NCRG Releases Guide To Reducing Gambling Addiction

The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) has released the publication, “Gambling and Public Health: A Guide for Policymakers.” The guide is based on the latest research on gambling disorder and responsible gaming. It was written for state legislators, regulators, public health professionals and others concerned about the impact of gambling on public health. The free guide is available for download fromwww.ncrg.org/resources.

According to NCRG Executive Director Russell Sanna, “The guide offers 29 recommendations for state government and other entities charged with public health responsibilities.” These include the following:

  • Integrate gambling disorder into existing behavioral health services.
  • Replace outdated terms with gambling disorder, the recognized term used by the American Psychiatric Association’sDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
  • Reconsider traditional prevalence studies used to determine the rate of gambling disorder.
  • Devote more public health resources to at-risk populations such as African Americans, military veterans and young adults.
  • Support science-based responsible gaming policies and programs.

The guide is based on the deliberations of the leading scientists in the field who convened at a state of the science meeting in 2016. It will be distributed at the August meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures in Boston.

NCRG staffICRG NewsBostongamblinghealthcarepublic healthpublic policy

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Nearly $2 Million Committed To NCRG For Research And Education On Gambling Addiction

Pledge from Las Vegas Sand Corp. drives the 2016 pledge renewal campaign

Jan 3, 2017

BEVERLY, MA – The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) announced today that several major casino operators pledged $1.155 million in 2016 to support the organization’s mission of funding innovative research and education about gambling disorder and responsible gaming. An additional $610,000 was raised through annual contributions and conference sponsorships. These commitments put the NCRG over the $27 million mark in fundraising since its establishment in 1996.

“This remarkable support from the gaming industry will fund the next level of groundbreaking research for this field,” said Russell Sanna, PhD, executive director of the NCRG. “As the nation’s largest private funder of research on gambling disorder, the NCRG counts on these vital commitments to increase our understanding of gambling disorders and responsible gaming.”

The companies that renewed multi-year funding pledges during this campaign include:
• Las Vegas Sands Corp. ($900,000 over three years)
• Penn National Gaming ($180,000 over three years)
• Pinnacle Entertainment ($75,000 over three years)

An additional $610,000 was raised through payments on past pledges, single year contributions
and conference sponsorships from the following companies:
• MGM Resorts International ($312,000)
• Boyd Gaming Corporation ($80,000)
• Wynn Resorts ($60,000)
• Rush Street Gaming ($50,000)
• Isle of Capri Casinos ($54,000)
• IGT ($15,000)
• Potawatomi Hotel & Casino ($10,000)
• Betsson Group ($8,000)
• Caesars Entertainment, Inc. ($5,000)
• William Hill US ($5,000)
• Seneca Gaming Corporation ($5,000)
• GameCo ($3,000)
• BMM Testlabs ($3,000)

The NCRG has made a significant impact by increasing understanding of gambling disorder and responsible gaming through high-quality research and science-based resources. NCRG-funded research has produced more than 325 articles in top-tier peer-reviewed publications, leading to a number of significant advancements in the field’s knowledge of gambling disorder prevalence, promising treatment strategies and youth gambling.

The NCRG has also developed peerless educational trainings–including the regional clinician workshops and webinars–and publications that are designed to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice.

“The NCRG continues to expand its public education offerings through new videos, publications and science-based resources,” said Sanna. “By growing our research and education initiatives, we expand opportunities to learn about this public health issue and continue to seek ways to help those in need.”

To learn more about the NCRG, visit www.ncrg.org. To stay up-to-date on year-round educational opportunities and the latest news and issues in the field, visit the NCRG’s blog – Gambling Disorders 360° – and connect with the NCRG on Facebook and Twitter.

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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 gambling disorder and youth gambling. The NCRG was founded in 1996 as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For more information, visit www.ncrg.org.

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Iowa Researcher To Receive 2016 NCRG Scientific Achievement Award

Dr. Donald W. Black of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine will be honored for study of gambling disorder

Sep 20, 2016

Las Vegas—The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) has announced that Donald Black, MD, has been named the 2016 recipient of the NCRG Scientific Achievement Award. Dr. Black will be recognized today at the 17th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

“As a pioneering researcher of gambling addiction since the 1990’s, Dr. Black has produced a body of research that continues to impact the way we understand disordered gambling behavior,” said NCRG Executive Director Russell Sanna. “His ground-breaking work on the role that family history plays in the development of a gambling disorder is an important scientific achievement with enormous impact on both research and clinical treatment of the disorder.”

Black, professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, has blazed other new paths in the field. He has conducted clinical trials of various medications for gambling problems and explored the impact of other health problems, such as personality disorders and obesity, on gambling disorder.

In addition to the more than 200 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, Black has authored, co-authored and edited many significant books including theDSM-5 Guidebook: The Essential Companion to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(2014).

For NCRG Conference updates visit the NCRG’s blog – Gambling Disorders 360° – and connect with the NCRG on Facebook (theNCRG) and Twitter (@theNCRG).

To obtain additional information on the NCRG’s conference, visit www.ncrg.org/conference. To obtain press credentials for events related to the conference, or to arrange interviews with Black or other conference participants, please contact Christine Reilly (creilly@ncrg.org; 617-359-9904).

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The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding scientific research on gambling disorder and youthgambling, and supporting science-based education for the public and professionals. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the NCRG is the only national private funder of this line of research in the US. For more information, visit the NCRG website:www.ncrg.org.

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Luke Clark, Ph.d., Receives Top Honor For Gambling Disorder Research

University of British Columbia scientist honored for outstanding work in the field

Sep 28, 2015

LAS VEGAS – The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) has announced that Luke Clark, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia (UBC) is the recipient of the 2015 Scientific Achievement Award. Dr. Clark is being recognized today for his contributions to the field of research on gambling disorder at the 16th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction at The Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.

“Dr. Clark has not only made a remarkable impact on the field, but also has quite a promising career ahead of him in leading the Centre for Gambling Research at UBC,” said Christine Reilly, senior director of research at the NCRG. “We are honored to present this award to him and look forward to what he and his colleagues will accomplish in the future.”

Dr. Clark’s research at the University of Cambridge carved a new and important line of study that merges the psychological perspectives of gambling disorder (cognitive psychology, judgment and decision-making) with neuroscience. In conjunction with the London Problem Gambling Clinic, Dr. Clark collected neurocognitive markers of impulsivity and compulsivity in more than 120 problem gamblers. This work quickly became the largest study of treatment-seeking gamblers ever conducted in the U.K.

As the inaugural director of the Centre for Gambling Research and associate professor of psychology at UBC, his current research builds upon his work in London. His most recent line of research aims to move beyond simply understanding the neurobiological factors of gambling disorder to examine the addiction within a public health framework. Specifically, Dr. Clark and his team will consider the interplay between the gambler’s neurobiological risk factors and various game features. This research and more lies at the heart of the program that Dr. Clark is building at UBC’s Centre for Gambling Research, a unique partnership with the government of British Columbia and British Columbia Lottery Corporation.

Previous recipients of the NCRG’s Scientific Achievement Award include leaders in this field, such as Alex Blaszczynski, Ph.D.; Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., M.P.H., Renee Cunningham-Williams, Ph.D., M.P.E., L.C.S.W.; Robert Custer, M.D.; Jeffrey Derevensky, Ph.D., Jon E. Grant, J.D., M.D., M.P.H.; Rina Gupta, Ph.D.; David C. Hodgins, Ph.D.; Robert Ladouceur, Ph.D.; Nancy Petry, Ph.D.; Marc N. Potenza, M.D., Ph.D.; Howard J. Shaffer, Ph.D., C.A.S.; Wendy S. Slutske, Ph.D.; Randy Stinchfield, Ph.D., L.P.; Catherine Winstanley, Ph.D., Ken C. Winters, Ph.D.; and Suck Won Kim, M.D.

For NCRG Conference updates, including on-site reporting about the sessions and audio posts from leading researchers and industry representatives, visit the NCRG’s blog –Gambling Disorders 360°– and connect with the NCRG onFacebookandTwitter.

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Media Advisory: 16th Annual NCRG Conference On Gambling And Addiction

Sep 26, 2015

WHAT:16TH ANNUAL NCRG CONFERENCE ON GAMBLING AND ADDICTION

WHEN:SEPTEMBER 27 – 29, 2015

WHERE:The Sands Expo and Convention Center at the Venetian Las Vegas – 1stLevel

WHY:The NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction is a unique forum for the industry, healthcare providers, researchers and regulators to discuss the latest research on gambling disorder and responsible gaming. This year’s nationally-renowned speakers are working to strengthen the ability of clinicians to treat gambling disorder and other addiction; enable the industry and government regulators to develop science-based policies to reduce gambling problems; and increase awareness and understanding of addiction and gambling disorder among minorities, women and young people.

The program includes:

  • Nine plenary and breakout sessions led by experts in the field of addiction and mental health
  • Latest research on screening and brief interventions for gambling disorder and other addictions
  • A special track for gaming regulators and industry to explore the latest research the effectiveness of responsible gaming programs and policies
  • An international perspective on responsible gaming best practices

KEY SPEAKERS:

  • William C. Moyers,vice president of public affairs and community relations at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
  • John F. Kelly, Ph.D.,founder and director of the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital and Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
  • Holly Hagle, Ph.D.,director of the National Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment Addiction Technology Transfer Center (National SBIRT ATTC) at the Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions (IRETA)
  • Kahlil Philander, Ph.D.,director of social responsibility at the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC)

For additional information or for interview requests, visitwww.ncrg.org/conferenceor contact:

Christine Reilly
Senior Research Director
creilly@ncrg.org
C: 617.359.9904

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NCRG Awarded Nearly One Million Dollars In 2014 To Promote Better Understanding Of Gambling Disorder

Ten grants announced, including first-ever online help for college students

Feb 25, 2015

BEVERLY, MASS – The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) today reported the full portfolio of research grants awarded in 2014, totaling nearly $1 million. The NCRG awards, which demonstrate its continued leadership in the field, include the testing of an online intervention for college students, an investigation of how and why disordered gamblers seek to change their behaviors, and an assessment of risky behaviors, including gambling, among Native American youth.

“We are excited to award $948,681 in support of 10 new innovative and high quality research projects,” said Ken C. Winters, Ph.D., chairman of the NCRG Scientific Advisory Board and professor, department of psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School. “These studies will move the needle for the gambling disorder field by expanding the body of scientifically rigorous and peer-reviewed research that will eventually inform effective prevention and treatment approaches.”

The NCRG is the only organization dedicated to funding research on gambling disorder and has awarded more than $17 million in research grants since its founding in 1996. The NCRG awarded grants for the following research projects in 2014:

Large Grants

  • Evaluation and Implementation of Personalized Normative Feedback for CollegeGambling.org– Clayton Neighbors, Ph.D., University of Houston was awarded $233,570 to test the first-ever online screen/brief intervention for gambling among college and university students. The instrument, BetOnU, is available at the NCRG’s website,CollegeGambling.org/BetOnU.
  • Biobehavioral Assessment and Validation of Animal Phenotype of Pathological Gambling– Martin Zack, Ph.D., Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, was awarded $101,200 to develop an animal model that accurately reflects the brain and behavioral profile of disordered gamblers in order to test medications for the treatment of gambling disorder.
  • Modifying the Automatic Approach Bias toward Gambling Stimuli in Problem Gamblers: A Novel Intervention for Changing Excessive Gambling Behavior– Sherry H. Stewart, Ph.D., Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, was awarded $172,500 to conduct a two-part study to understand the implicit thought patterns that could play a role in the development of a gambling disorder, by exploring whether or not disordered gamblers have an “approach bias” (i.e. the automatic tendency to approach or conduct a risky-behavior rather than avoid it).
  • Personality Traits, Affective Context and Pathological Gambling: An Experience Sampling Approach– Donald R. Lynam, Ph.D., Purdue University, was awarded $172,037 to develop a model to understand the intersecting factors of affect and impulse control traits on the development of a gambling disorder. By learning how these two factors impact gambling disorder development and treatment, this model could allow for tailored interventions for disordered gamblers.

Seed Grants

  • Discontinuity and Change among Disordered Gamblers– Michael J.A. Wohl, Ph.D., Carleton University, was awarded $27,772 to conduct a longitudinal study designed to determine what factors influence a person’s readiness to change behavior and receive help for a gambling disorder.
  • Risk and Resilience among Native American Youth in the Pacific Northwest– Debi LaPlante, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance, was awarded $34,447 to partner with the Healing Lodge of Seven Nations and engage tribal youth in a brief risk and resilience assessment during planned community events.
  • Assessing Risk-preference and Compulsive Behavior in a Rodent Gambling Task– Jamie Donahey Roitman, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, was awarded $34,500 to devise an animal model of disordered gambling to understand the extent to which risky decision-making processes are innate or altered by experience; how different patterns of neural activity drive behavior toward risk-seeking or avoidance; and how therapeutic methods can alter neural activity to reduce disordered gambling behavior.

Post-doctoral Individual Fellowship

  • On the Usefulness of Training Motor Response Inhibition Under Craving States in Individuals with Gambling Disorder– Damien Brevers, Ph.D., University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute, was awarded $169,861 to conduct a study that examines the interaction between inhibition control, impulsivity and craving processes in addiction at a behavioral and neurobiological level.

Travel Grants

  • Rapid Intermittent Deep Brain Stimulation Biases Behavior in a Financial Decision-making Task– Shaun Patel, Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital was awarded $1,500 to present a poster at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience on a study of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation while engaged in a financial decision-making task.
  • Effects of Mixed-Function Serotonergic Compounds in a Novel Rodent Cost/Benefit Decision-Making Task– Amanda Persons, Ph.D., Rush University Medical Center, was awarded $1,294 to present a poster at the 2014 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience on a study testing the impact of a serotonergic medication on decision making, using a novel rat model of cost/benefit decision making.

The NCRG is the only national organization devoted to funding research on gambling disorder and responsible gaming. Grant recipients were chosen through a rigorous review process led by the NCRG’s Scientific Advisory Board, composed of leading independent scientists with expertise in addiction and gambling disorder. For more on the Scientific Advisory Board and the NCRG’s grant making process, visitwww.ncrg.org/research-center.

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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 gambling disorder and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. Each year, the NCRG allocates approximately $1 million for research, and reaches a half million individuals with trainings and education resources. For more information, visit the NCRG website:www.ncrg.org.

Download aPDF versionof this release.

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Catharine Winstanley, Ph.d. And Linda B. Cottler, Ph.d., M.p.h To Receive 2014 NCRG Scientific Achievement Award

NCRG Gives First-ever Award for an Educator for their Scientific Work and Leadership in the Field

Sep 29, 2014

LAS VEGAS – The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) has announced that Catharine Winstanley, Ph.D., and Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., M.P.H., have been named recipients of the 2014 Scientific Achievement Award. These two renowned researchers are being recognized today for their invaluable contributions to the field of research for gambling disorder and responsible gaming at the 15thannual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction at The Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.

“Drs. Winstanley and Cottler are incredibly deserving of the NCRG Scientific Achievement Award,” said NCRG Chairman Alan Feldman, executive vice president of global government and industry affairs at MGM Resorts International. “Their pioneering work and dedication to mentoring young investigators has shown true leadership in this field, and the NCRG is grateful to have worked with both of them.”

Dr. Winstanley, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of British Columbia, is recognized internationally as an expert in the study of impulsivity and gambling-related decision-making. She is among the first scientists to focus on modeling gambling processes in laboratory animals in a manner that reflects the decision-making processes experienced by humans when they gamble.

Her first project in this regard was to develop a rodent version of the Iowa Gambling Task, a process used by many groups to study decision-making under uncertainty in clinical populations. Dr. Winstanley’s pioneering studies concluded that rats were able to successfully learn to “play the odds” in a gambling task, effectively modeling human gambling behavior. The first results using this rat gambling task indicated that decision-making could be modulated by serotonergic and dopaminergic compounds. These findings, published in the high-impact journalNeuropsychopharmacology,have been cited more than 75 times, and this specific research method is being used by multiple groups throughout the world to probe the biological basis of gambling-related decision-making.

Dr. Winstanley’s creative and innovative work will help answer key questions about the causes and treatment of gambling disorder in a way that will eventually inform and complement research on humans.

For the first time, the NCRG is honoring an educator who has contributed to the field of gambling disorder in a variety of ways. Dr. Linda B. Cottler, Associate Dean for Research and Planning, College of Public Health and Health Professions, Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, has been a pivotal figure in the development of the field of gambling disorder, and her successful mentorship of young investigators has contributed to the NCRG’s adoption of special grant categories for early stage investigators.

Dr. Cottler is being recognized for a number of accomplishments in the field of gambling disorder, including mentorship of young investigators and service to the field. She was a leading investigator of the 1981 Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study of mental disorders, which was among the first to provide substantial evidence for the high rate of co-occurring psychiatric disorders with gambling disorder. She was a member of the National Research Council committee, the group that wrote the seminal review of the state of the field.

One of the most impressive features of Dr. Cottler’s service to the field is her work as a member of the NCRG Scientific Advisory Board since 1998 and her time as chairwoman from 2009 – 2013. Dr. Cottler also has mentored some of the most successful young investigators to develop research programs on gambling disorder. These mentorships contributed to the NCRG’s adoption of special grant categories for early stage investigators. To this day, she continues to encourage her young investigators to focus on gambling disorder, thus helping ensure the next generation of gambling researchers.

Previous recipients of the NCRG’s Scientific Achievement Award include leaders in this field, such as Alex Blaszczynski, Ph.D.; Renee Cunningham-Williams, Ph.D., M.P.E., L.C.S.W.; Robert Custer, M.D.; Jeffrey Derevensky, Ph.D., Jon E. Grant, J.D., M.D., M.P.H.; Rina Gupta, Ph.D.; David C. Hodgins, Ph.D.; Robert Ladouceur, Ph.D.; Nancy Petry, Ph.D.; Marc N. Potenza, M.D., Ph.D.; Howard J. Shaffer, Ph.D., C.A.S.; Wendy S. Slutske, Ph.D.; Randy Stinchfield, Ph.D., L.P.; Ken C. Winters, Ph.D.; and Suck Won Kim, M.D.

For NCRG Conference updates, including on-site reporting about the sessions and audio posts from leading researchers and industry representatives, visit the NCRG’s blog –Gambling Disorders 360°– and connect with the NCRG onFacebookandTwitter.

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New Video, College Gambling Assessment To Help Educate Students During March Madness

BetOnU Helps Students Understand Their Gambling Behavior; NCRG Campaign Encourages College Health Professionals and Administrators to Get Involved

Mar 18, 2014

BOSTON – As the NCAA basketball tournament hits its stride, fans around the United States are filling out brackets and possibly placing bets on the game. College students gamble nearly as much as adults, and research shows that 6 percent develop some form of gambling problem that can result in psychological difficulties, unmanageable debt and failing grades.

To address this issue, the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) today launched its College Gambling Awareness Campaign, bringing new resources towww.CollegeGambling.org. These new and invaluable resources, including the BetOnU College Gambling Survey, a shareable video and an information-packed toolkit, were developed to further help college health professionals and administrators educate students about gambling-related harms and responsible gaming.

“For the past six years, the NCRGhas been committed to educating the 75 percent of college students that have gambled in the past year, and provide recovery-oriented measures for those who may need help,” said Christine Reilly, senior research director of theNCRG. “Educating students about gambling-related harms and responsible gaming will help them develop healthy behaviors that they can carry with them further into adulthood.”

Developed in 2011,CollegeGambling.orgis a science-based resource to help colleges and universities address gambling and gambling-related harms on college campuses. The website brings together the latest research and best practices in responsible gaming and the field of addiction awareness and prevention.CollegeGambling.orgprovides free resources for university administrators, campus health professionals, students and parents to help address this issue in the way best suited to the needs of each campus.

The NCRG’s2014 College Gambling Awareness Campaign features several new resources onCollegeGambling.org, including:

  • BetOnU College Gambling Survey– This brief survey, created by University of Houston researcher Clayton Neighbors, Ph.D. from an NCRG grant, is the first online intervention that allows college students to see how their gambling behavior compares with other students. After taking a 10-minute, confidential survey, participants will receive information on where they stand when compared to others in different universities and colleges. Research suggests that this awareness can help reduce gambling among students.They will also find resources for help, if they are experiencing gambling-related problems. College health professionals and administrators can use the free resource as part of their wellness programs and in student orientations.
  • Webinar –On Wednesday, March 19, the NCRG will hold a free webinar, titled “Preventing Disordered Gambling among College Students.” Dr. Clayton Neighbors will discuss the BetOnU College Gambling Screener, provide an overview of disordered gambling on college campuses and describe the research behind the development and testing of this novel prevention program. (Visithttp://www.ncrg.org/public-education-and-outreach/webinarsto register.)
  • The Facts about College Gambling Video– The NCRG created a short video that provides an overview of gambling among college students, gambling disorders, responsible gaming and how college students can get help for a problem. Anyone can download and share this video in education programs.
  • College Gambling Toolkit –The NCRG created a toolkit with resources for college health professionals and administrators that includes free, downloadable collateral materials, such as a brochure, an infographic, the BetOnU College Survey and the college gambling video. The toolkit also includes customizable materials for distribution, including sample newspaper articles, newspaper and radio public service announcements, and social media posts.

TheBetOnU College Gambling Survey, The Facts about College Gambling video and the toolkit for college health professionals and administrators are all available for free onCollegeGambling.org.

“BetOnU and the college gambling video are two tools that college health professionals and university administrators can easily integrate into their existing programs,” said Reilly. “We strongly encourage all colleges and universities to link toCollegeGambling.organd share the BetOnU College Gambling Survey and the video on their institutions’ websites and via social media outlets.”

The development ofCollegeGambling.orgwas guided by an advisory committee of leading college and university health and student life professionals.CollegeGambling.orgbuilds on the recommendations of the Task Force on College Gambling Policies, which provides schools with a roadmap for reducing gambling among students and enabling those who are struggling with addiction to participate more fully in college life.

For more information, visitwww.CollegeGambling.org. To learn more about the NCRG, visitwww.ncrg.org.

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NCRG Offers $800,000 To Study Gambling Disorders In 2014

Grants Program Aims to Further Understanding, Treatment of Gambling Disorders

Feb 20, 2014

BOSTON – As the largest private source of funding in the United States for investigations of gambling disorders, the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) today announced it has allocated $800,000 in 2014 for grants in support of research on the prevention and treatment of gambling disorders. This year, the research grants will be awarded in four categories—Travel Grants, Seed Grants, Large Grants and Post-doctoral Individual Fellowship—and will offer funding opportunities for investigators from various disciplines and at all career levels.

“From studies that look at the prevention of gambling disorders to research on the impact of new gaming technology, the NCRG is looking forward to funding cutting-edge research this year,” said Christine Reilly, senior research director of the NCRG. “NCRG grants have led to a number of significant advancements in the field of research on gambling disorders, and we are proud to offer a variety of funding opportunities—for all levels of researchers—that will continue to deepen our understanding of this disorder.”

Funding is available in the following categories:

  • Travel Grants– The Travel Grants program supports the attendance of postdoctoral investigators presenting a poster or paper on gambling disorders research at a major scientific meeting in either 2014 or 2015. Applicants may request up to $1,500 in direct costs per year, and the principal investigator may apply for one travel grant per cycle. Applications will be accepted throughout 2014.
  • Seed Grants– The Seed Grants program supports small research projects that can be completed in one year. Applicants may request up to $30,000 in direct costs for a period not to exceed 12 months. Applications are due by March 3 and September 1.
  • Large Grants –The Large Grants program provides up to two years of support for discrete, specified, circumscribed research projects related to gambling disorders. Applicants may request up to $75,000 in direct costs per year for a period not to exceed 24 months. Letters of intent are due by March 3, and full applications from invited applicants are due by June 2.
  • Post-doctoral Individual Fellowship –The primary objective of this fellowship is to prepare qualified individuals for careers that will have a significant impact on the understanding of the etiology, prevention and treatment of gambling disorders. The award will provide support to promising postdoctoral applicants who have the potential to become productive and successful independent research investigators focused on gambling disorders. The NCRG will award research grants of $75,000 per year for the support of two-year postdoctoral research training. Training activities can be in basic biomedical or clinical sciences, behavioral or social sciences, health services research, or in any other discipline relevant to the aims of this fellowship program. Letters of intent are due by March 3, and full applications from invited applicants are due by June 2.

The grants program is conducted under the direction of the NCRG’s Scientific Advisory Board, composed of leading scientists with expertise in the addictions and related fields. The Scientific Advisory Board is committed to ensuring the most rigorous standards in the selection of projects funded by the NCRG. The Scientific Advisory Board and the peer-review panels follow the National Institutes of Health criteria for scientific merit and peer-review procedures.

The NCRG is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research on gambling disorders. To learn more about the NCRG grants program and the impact of the research funded by the NCRG, visitwww.ncrg.org.

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Former Nevada Regulator Added To NCRG Board Of Directors

Mark Lipparelli tapped to add key policy perspectives on gambling disorders and responsible gaming; Christine Reilly appointed as NCRG secretary and treasurer

Dec 9, 2013

WASHINGTON – The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) today announced that its board of directors elected Mark Lipparelli, former chairman of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board, to join as a member. Christine Reilly, senior research director of the NCRG, also has been appointed to the officer positions of secretary and treasurer and replaces Judy Patterson following her departure from the NCRG

“We are thrilled to welcome Mark to the board; his deep knowledge and work in the regulatory space within the gaming industry is unparalleled,” said Alan Feldman, NCRG chairman and executive vice president of global government and industry affairs of MGM Resorts International. “Mark’s expertise will propel the NCRG forward to help educate regulators about gambling disorders and help us develop resources to strategically address responsible gaming programs for online gamblers.”

In 2012, Lipparelli completed a four-year term on the Nevada State Gaming Control Board, including the last two years as chairman. He left office to resume leadership positions at Gioco Ventures, LLC, a development stage technology company that he founded and previously at which he served as chief executive officer. Lipparelli is well known throughout the gaming industry for his various management positions within Bally Technologies, Shuffle Master (now SHFL entertainment, Inc.) and Casino Data Systems.

“On behalf of all of the NCRG’s board members and staff, I also want to thank Judy Patterson for serving as secretary and treasurer of the NCRG board for the past 17 years, as well as for her leadership role in helping to advance the organization to where it is today,” said Feldman. “In seeking out the best person to fill Judy’s officer positions, the board unanimously agreed that Christine Reilly has the right depth of expertise, knowledge and background to take on and best represent the NCRG in those roles going forward. Christine was the NCRG’s first hire and has been with the organization from its very beginning. We are excited to work with Christine in this expanded role and welcome her continued and valuable contributions that will no doubt further the organization and its future initiatives.”

As the senior research director of the NCRG, Reilly administers the organization’s research grant programs and coordinates educational activities such as the annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction and the EMERGE Training program (Executive, Management, and Employee Responsible Gaming Education). In her new officer role, Reilly will add the responsibilities of corporate secretary and treasurer to her portfolio of NCRG responsibilities. Previously, Reilly served as the executive director of the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, from 2000 to 2009; Prior to serving as the first executive director of the NCRG from 1997 to 2000, she was the executive director of the Missouri Humanities Council (the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities).

The NCRG board of directors includes representatives from the gaming industry and the public health and regulatory communities. As the practical, hands-on management group of the organization, the board focuses on education and outreach program creation and implementation. For a complete list of board members, visithttp://www.ncrg.org/about-ncrg/leadership/board-directors.

For more information about the NCRG and its programs, visitwww.ncrg.org. To stay up-to-date on year-round educational opportunities and the latest news and issues in the field, visit the NCRG’s blog –Gambling Disorders 360° – and connect with the NCRG onFacebookandTwitter.

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