New NCRG Publication Highlights Latest Research On Self-exclusion Programs And Disordered Gambling
Oct 12, 2010
WASHINGTON—The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) today released the fifth volume ofIncreasing the Odds: A Series Dedicated to Understanding Gambling Disorders, which evaluates self-exclusion programs as an intervention for disordered gambling. The NCRG released this new publication in conjunction with the 2010 IAGA/IAGR International Conference in Washington, D.C., and distributed it to international gaming regulators who attended a session on the importance of using science to guide the development of effective gaming regulation around the world. The NCRG’s monograph series provides easy-to-understand summaries of seminal peer-reviewed research on gambling disorders, as well as implications for future research and prevention efforts.
Self-exclusion programs are a form of help-seeking behavior that provides gamblers an opportunity to voluntarily limit their access to gambling venues. The gamblers pledge to stay out of participating casinos for an agreed time period, often for the rest of their lives. The findings presented in this publication can be used by regulators, policymakers and gaming industry representatives to shape the development and implementation of new and existing programs, leading to more effective results that may help individuals who want to stop or reduce their gambling activities.
‘Despite the increase in these programs, self-exclusion is still a relatively new focus in the field of research on responsible gaming and disordered gambling,’ said Glenn Christenson, chairman of the NCRG. ‘However, the pool of research published in peer-reviewed journals is growing, and the NCRG is pleased to bring this research beyond the scientific arena and to the public. This new publication is evidence of our continued commitment to advancing the field and serving as a primary source for information on gambling disorders.’
The publication includes research summaries from Helen Suurvali, B.A., on what motivates gamblers to seek help and change their behavior; Richard A. LaBrie, Ed.D., on how self-exclusion programs can inform public health strategies; Sarah E. Nelson, Ph.D., on the role of the Missouri Voluntary Exclusion Program in changing participants’ gambling behavior; and Robert Ladouceur, Ph.D., on early benefits to gamblers through self-exclusion and testing improvements in a self-exclusion program. The publication also features commentary from Kevin Mullally, general counsel and director of government affairs at Gaming Laboratories International and the author of the first state self-exclusion program implemented in the United States, as well as an appendix outlining self-exclusion programs in the United States and in select international jurisdictions.
A downloadable copy of Increasing the Odds is available on the NCRG website. The first four volumes of the series, which address topics such as youth and gambling, the various aspects of gambling addition recovery and gambling and public health, are also available on the website. To request a hard copy of the fifth volume ofIncreasing the Odds, please contact Dan Doherty at 202-776-7388 orddoherty@ncrg.org.
The NCRG’s 2010 annual Conference on Gambling and Addiction, scheduled for Nov. 14-16, 2010, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and the Las Vegas Convention Center, will feature a session on self-exclusion programs. The 2010 conference, themed ‘Redefining Diagnosis, Treatment Research and Responsible Gaming for the 21stCentury,’ will bring together the world’s leading addiction scientists, clinicians and academics with health care professionals, gaming industry representatives, government officials and regulators to discuss the most pressing issues in the field of gambling disorders and responsible gaming. To register for the 2010 conference, visitwww.ncrg.org.
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The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research that helps increase understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the NCRG is the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) affiliated charity. For more information, visitwww.ncrg.org. NCRG funds provide grants to researchers to increase understanding of pathological gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. The funds are distributed through the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, an independent program of the NCRG. For more information, visitwww.gamblingdisorders.org.
