NCRG Leads Way to Fund Research, Education on Problem Gambling
In 1996, the AGA, with the financial support of its members, created the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG), the first national organization devoted exclusively to funding independent, peer-reviewed research on pathological and youth gambling. To date, the industry has committed more than $7 million to this effort, and the NCRG has issued more than $3 million in research grants, which have yielded groundbreaking research into prevention, treatment and public awareness of disordered gambling.
In 2000, the NCRG awarded a $2.6 million contract toHarvard Medical School's Division on Addictions to establish the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, forging a partnership with the world's preeminent medical research institution. The Institute is conducting its own research, including a study of health risks among gaming employees, and an external research grants program open to non-Harvard institutions. The Institute also supports The WAGER, a weekly online research bulletin with a circulation of 14,000. The New York Times recently listed The WAGER as one of the premiere Internet sites for information about problem gambling.
The NCRG is now positioned to focus on the education dimension of its mission. This year, it cosponsored the 2nd International Think Tank on Youth Gambling Issues in Montreal and is in the process of developing a campaign to promote and disseminate the innovative middle-school curriculum, "Facing the Odds: The Mathematics of Gambling and Other Risks." In December 2001, the NCRG will hold its third annual conference, in partnership with the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, on the topic, "Toward Meaningful of Gambling Disorders: From Theory to Practice." The conference will serve as a forum for the continuing debate about the definition of pathological gambling.
