Gambling Disorder Screening Day: Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Did you know that only about 15 percent of disordered gamblers in the US seek treatment or attend self-help groups (Slutske, 2006)? However, nearly half of lifetime disordered gamblers received treatment for some other mental or substance problem (Kessler et al., 2008). According to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, increased screening for emerging gambling problems in clients already in treatment might be an opportunity to prevent full-blown gambling disorders (Kessler et al., 2008).

That is why the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is continuing its support of Gambling Disorder Screening Day on March 10, 2015. Last year, theDivision on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital (Division), promoted the development of the first Gambling Disorder Screening Day.

The Division on Addiction reported that the 2014 screening day encouraged a number of healthcare providers to start screening their clients for gambling disorder. Some of these organizations found that up to 10.5 percent of their clients were at-risk for gambling problems.

The NCRG is supporting the Division’s efforts by making available theBrief Biosocial Gambling Screen, an evidence-based three-question screen, on a magnet suitable for posting on clinicians’ file cabinets. The BBGS magnets are available free from the NCRG. Please send requests to Sam Newcomer (snewcomer@ncrg.org).

The Division is offering an array of resources for screening day. You can find the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen in 22 languageshere. (Learn about the psychometrics of the BBGS (Gebauer, LaBrie, & Shaffer, 2010) ina previous edition of The WAGER.) If you have questions, and would like to conduct your own screening, please contact the Division atinfo@divisiononaddiction.org.

Have you ever screened clients with other disorders for gambling disorder? Tell us about your experiences below.

References

Gebauer, L., LaBrie, R., & Shaffer, H. J. (2010). Optimizing DSM-IV-TR classification accuracy: a brief biosocial screen for detecting current gambling disorders among gamblers in the general household population.Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(2), 82–90.

Kessler, R. C., Hwang, I., LaBrie, R., Petukhova, M., Sampson, N. A., Winters, K. C., & Shaffer, H. J. (2008). DSM-IV pathological gambling in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.Psychological Medicine,38(9), 1351–60. doi:S0033291708002900 [pii] 10.1017/S0033291708002900

Slutske, W. S. (2006). Natural recovery and treatment-seeking in pathological gambling: Results of two U.S. national surveys.American Journal of Psychiatry,163(2), 297–302. doi:163/2/297 [pii] 10.1176/appi.ajp.163.2.297

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NCRG Year In Review: 2014 Highlights, Accomplishments And Thank-you's!

  • The integrity of NCRG research is protected by a firewall between the source of NCRG funding and the research projects selected for support. Thanks to the members of theScientific Advisory Board, which makes the final decisions about grant awards, and the independent peer review panels that evaluated proposals to NCRG in 2014. Their commitment to scientific merit has yielded the highest quality research as demonstrated by the publication of NCRG-funded studies in high impact, competitive, peer-reviewed journals.
  • In 2014, the NCRG awarded nearly $1 million in research grants in support of various investigations of gambling disorder, from studies of risk factors among Native American youth to research exploring the resistance of disordered gamblers to treatment.
  • The NCRG launched BetOnU, the first evidence-based, online, confidential screening/brief intervention tool for college students atwww.collegegambling.org. The screening instrument was developed and tested by Dr. Clayton Neighbors at the University of Houston with support from NCRG.
  • Disseminating findings of NCRG research to professionals and the public remains an important part of the NCRG mission. In 2014, NCRG educational programs and social media reached 500,000 people.
  • The 2014 NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction received the best reviews ever in its 15th year, with an overwhelming majority attendees rating the program as superior to or better than average when compared with other conferences on the same topic. Patrick Kennedy, former congressman, brought the attendees to their feet with his rousing talk on how the stigma of addiction prevents sound public health policy.
  • The NCRG Webinar Seriescontinued to provide high quality educational programming reaching an audience of nearly 1,000 in 2014. A highlight was the first presentation of ground-breaking research on the impact of the Affordable Care Act for people with a gambling disorder. Special thanks toGlobal Gaming Expo (G2E)for support of this program.
  • Finally, congratulations to the 2014 recipients of the NCRG Scientific Achievement Awards: Catharine Winstanley, Ph.D., University of British Columbia, and Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., M.P.H., University of Florida

Stay tuned for news about 2015 initiatives!

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Let The NCRG Send You To Phoenix, San Antonio And Baltimore! Travel Grants Available For Young Investigators

New gambling research is not usually represented at the premiere national scientific meetings focused on addiction. If you are a young investigator with new gambling-related research to present, you can help fill the void! Apply for an NCRG Travel Grant category to support your participation in conferences such as College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), the American Psychological Association, the Society for Neuroscience and other academic meetings.

Applicants may request up to $1,500 for travel in 2015. Funds can be used to support economy air transportation, lodging, ground transportation, meals and early-bird registration fees.

Eligible applicants must be within 10 years of their doctorate (Ph.D.) or medical residence. The applicant must be the first author of the paper or poster to be presented. Eligible meetings include academic conferences that are not focused primarily on gambling and that employ rigorous peer review in the selection of posters and presentations.

Download the NCRG Travel Grant application form fromwww.ncrg.org/research-center/apply-ncrg-funding/travel-grants.

Several Upcoming Deadlines for Submissions:

The College on Problems of Drug Dependenceis acceptingabstracts until Dec. 5, 2014, for its annual meeting scheduled for June 13-18, 2015, in Phoenix. For details, visitwww.cpdd.vcu.edu.

The Research Society on Alcoholismhas a deadline of Dec. 1, 2014, for program proposals and speaker abstracts, and a deadline of Jan. 5, 2015, for individual poster abstracts for its annual meeting on June 20-24, 2015 in San Antonio. For details, visitwww.rsoa.org.

Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction, a conference sponsored by the APA Division 50, is accepting poster abstracts until January 20, 2015. The conference will be held in Baltimore, March 6-7, 2015. For details, visithttp://research.alcoholstudies.rutgers.edu/cpa

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Lost In The Shuffle: How Health And Disability Laws Hurt Disordered Gamblers [NCRG Webinar]

Aug. 21, 2-3 p.m. ET |Click here to register

The field of gambling disorder has seen many changes over the past year, many of which are due to the American Psychiatric Association’s fifth edition of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disordersand the Affordable Care Act. Many private health insurance policies and plans exclude treatments for gambling disorder from insurance coverage. However, healthcare providers specializing in disordered gambling have hoped that the Affordable Care Act and the strengthening of the federal mental health parity law would address this shortcoming. But is this the case?

UNLV law professor and leading expert Stacey Tovino. J.D., M.P.H., has meticulously researched this question and found that disordered gamblers seeking treatment and services continue to be excluded from health and disability coverage in some states and in some health plan contexts.

Register for the last session of the free 2014 NCRG Webinar SeriesonAug. 21from2 to 3:30 p.m. ET. Dr. Tovino will discuss her ground-breaking research, using case studies, and offer potential remedies for ensuring that individuals with gambling disorder have the same legal protections as individuals with other addictive disorders. Attendees will receive 1.5 CE hours fromapproved institutions.

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The Four Keys To Gambling Responsibly

What does ‘responsible gaming’ mean to you? Is it setting a limit before you walk into a casino or play a game with friends? Is it making sure to keep the experience fun, instead of one that gets a person into financial, emotional or otherwise in trouble? To help educate the public and gaming operators about responsible gaming, we are celebrating Responsible Gaming Education Week this week! Each year, the casino industry and the public participate in activities to increase awareness of disordered gambling among gaming industry employees and customers and to promote responsible gaming nationwide. Driven by the American Gaming Association (AGA), this year’s RGEW is helping people around the nation ‘Get to Know Responsible Gaming.’

Back to the question at hand: What does ‘responsible gaming’ mean to you? Did you know there are four keys to gambling responsibly? Take a look below and see how you can apply these four principles the next time you decide to play a card game, go to a casino, purchase a lottery ticket or place a bet on a sports match.

  1. Responsible gamblers understand that the house holds greater odds of winning than the player.
    It’s true. The house generally wins, and the games are set up that way. Knowing that the odds are not in your favor helps you stick to your pre-set limits of time and money when gambling.
  2. Responsible gaming is conducted in a social setting, with family, friends or colleagues.
    Gambling should always be done with friends and family – it is the best way to keep you accountable to your limits!
  3. Responsible gaming is done for limited amounts of time, both in frequency and duration.
    If you set a limit of how much time and money you’re going to spend while you gamble before you start, it is easier to stick with that plan.
  4. Responsible gaming has both predetermined and acceptable limits for losses.
    Any gambling activity should be viewed as entertainment, so make sure to set a loss limit that is appropriate for your own budget.

While these are the four keys to gambling responsibly, there are a few more tips in setting your own guidelines. Take a look:

  1. The decision to gamble is a personal choice: No one should feel pressure to gamble, or feel that he/she must gamble to be accepted.
  2. Gambling is not essential for having fun: Gambling should not be perceived as necessary for having fun and being with friends.
  3. What constitutes an acceptable loss needs to be established before starting to gamble: Any money spent on gambling should be considered the cost of entertainment; people should only gamble with the money they can afford to lose.
  4. Borrowing money to gamble should be avoided and discouraged.
  5. There are times when people shouldn’t gamble: Never gamble when under the legal gambling age; when it interferes with work or family responsibilities; when in recovery for addictive disorders; when the form of gambling is illegal; or when trying to make up for prior gambling losses (i.e. ‘chasing’ losses).
  6. There are certain high-risk situations during which gambling should be avoided: When angry or feeling lonely, depressed or under stress; to solve personal or family problems; or to impress others.
  7. Excessive use of alcohol when gambling can be risky: Irresponsible alcohol use can affect a person’s judgment and interfere with the ability to control gambling and adhere to limits.

We’ll be highlighting some of these principles and resources to help you play responsibly if you choose to gamble. If you feel like you might need help for a gambling problem, call the toll-free national helpline at 1-800-522-4700 or visit the NCRG’s website and answer thethree question free, confidential surveyfor more information. Stay tuned for more from Responsible Gaming Education Week!

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NCRG-funded Investigator Awarded Nih Grant For Research On High-risk Behaviors Among Minority Youth

Who will be the next generation of gambling researchers? The NCRG is not leaving this question to chance. Since 2004, the NCRG has funded grants specifically designed to offer new investigators the opportunity to focus on a research project under the mentorship of senior scientists. The NCRG is proud of the many accomplishments of these emerging scientists.

We’re excited that the first recipient of an NCRG new investigator grant,Silvia Martins, M.D., Ph.D., has been awarded a $656,465 grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to continue her work on “Predictors of High-Risk Behaviors Among Youth.” Dr. Martins is now associate professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Dr. Martins’s five-year NIH grant will collect new information about gambling behaviors and gambling disorder in a high-risk population of 1,100 youth/young adults from two population-based samples of Puerto Ricans (ages 17-25) from two sites, the South Bronx, NYC, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The specific aims of this study include:

  • Estimate the prevalence (past year and past three-month) of any gambling, frequent gambling and severity of gambling disorder during late adolescence/early adulthood;
  • Observe changes in the patterns of gambling and severity of gambling disorder over a two-year period when gambling behaviors are known to be undergoing the most changes;
  • Determine the characteristics of individuals who gamble;
  • Examine developmental disordered gambling pathways from childhood to young adulthood; and
  • Understand how gambling disorders are related to other risk behaviors that are also shaped during late adolescence/young adulthood. Dr. Martins will do this by determining different risk behavior clusters involving disordered gambling, HIV/STD risk behaviors, school drop-out and antisocial behaviors.

This project will address the need for research on gambling among minority populations, as well as the need for longitudinal data and a model that integrates an array of risk and associated factors. By focusing on Puerto Ricans living in two settings, Dr. Martins and colleagues will be able to examine the important role of environment in the development of gambling disorders in an ethnically homogeneous group.

The NCRG congratulates Dr. Martins for continuing to study disordered gambling among minority youth and for leveraging new monies for gambling research!

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Apply Before Today's Deadline For The NCRG Conference Scholarship

Want to join the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) in Las Vegas for the 15th annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction from Sept. 28 to 30, 2014? Is your travel or conference budget a little tight this year? Each year, the NCRG awards scholarships to more than 15 individuals to attend the NCRG Conference. A portion of these scholarships may also include travel assistance.

To apply for a scholarship, visit theConference Scholarship websiteand submit your application by 5 p.m. PT today through our online form. This year’s lineup is packed with nationally renowned speakers and experts in the field of addiction, gambling disorder and responsible gaming that you won’t want to miss!

Download the full conference brochure here

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NCRG-funded Investigator Awarded Nih Grant

Who will be the next generation of gambling researchers? The NCRG is not leaving this question to chance. Since 2004, the NCRG has funded grants specifically designed to offer new investigators the opportunity to focus on a research project under the mentorship of senior scientists. The NCRG is proud of the many accomplishments of these emerging scientists.

Recently, we were heartened to learn that the first recipient of an NCRG new investigator grant,Silvia Martins, M.D., Ph.D., has been awarded a $656,465 grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to continue her work on “Predictors of High-Risk Behaviors Among Youth.” Dr. Martins is now associate professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Dr. Martins’s five-year NIH grant will collect new information about gambling behaviors and gambling disorder in a high-risk population of 1,100 youth/young adults from two population-based samples of Puerto Ricans (ages 17-25) from two sites, the South Bronx, NYC, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The specific aims of this study include:

  • Estimate the prevalence (past year and past three-month) of any gambling, frequent gambling and severity of gambling disorder during late adolescence/early adulthood;
  • Observe changes in the patterns of gambling and severity of gambling disorder over a two-year period when gambling behaviors are known to be undergoing the most changes;
  • Determine the characteristics of individuals who gamble;
  • Examine developmental disordered gambling pathways from childhood to young adulthood; and
  • Understand how gambling disorders are related to other risk behaviors that are also shaped during late adolescence/young adulthood. Dr. Martins will do this by determining different risk behavior clusters involving disordered gambling, HIV/STD risk behaviors, school drop-out and antisocial behaviors.

This project will address the need for research on gambling among minority populations, as well as the need for longitudinal data and a model that integrates an array of risk and associated factors. By focusing on Puerto Ricans living in two settings, Dr. Martins and colleagues will be able to examine the important role of environment in the development of gambling disorders in an ethnically homogeneous group.

The NCRG congratulates Dr. Martins for continuing to study disordered gambling among minority youth and for leveraging new monies for gambling research!

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We Want Your Feedback! Participate In The NCRG Partner Survey

We know that increasing awareness on gambling disorders and responsible gaming is important to you. At the NCRG, it is important to us too, and we want to develop a plan to enhance our efforts.

The NCRG is currently developing a strategic plan to evaluate key aspects of our current work, explore opportunities and set priorities for the coming years. As part of this work, Wellspring Consulting, an independent consulting firm, is conducting a survey to gain insights into the needs of stakeholders who, like you, are knowledgeable about the gaming/gambling field and are committed to advancing our understanding of gambling disorders and responsible gaming.

We would appreciate it if you could take about 10 minutes to fill out this survey. Your responses and comments will be received directly by Wellspring Consulting and will be kept confidential. The NCRG will be provided with aggregate responses only.

Here is a link to the survey:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YTQYFQ6

This link is uniquely tied to this survey. Please do not forward this message, and please fill out this survey only once.

On behalf of the members of the NCRG leadership team, thank you in advance for your participation!

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Get Involved! How To Use The NCRG’s New College Gambling Resources

Yesterday, the NCRGannouncedthe launch of its College Gambling Awareness Campaign, which includes the addition of several new resources towww.CollegeGambling.org.

Over the coming weeks, the NCRG will highlight these new resources, including theBetOnU College Gambling Survey, theFacts about College Gambling videoand thetoolkit for college health professionals and administrators.

In the meantime, the NCRG created a video, featuring NCRG Communications and Outreach DirectorAmy Kugler, who explains these new resources and how they can be used on college campuses.

How will you incorporate these new resources into your institution’s health and wellness programs?

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