Landmark NCRG Conference to Expand Outreach to Government, Industry

The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG)Conference on Gambling and Addiction will expand its outreach this year to critical new audiences, offering an unprecedented opportunity for all sectors concerned with disordered gambling to come together to develop a comprehensive public health approach to this issue.

For the past three years the NCRG conference has been a forum for the world's leading academics, clinicians, treatment providers and other health care professionals to detail the latest research and treatment advances in the field of disordered gambling and other addictive disorders. This year, the NCRG conference will, for the first time ever, directly appeal to gaming industry executives, gaming regulators, attorneys and elected officials, providing a practical agenda for government and industry.

A new conference track aimed at this audience will offer a critical examination of the major issues facing the gaming industry, government regulators and public policy makers. Sessions will feature an in-depth look at gaming regulations, international responsible gaming practices, harm minimization features on gaming machines and evaluation of state-supported intervention and treatment programs.

The conference will continue to offer its scientific/clinical track as well. Sessions will include examinations of the genetic and neural systems bases of addictive behaviors, as well as several analyses of the effectiveness of various treatment approaches for disordered gambling and other addiction disorders. Couples therapy, 12-step programs, self-guided therapy, cognitive-behavior therapy and Gamblers Anonymous are some of the options that will be discussed.

Conference attendees will be invited to participate in sessions from either track throughout the course of the event.

In addition, the conference will offer several plenary sessions open to all attendees. Topics include an overview of the public health approach to disordered gambling, the effectiveness of harm reduction and relapse prevention techniques for dealing with addiction disorders, an in-depth look at alcohol and gambling on U.S. college campuses, and a town hall meeting on the role of personal responsibility in the addiction recovery process. 

Panelists for the town hall will represent a diverse cross-section of the responsible gaming arena, including Ron Barbaro, chairman and CEO of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation; Phil Satre, chairman of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.; Scott Scherer, member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Howard Shaffer, Ph.D., director of the Division on Addictions at Harvard Medical School; and John Wilhelm, member of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission and president of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union.

"This conference is an important step in opening dialogue among the various groups that will have to play a role if we are to make significant progress on the issue of disordered gambling," said NCRG Chairman Dennis Eckart. "I think everyone has something to gain from attending this event, and the fruits of our collaboration will ultimately be a comprehensive public health approach that takes us one step closer to meeting our goals."

The fourth annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction, produced by the NCRG and the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, will be held Dec. 7-9 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. To register for the conference or view the full conference program, visit the NCRG Web site.