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How do you say “responsible gaming?” The NCRG is making it a bit easier to do so by translating various resources into other languages, including Spanish, French, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese. During this year’s Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW), the NCRG is excited to share that its “Talking with Children about Gambling Brochure” is now available in these languages. And we aren’t stopping there! We are also excited to give a preview of additional resources that will be translated later this year.

RGEW is a time where many of the resources from theAmerican Gaming Association (AGA)and the NCRG are put on display, but this year’s events particularly highlight how responsible gaming needs to reach a broader, more diverse audience. The NCRG developed “Talking with Children about Gambling” in 2009 in partnership with the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. The research-based guide is designed to help parents, as well as others who work with youth, deter children from gambling and recognize possible warning signs of problem gambling and other risky behaviors.

“Talking with Children about Gambling” is not the only NCRG publication in six languages. In the coming weeks, the NCRG will release various resources to help reach a global population. These materials include the College Gambling brochure and the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen, and they will be put online as a free download on theNCRG website.

A key component of gambling responsibly is to understand the odds of games and know that the odds of winning are with the house. To help educate the public about responsible gaming, the AGA also translated its more widely used responsible gaming brochures into these same languages.“The House Advantage: A Guide to Understanding the Odds”gives a breakdown of the odds of different casino games.“Taking the Mystery out of the Machine”explains how slot machines work, and“Keeping it Fun: A Guide to Responsible Gaming”discusses ways to gamble responsibly and set personal limits to determine whether, when and how much to gamble.

Make sure to check out all of these resources online on the NCRG and AGA websites. Are there other languages that the NCRG and AGA should include when translating materials? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

NCRG staffResponsible Gamingresponsible gamingRGEWTalking with Children about GamblingTranslated Resources

The NCRG Webinar Series is a great way to obtain the essential training for clinicians and researchers to understand science-based information about gambling disorders and responsible gaming. We like to cover a wide variety of topics related to this issue and give a diverse group of people the tools they need to apply the research findings to their everyday lives.

This is the same approach that we take during the pre-conference workshops for the NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction. Last year, we had the pleasure of having Mark Dixon, Ph.D., from Southern Illinois University lead aworkshop on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). We were excited when he agreed to do an NCRG webinar on this topic more than 200 attendees last week.

Dr. Dixon’s presentation covered the basis of ACT. For those of you who don’t know, ACT is a unique evidenced-based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies together with commitment and behavior change strategies to increase psychological flexibility. It is considered a second generation cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) model and is based on behavioral principles on the nature of language and cognition. He also outlinedthe six tenets of ACT: contact with the present moment, acceptance, diffusion, self as context, values and committed actions.

By explaining the difference between ACT, CBT, Motivational Interviewing and other therapeutic options, Dr. Dixon’s presentation elicited one very clear observation:there is no treatment standard for gambling disorders yet. As with any other psychological disorder, individuals can respond differently to treatment. Research has also shown that, in some cases, those with a gambling disorder can even enter recovery on their own. One person may be very responsive to CBT, being able to recognize their thought process that makes them want to gamble and modifying their behavior accordingly. Another person may be more receptive to ACT, allowing them to accept what they’re thinking and find other committed actions, instead of gambling, that align with their core values.

Treatment for addiction, whether substance use or one that is substance-less such as a gambling disorder, can vary for the individual. For clinicians and researchers, it is most important to understand and use evidence-based therapy techniques. If not, we have no measure by which to evaluate a treatment strategy for addiction.

For those of who you attended theNCRG webinar on July 31, what did you take away from Dr. Dixon’s session? Please leave your comments in the section below.

NCRG staffICRG NewsACTDr. Mark DixonNCRG Conference on Gambling and AddictionWebinar Series

“This is the type of site you will want to visit again and again to stay up to date with the latest information on gambling disorders and responsible gaming,” said NCRG Chairman Alan Feldman.

Last week, the NCRG unveiled its newest resource:The Discovery Project. Located on the NCRG website, The Discovery Project is an easy-to-use online library for finding the latest science-based information on gambling disorders and responsible gaming. It synthesizes the NCRG’s numerous resources—including videos, guidebooks, brochures and condensed information on research studies—and allows users to search for information by date, keyword, topic or content type.

To further enhance The Discovery Project, the NCRG also created topic-specific fact sheets that cover the most pressing topics in the field, including: the prevalence of gambling disorders; the impact of proximity and exposure to gambling on gambling disorders; brief screens and assessments; and more. Like all materials developed by the NCRG and included within The Discovery Project, the fact sheets were developed using findings from scientific, peer-reviewed research studies.

Feldman commented on why the NCRG created The Discovery Project:

‘For those who don’t regularly pore through dense research articles, the NCRG developed The Discovery Project. This useful tool breaks down the latest scientific information into easily understandable resources that can be used and shared.”

The Discovery Project will be continually updated to address and explain other relevant topics. The NCRG encourages you to visit The Discovery Project and hopes you will share it with your colleagues and friends.

Are there any specific topics you would like addressed within The Discovery Project? Leave your suggestions below.

NCRG staffICRG NewsNCRG ResourcesRaising AwarenessResearch-based factsThe Discovery Project

Today, the NCRG is excited toannouncethatKen Winters, Ph.D.,professor of psychiatry and director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse at the University of Minnesota, was named the next chairman of the NCRG’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

Dr. Winters is a leading expert in the study of risky behaviors among youth, including gambling. His research interests include assessment and treatment of adolescent drug abuse and gambling; adolescent brain development and vulnerability to drug abuse; and assessment and treatment of adult problem gambling. He has published numerous research articles in these areas, and has received numerous research grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and various foundations. Dr. Winters was honored by the NCRG with the Scientific Achievement Award in 2005 for his work on gambling disorders.

Dr. Winters serves on the editorial boards of theJournal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse,Psychology of Addictive Behaviorsand theJournal of Substance Abuse Treatment. He was also the lead editor for two Treatment Improvement Protocol Series editions published by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA) that focused on adolescent drug abuse assessment and treatment. Dr. Winters is a consultant to many organizations, including the Hazelden Foundation, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Partnership at Drugfree.org, the World Health Organization and the Mentor Foundation (an international drug abuse prevention organization).

Dr. Winters replacesLinda B. Cottler, Ph.D., M.P.H.,associate dean for research and planning in the College of Public Health and Health Professions and Dean’s Professor and Chair for the department of epidemiology in the Colleges of Medicine and Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida, who will remain as a member of the SAB.

Theeight-member panelof leading, independent scientists plays a vital role by ensuring that the organization follows rigorous standards inawarding grants, monitoring the work of theNCRG Centers of Excellence in Gambling Researchand advising the NCRG on funding initiatives and educational activities.

Commenting on his new position, Dr. Winters said:

“I am honored to accept this expanded role on the NCRG’s SAB. On behalf of the entire board, we thank Dr. Cottler for her leadership and guidance for the past four years and we look forward to her continued contribution to the board.”

The NCRG also announced today that three new members were added to the SAB:

• David Hodgins, Ph.D., professor of psychology in the department of psychology and institute node coordinator for the University of Calgary, Alberta Gaming Research Institute;
• Gloria M. Miele, Ph.D., instructor at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and principal at Optimal Development Coaching; and
• Wendy Slutske, Ph.D., professor in the department of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Stay tuned for a blog post later this week about these new additions to the board.

NCRG staffICRG NewsDr. Ken WintersDr. Linda CottlerScientific Advisory Board

The deadline to submit a poster for this year’sNCRG Conference on Gambling and Addictionis fast approaching, and submissions have begun arriving from around the world! There are only 30 days left before the August 1 deadline. In addition to the outstanding poster award, we also will recognize high quality posters with honorable mention awards as directed by the scientists on the poster review committee.

If you have new empirical research on gambling disorders that you want to share with colleagues we encourage you to submit a poster abstract for the session on Sept. 22, 2013.

Subject Matter

Posters can focus on any aspect of gambling disorders and must report on empirical research. Abstracts will be reviewed for scientific merit. An award for the outstanding poster and honorable mentions will be presented at the conference.

Submission Guidelines

Abstracts are limited to 500 words and should be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word or other word processing software using a font size no smaller than 12 pt. font. Please include the following information:

1. Title of presentation
2. Name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s)
3. Mailing address, telephone and email address of the first author
4. Poster abstract (no more than 500 words). Please follow APA format for text and references. The abstract should address sample and methods, preliminary findings and implications for the field.
5. By submitting a poster, at least one author must agree to attend the conference and to participate as the poster presenter. No individual can be first author on more than one abstract.

Abstracts will be accepted on a rolling basis until August 1, 2013. Send abstracts via email to Nathan Smith, program officer at the NCRG:nsmith@ncrg.org.

Questions? Email Nathan Smith or call 978-338-6610.

NCRG staffConference on Gambling and AddictionNCRG ConferenceNCRG Conference on Gambling and Addictionposter session