence on gambling disorders has grown both in scope and in specificity over the last decade, and the impressive work of Drs. Grant and Goudriaan has been an important part of increasing our understanding of gambling disorders,” said Glenn Christenson, chairman of the NCRG. “We are pleased to honor them today for their extraordinary work in advancing this field of research, and we look forward to seeing them continue to break new ground in the future.”

The Senior Investigator Award honors individuals whose body of research has significantly advanced the field of gambling research. Grant, J.D., M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School, has become internationally recognized for his research on the treatment of pathological gambling. He published the first controlled study of the drug N-acetyl cysteine as a treatment for gambling disorders and was the lead author on pivotal clinical trials of opioid antagonists, drugs used to blunt the craving for gambling, and serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a class of antidepressant drugs.

“In the field of gambling research, past or present, no other investigator has documented the onset, clinical course and co-morbidity of gambling disorders more extensively or exhaustively than Dr. Grant,” said Dr. S.W. Kim of the university of Minnesota Medical School in his letter nominating Grant for the Senior Investigator Award. “This is critical because without in-depth understanding of the nature of illness-expression, it is nearly impossible to discern the subsets within the broadly defined disorder called pathological gambling disorder.”

Grant is only the second investigator since their inception to receive NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards in both the Senior Investigator and Young Investigator categories. Grant is the director of the NCRG Center of Excellence in Gambling Research at the University of Minnesota, which is focusing on developing a model of impulsivity that will enable the identification of young adults at risk for developing pathological gambling.

He has published more than 135 articles in prestigious scientific journals and is the author of a number of books, includingImpulse Control Disorders: A Clinician’s Guide to Understanding and Treating Behavioral Addictions(Norton Press, 2008) and, with Kim,Stop Me Because I Can’t Stop Myself: Taking Control of Impulsive Behavior(McGraw-Hill Press, 2002).

The Young Investigator Award recognizes excellence in scientific contributions to the gambling field by a researcher whose terminal degree, such as the Ph.D. or M.D., was received within the past 10 years. Goudriaan, Ph.D., a senior researcher at the University of Amsterdam, already has published a broad range of articles focusing not only on neurocognitive and neuroimaging studies, but also on epidemiological research. One example is her study titled “Gambling Patterns and Problems: A Longitudinal Study of Change in Gambling Patterns in a College Student Sample,” which was funded by a 2006 New Investigator Grant from the NCRG.

In his nomination letter, Dr. Ken Sher of the University of Missouri wrote that Goudriaan “is clearly on a track to becoming one of the leading psychologists interested in the neurocognitive bases of pathological gambling and other disorders characterized by disinhibition.”

In 2009, Goudriaan received the Young Investigator Presentation Award from the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 50 for the symposium presentation “Neurocognitive Function as Predictors of Addictive Behavior in Gamblers and Alcohol Users,” which she presented at the APA Convention in 2009.

Recipients of the 2009 NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards were selected by an independent committee of distinguished leaders in the field of addictions and gambling research.

The NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards will be presented today at a luncheon during the NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction. For more information on the awards and the conference, visitwww.ncrg.org.

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The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research that helps increase understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the NCRG is the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) affiliated charity. For more information, visitwww.ncrg.org. NCRG funds provide grants to researchers to increase understanding of pathological gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. The funds are distributed through the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, an independent program of the NCRG. For more information, visitwww.gamblingdisorders.org.

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$380,466 In New Research Grants Awarded To Study Gambling Disorders

Dec 20, 2010

BEVERLY, MASS.—The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) announced today it has awarded $380,466 for new project grants in 2010 to support five new research projects. The NCRG grants are awarded by the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders (Institute), an independent program of the NCRG charged with managing all of the its grant-making responsibilities. The NCRG seeks to advance understanding of gambling disorders through the support of rigorous scientific research and public education and awards grants in three categories: Exploration Grants (up to $5,000 for one year), Seed Grants (up to $25,000 for one year) and Large Grants (up to $75,000 per year for two years).

“The project grants program is designed to increase the number of researchers working in the field, encourage new investigators to explore gambling disorders and foster multidisciplinary collaboration,” said Christine Reilly, executive director of the Institute. “These new research grants will support our mission to improve methods of prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment and also will help to increase our understanding of the drivers behind not only gambling disorders, but all addictive disorders.”

The NCRG’s 2010 grants were awarded for the following research projects:

Exploration Grant

  • Yijun Liu, Ph.D., from the University of Florida was awarded $5,400 to develop a virtual Internet gambling website to be used as a simulation in a laboratory experiment involving 12 subjects who meet the criteria for pathological gambling and 12 control group members. Using an fMRI brain scanner, the researchers will seek to understand the neural pathways involved in excessive gambling and discern what is unique about the online gambling experience for people with gambling-related problems

Seed Grants

  • Scott Huettel, Ph.D., from Duke University was awarded $34,500 to test the hypothesis that whether someone makes a risky or safe choice depends not simply on preferences, but on the strategies they use to acquire and integrate new information. The researchers will investigate the information-acquisition process in real time using high-speed, high-resolution tracking of eye movements and tasks that involve incentive-compatible decisions between economic gambles. They will evaluate how factors that contribute to risk-seeking choices alter how people process new information about risks and rewards.
  • Mark R. Dixon, Ph.D., from Southern Illinois State University was awarded $34,500. Using a computerized slot-machine task, the research project will examine the brain activity of disordered gamblers through an fMRI scanner before and after Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an intervention that has shown promise for treating gambling disorders. The investigators will compare the brain scans of the therapy group with the control group to look for evidence of neurobiological changes as a result of ACT.

Large Grants

  • Matthew P. Martens, Ph.D., from the University of Missouri – Columbia was awarded $172,500 to test a personalized feedback-only intervention that will provide “at-risk” college students with information about their own behavior. This project will determine if college students participating in the personalized feedback condition will report less gambling, fewer dollars gambled and less problem gambling at follow-up than students in both education/advice and assessment-only control conditions.
  • John Nyman, Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota was awarded $136,449 to study the differentiating factors between people who are recreational gamblers with no gambling-related problems and people who are pathological gamblers. The study will also determine when a recreational gambler becomes a problem gambler. Researchers will conduct an analysis of two important data sets that include gambling data: the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative survey of 43,093 Americans and the Minnesota Twin Family Study. The study will also test the theory that, for recreational gamblers, gambling is an economic activity.

The NCRG’s competitive project grants program allows investigators from around the world to apply for funding for specific research projects. All research proposals are reviewed by independent peer-review panels of distinguished scientists in the field to ensure that only the highest quality research is funded. Funding decisions are made by the Institute’s Scientific Advisory Board.

Beyond its project grants program, the NCRG continues to support its Centers of Excellence in Gambling Research through multiyear research grants. Established in 2009, the NCRG Centers of Excellence employ a long-term, institutional approach to conducting innovative and multidisciplinary research and education. Currently, NCRG Centers of Excellence are located at the University of Minnesota and Yale University, and each of these institutions has been awarded $402,500 over a three-year period.

In addition to offering awards in these categories, in 2011 the NCRG will issue a call for proposals to develop and test an online screen and brief intervention (SBI) designed to help college students assess their gambling behavior and whether it represents a health risk. The SBI will be housed on the upcoming NCRG website,www.collegegambling.org, scheduled to launch in 2011. The call for proposals will be released in January 2011.

To learn more about project grants and research supported by the NCRG, visitwww.gamblingdisorders.org.

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The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research that helps increase understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the NCRG is the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) affiliated charity. For more information, visitwww.ncrg.org. NCRG funds provide grants to researchers to increase understanding of pathological gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. The funds are distributed through the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, an independent program of the NCRG. For more information, visitwww.gamblingdisorders.org.

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Glenn Christenson Assumes Chairmanship Of National Center For Responsible Gaming

Jan 5, 2009

WASHINGTON—The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) today announced Glenn C. Christenson, managing director of the investment firm Velstand Investments, LLC, has been named the new chairman of the organization’s board of directors. Christenson, who has served on the board since 2001, replaces Phil Satre. Satre, the former chairman and CEO of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., has served as chairman of the board of directors for three years and will remain on the board as a director.

“Not only has Glenn had a long tenure with the NCRG board and a history of significant involvement with the issues of problem gambling and responsible gaming, he also has a personal commitment to these issues that is truly invaluable,” Satre said. “As a former gaming industry executive, I remain quite passionate about making sure our industry continues to address these issues, and I look forward to continuing to work with Glenn and the rest of the NCRG board to do just that.”

“Phil is both a personal friend and someone I admire greatly. He always has been a leader on these issues, and he has done a marvelous job as chairman of the NCRG for the past several years,” Christenson said. “I am pleased the NCRG board has put their confidence in me to follow him in this capacity.”

Christenson currently serves as chairman of the Governor’s Problem Gambling Advisory Committee in Nevada and prior to that was a board member of the Problem Gambling Center, a nonprofit organization in Las Vegas offering treatment for individuals with gambling problems. Until April 2007, Christenson served as the executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) of Station Casinos, Inc. for 17 years, where he was active in responsible gaming initiatives. Prior to joining Station Casinos, Christenson spent 17 years with the international accounting firm of Deloitte Haskins & Sells (now Deloitte & Touche).

“I am very pleased with the work the NCRG has accomplished to date – both as a source of funding for top-notch, peer-reviewed research on problem gambling, as well as a resource for the wide variety of stakeholders in problem gambling and responsible gaming issues. There is still much work to be done, and I look forward to working with our board to address these important issues,” Christenson said. “The NCRG will continue to fund the very best research proposals in this field and use the results of that research to develop practical applications to help problem gamblers. This research will assist gaming companies, treatment providers and regulators to make a real impact on problem gambling.”

In addition to his involvement in the gaming sector, Christenson currently is a member of the board of directors of NV Energy, Inc., where he serves as chairman of the audit committee, and of The First American Corporation, a Fortune 500 company. He also is treasurer, secretary and a member of the board of trustees of the Nevada Development Authority; chairman of the Nevada State College Foundation; and advisor to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Business School.

In 2001, he was named to the Nevada Society of Certified Public Accountants’ Hall of Fame for Business and Industry, and the following year was named one of the Most Influential Businessmen in Southern Nevada by In Business magazine. He has consistently been recognized by Institutional Investor magazine, and was named as the Top CFO in the Gaming and Lodging Industry in 2006 and 2007.

The NCRG board of directors includes representatives from the gaming industry and the treatment and regulatory communities. In addition to Christenson and Satre, the board includes NCRG President William S. Boyd, chairman and CEO of Boyd Gaming Corporation; NCRG Treasurer and Secretary Judy L. Patterson, senior vice president and executive director of the American Gaming Association; Robert Boswell, senior vice president of Pioneer Behavioral Health; Sue Cox, founding executive director of the Texas Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling; Alan Feldman, senior vice president of public affairs for MGM MIRAGE; Kevin Mullally, general counsel and director of government affairs for Gaming Laboratories International; and Jennifer Shatley, vice president of responsible gaming policies and compliance for Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc.

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The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research that helps increase understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the NCRG is the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) affiliated charity. For more information, visitwww.ncrg.org. NCRG funds provide grants to researchers to increase understanding of pathological gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. The funds are distributed through the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, a program of the Division on Addictions at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information, visitwww.divisiononaddictions.org/institute.

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NCRG And Task Force On College Gambling Policies Urge Higher Ed Institutions To Proactively Address Gambling-related Harms

NCRG Meets with Regulators, Treatment Providers, Gaming Industry Professionals, University Administrators and Other Stakeholders During Trip to Colorado

Oct 16, 2009

DENVER—Representatives from the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) and the Task Force on College Gambling Policies spoke to a broad audience this morning about incorporating gambling disorders into existing campus health considerations and the importance of creating science-based policies and programs to address gambling on campus. The breakfast, hosted by the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver, drew a wide range of university stakeholders from institutions across the Denver metro area – from administrators and faculty to graduate counseling students, and from treatment providers to student leaders.

The Task Force on College Gambling Policies last month released its “Call to Action” report, which details 10 recommendations higher education institutions can use to create tailored, science-based policies and programs addressing gambling-related harms on campus. The task force was created by the Division on Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, with funding from the NCRG. Dr. Karin Dittrick-Nathan, assistant clinical professor of child, family and school psychology in the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver, is a member of the task force.

“Gambling disorders still are not widely understood or addressed on college campuses, as demonstrated by the fact that only 22 percent of U.S. colleges and universities have policies on gambling, according to a Harvard study,” said Dittrick-Nathan. “The task force’s recommendations provide higher education institutions a set of guidelines to begin discussing this issue and developing policies and programs about gambling that are appropriate for their individual campuses and promote student persistence in school.”

The breakfast at the University of Denver is part of the NCRG’s annual road tour, which this year visited Black Hawk/Central City and Denver, Colo. In addition to the breakfast, the trip included a presentation to the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission and meetings with members of the Colorado Gaming Association and the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado, state government representatives, addiction treatment professionals and other stakeholders.

“Each year, the NCRG visits gaming communities to share information about the latest research on gambling disorders,” said Alan Feldman, NCRG board member and senior vice president of public affairs for MGM MIRAGE. “These tours help advance public education about gambling disorders and responsible gaming, promote responsible gaming practices and raise awareness about the importance of limiting gambling-related harms. We also help raise awareness among key stakeholders of how research is being translated into science-based, practical programs, as well as resources that can help them in their everyday work.”

This is the NCRG’s third annual road tour. Previously, the NCRG’s road tour have visited Chicago; Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas and Philadelphia.

Since its founding in 1996, the NCRG has been the only national organization dedicated to funding research that increases understanding of gaming disorders and creating science-based educational resources about gambling problems and responsible gaming. For more information about the NCRG and the Task Force on College Gambling Policies, and to download a free copy of the new “Call to Action” report, visitwww.ncrg.org.

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The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research that helps increase understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the NCRG is the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) affiliated charity. For more information, visitwww.ncrg.org. NCRG funds provide grants to researchers to increase understanding of pathological gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. The funds are distributed through the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, an independent program of the NCRG. For more information, visitwww.gamblingdisorders.org.

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NCRG Announces 2011 Launch For Collegegambling.org

Website to Provide Science-based Resources for College Administrators, Student Health and Life Professionals, Students and Parents

Jun 28, 2010

WASHINGTON—The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) and the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders are aiming to help higher education institutions address gambling and gambling-related harms on campus with the launch of a new website –www.CollegeGambling.org– in 2011. Currently in the United States, only 22 percent of colleges and universities have formal policies on gambling. CollegeGambling.org, the first site of its kind, will provide a host of free resources for administrators, student health and life professionals, current and prospective college students, and parents.

“There is a distinct need for sound, science-based policies and programs about gambling and gambling disorders on college campuses,” said Christine Reilly, executive director of the Institute. “CollegeGambling.org will bring together the latest research and best practices in the field of addiction awareness and prevention in order to provide a substantive and versatile resource that will help schools and their students address this important issue in the way that best fits each school’s needs.”

The development of CollegeGambling.org will be overseen by an Advisory Committee of experts from a variety of relevant fields. The following individuals will serve on the CollegeGambling.org Advisory Committee:

Chair

Patricia Ketcham, Ph.D., CHES, Oregon State University
Associate Director of Health Promotion, Student Health Services
Member, Task Force on College Gambling Policies

Members

Keith J. Anderson, Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Staff Psychologist
Chair, American College Health Association’s Mental Health Best Practices Task Force

Carlos Blanco, Ph.D., Columbia University
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry

William DeJong, Ph.D., Boston University School of Public Health
Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences
Executive Director, Research and Analysis, Outside The Classroom, Inc. (OTC)

Jeff Derevensky, Ph.D., McGill University
Professor, School/Applied Child Psychology and Professor, Psychiatry
Co-director, International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors
Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders

Mary Anne Nagy, MBA, Monmouth University
Vice President for Student Services
Co-chair, Alcohol and Other Drugs National Knowledge Community, NASPA

Ryan Travia, M.Ed., Harvard University
Director, Office of Alcohol & Other Drug Services, Department of Behavioral Health & Academic Counseling
Member, Task Force on College Gambling Policies

CollegeGambling.org will build on previous efforts funded by the NCRG, including the recommendations of the Task Force on College Gambling Policies and the parent-focused Talking with Children about Gambling brochure, to provide a comprehensive resource for individuals interested in learning more about this topic.

“Since its inception, the NCRG has maintained a strong commitment to funding research and education efforts about problem gambling among young people,” said Glenn Christenson, chairman of the NCRG. “CollegeGambling.org represents the next evolution in these efforts, as a cutting-edge, science-based resource for information about college gambling and gambling disorders.”

The advisory committee held its first meeting this month. The NCRG and the Institute also will be soliciting input from college students and others stakeholders in the coming months about the kinds of educational materials and resources they find valuable.

For more information about the Task Force on College Gambling Policies and the NCRG’s other work on youth and college gambling issues, visitwww.ncrg.org. To stay up-to-date on developments with CollegeGambling.org and the latest news and issues in the field, visit the Institute’s blog—Gambling Disorders 360°—and connect with theNCRG on Facebook.

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