NCRG Perspectives: Thomas J. Brosig
By Thomas J. Brosig, Charter Board Member, National Center for Responsible Gaming
Fast food, fast cars, high-speed Internet access, instant coffee - and so forth and so on. We live in a world where immediacies are the order of the day. It has gotten so a restaurant has to remind patrons: "Good food takes time to prepare so please be patient."
But there are things that are worth waiting for, and there are things we must wait for. Specifically, quality science and research. As a charter board member of the NCRG, I was there at the beginning when our response to Dr. Shaffer when he said, "Quality research relative to gambling addiction would take years and cost millions," was NO WAY!!!!
Fortunately, he prevailed and every decision that was made in those early years was focused on establishing a solid, independent, scientific foundation that future researchers could depend on. Every meeting dealt with creating a solid funding stream and ensuring fair and accurate selection and review processes. None of the meetings ever dealt with quick fixes or manipulation of outcomes to favor the gaming industry. As executives from an industry that was building or opening a new casino resort every 12 months, contemplating waiting two to three years to determine research results was a hard pill to swallow. But I and others from our industry provided research funds and then sat back and learned about neurotransmitters and dopamine and codependency and comorbidity. We watched a world-renowned scientific review board pour over hundreds of research proposals selecting only those whose promise of quality outcomes was assured. We took the media criticism when the early results indicated industry opponents' claims were vastly overstated, and we watched the media try to taint the results because of the research funding source. Patience prevailed and the NCRG and the research pool expanded. More money was needed, more time was requested. The industry responded by providing both.
It has now been seven years, and Dr. Shaffer's words ring true. It has taken millions and it has taken years, and our industry's executives are now asking for the practical applications of the research outcomes. They are asking the scientific community to give us something to work with, something we can use. Conversely, the world of science is asking them to be patient, once again. To provide more dollars so another aspect can be tested, another angle explored. Science is asking for more while not ready to give the industry leaders the "fix" they seek. The very essence of our initial mission and strategy is being challenged. We must not lose sight of our investment. We must not lose sight of what we have gained. We must not pressure a scientific process that defines its own time line, its own results. We must be true to letting the chips fall, where they fall.
And so the NCRG board wrestles with the funding dilemma, wrestles with the "when," the "how," the "if." For me, as a charter board member, it is comforting to know that even in this world of speed we live and operate in, that the core values of the NCRG remain focused on quality research, regardless of cost, time or outcomes.
That's a good thing.
