Forward progress
by Andy Holtmann
Departments
Forward progress
NCRG announces additional funding, new program
The National Center for Responsible Gaming will have $7.6 million in additional funds to continue its research and programs related to compulsive gambling in the United States, the organization said in September.
The funding comes largely from the gaming industry and will help the organization continue to expand its research reach for the next five years. The announcement came during a conference in Las Vegas, where the NCRG also unveiled its EMERGE program. That program, which stands for Executive, Management and Employee Responsible Gaming Education, is designed to train employees to recognize the signs of problem gambling in customers so they can receive responsible gaming certification in gambling jurisdictions that require them.
EMERGE was developed in conjunction with the Harvard Medical School.
“We know enough about the disorder to start making some practical applications,” said Christine Reilly, executive director of the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders at Harvard University.
The NCRG will hold its 8th Annual Conference on Gambling and Addiction Nov. 11-13 at the Paris Las Vegas Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The theme of this year’s conference—Responsible Gaming, Regulation and Recovery: Testing Conventional Wisdom—”reflects the growing need to scrutinize responsible gaming practices, public health policies, regulations, and strategies for recovery, which often are founded on conventional wisdom rather than scientific evidence, by examining the latest research results in this field,” the organization said in a release.
“By testing conventional wisdom, we can make certain to use solid scientific evidence to support and develop the most effective prevention, treatment, and public education programs to address disordered gambling,” said Phil Satre, chairman of the NCRG and former chairman and CEO of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. “The NCRG always has been committed to supporting peer-reviewed, independent research about gambling disorders because research-based solutions ensure long-term, proven effectiveness. This conference brings together the members of all the groups who are affected by this issue.”
Co-sponsored by the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, a program of the Division on Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, the NCRG conference will coincide with Global Gaming Expo (G2E), the gaming industry’s largest international trade show and conference, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center November 13-15.
