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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NCRG’s College Gambling Awareness Campaign Brings The Issue To Center Court

NCRG Launches College Gambling Awareness Campaign with several new resources

As the NCAA basketball tournament hits its stride, fans around the nation are filling out brackets and possibly placing bets on the game. While gambling can be fun if you’re of legal age, it’s not a risk-free activity. For some college students, gambling for fun can turn into a serious problem and have a negative impact on their lives.

To help address this issue, the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) isproud to announcethe launch of 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.

‘College health professionals and university administrators should take advantage of these free science-based tools, and even put a link to CollegeGambling.org on their school’s website,’ said Chris Reilly, NCRG senior research director. ‘We’re happy to help students, faculty and fans across the U.S. start the discussion about gambling-related issues on college campuses.’

In 2011, the NCRG introducedCollegeGambling.org, a website designed to help university administrators, campus health professionals, students and parents address these issues using the latest research on college gambling and free resources to incorporate into existing campus-wide education programs.

This year’s College Gambling Awareness Campaign features several new resources on CollegeGambling.org, including:

BetOnU College Gambling Survey
  • 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. (Click here to 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.

Stay tuned to Gambling Disorders 360° in the coming weeks for additional information about these new resources and how they can help students, college health professionals and university administrators get involved on their campuses.

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Coming Up! NCRG Webinar On College Gambling Featuring Dr. Clayton Neighbors

Dr. Clayton Neighbors

Next week, the NCRG will hold its second free webinar of 2014. Titled“Preventing Disordered Gambling among College Students,”this March 19 webinar (2 – 3:30 p.m. ET) will featureDr. Clayton Neighbors, professor and director of the social psychology program in the department of psychology at the University of Houston, who will discuss a new resource that was developed to help reduce problem gambling by showing students their misperceptions of student gambling behavior.

Approximately 75 percent of college students in the U.S. gambled in the past year and 6 percent develop a gambling problem. Despite these research findings, there was no screening/brief interventions tailored for this population—until now.

During this webinar, Dr. Neighbors will introduce a new, evidence-based, confidential screening/brief intervention tool that will be available on www.collegegambling.org next month. He will provide an overview of disordered gambling on college campuses and describe the research behind the development and testing of this novel prevention program aimed at reducing normative misperceptions of gambling among college students.

This webinar will take place as part of the NCRG College Gambling Awareness Campaign (details coming later this week), which will aim to educate students and faculty about gambling and gambling-related harms on college campuses and to help them make responsible decisions about gambling (if they are of legal age). This webinar will provide college health professionals and administrators with information on how they can use the free resource as part of their wellness programs.

Register today for Dr. Neighbors’ webinar on March 19!

Stay tuned for more information about the NCRG’s College Gambling Awareness Campaign. In the meantime, visitwww.collegegambling.orgto learn more about gambling and gambling-related harms on college campuses.

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Calling All College Health Professionals And Administrators: Get Involved In The NCRG’s College Gambling Awareness Campaign

In 2011, the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) introducedwww.CollegeGambling.org, a website designed to help university administrators, campus health professionals, students and parents address these issues using the latest research on college gambling and free resources to incorporate into existing campus-wide education programs.

This month, the NCRG is adding some new features to CollegeGambling.org to raise awareness about gambling and gambling-related harms on college campuses. The NCRG will release several new resources to help college health professionals and college administrators educate students and faculty about this important issue so they can make responsible decisions about gambling. To learn how you can get involved, please join the NCRG for an informational Google Hangout session on Tuesday, March 11.

NCRG College Gambling Awareness Campaign:

Google Hangout Information Session

WHO:

College Health Professionals and College Administrators

WHAT:

The NCRG will hold a 45-minute Google Hangout for college health professionals and college administrators to learn more about the NCRG’s College Gambling Awareness Campaign, the resources available and how they can help raise awareness at their institutions.

The hangout will cover the following topics:

  • College Gambling: A Public Health Perspective
  • The NCRG’s College Gambling Initiative
  • NCRG College Gambling Awareness Campaign
  • Get Involved! Raise Awareness on Your Campus
  • Q&A

WHEN:

Tuesday, March 11

Noon – 12:45 p.m. (EDT)

WHERE:

Google Hangout

Please note that you will not be featured on video, but you will be able to communicate with the host throughout the Google Hangout.

REGISTER:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xpLkLG0ERr88894CDG-ri4_dgq3aB7i7eBdSsAtIXcU/viewform

For more information, visitwww.CollegeGambling.organdwww.ncrg.org. For question, contact Amy Kugler atakugler@ncrg.org.

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NCRG On The Road: Dispatch From Collaborative Perspectives On Addiction Conference – Gambling Continues To Be “Orphan” At Nih

Christine Reilly, NCRG Senior Research Director

This post was written by Christine Reilly, the NCRG’s senior research director, on Saturday, March 1, 2014.

Greetings from Atlanta! I’m attending the secondCollaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, a joint meeting of members of the American Psychological Associations’ Division 50 (Society of Addiction Psychology) and Division 28 (Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse). This year’s theme is “Changing Addictive Behavior: Bench to Bedside and Back Again.”

I attended a pre-con session on efforts to integrate research conducted by theNational Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA), theNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism(NIAAA) and theNational Cancer Institute(NCI). TheCollaborative Research on Addiction(CRAN) initiative grew out of years of deliberation at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about the proposed merger of NIAAA and NIDA. NIH decided in 2013 to not pursue the merger but did make a commitment to encourage more functional integration between the institutes.

Led by Bob Huebner, Ph.D., from NIAAA, Deborah Dowell, M.D., M.P.H. from Centers for Disease Control, the workshop explained that the mission of CRAN is to provide a strong collaborative framework for enabling NIDA, NIAAA and NCI to pool resources and expertise, create synergies in addiction science, address new research opportunities, and meet the public’s health needs. This group’s current Funding Opportunity Announcement intends to promote research on new and/or under-recognized opportunities addressing polysubstance use and comorbidity.

I asked Dr. Huebner if projects investigating gambling disorder would be eligible for the CRAN funding, especially in light of the high comorbidity rate with other addictive disorders. I noted that researchers had encountered resistance to gambling research at NIDA and other institutes. Labeling gambling disorder research an “orphan,” because no one institute has responsibility for it, Dr. Huebner agreed that the behavioral addictions are an important issue but that investigators focused on gambling should look to the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) for funding. He added that gambling disorder would have been included had the plans for a new institute on addiction been realized.

Investigators, what has been your experience in seeking funding from NIH for gambling-focused research projects? Please share in the comments section.

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