Putting Trust in Responsible Gaming
As the U.K. prepares for a probable expansion of casino gaming within its borders, the government has taken steps to address problem gambling, creating an organization that combines pro-active and reactive tactics to deal with the issue.
Established in 2002, the Responsibility in Gambling Trust was set up with two goals in mind. First, the trust aims to prevent problem gambling through educational programs, research and other pro-active measures. Its other goal is to address existing problems by funding treatment options for people who have a gambling disorder. These efforts fulfill a recommendation by an independent U.K. gambling review body, which said that a nongovenmental organization should be created using gaming industry funds to support new gambling research and other work to limit problem gambling. Since its inception, the trust has collected more than 4.5 million pounds ($8.5 million) from industry interests.
While the gambling review board recommended that these goals be completed by 2005, the organization's trustees took a full-speed-ahead approach, finalizing several of their objectives as early as a year ago. Some of those actions included commissioning a strategies report from independent researchers and adopting a formal strategy for future operation, collecting more than 2 million pounds ($3.8 million) in gaming industry commitments, commissioning a study of online counseling for problem gamblers, and appointing an independent chairman to oversee trust activities.
Another accomplishment during the trust's first two years was the distribution of 1.45 million pounds ($2.7 million) to problem gambling treatment, education and research programs throughout the U.K. The funding supports many levels of treatment options, including help lines, face-to-face counseling and inpatient services. The trust, which has aimed to make education a top priority, also has earmarked funds for that purpose, providing support for an established organization to continue its problem gambling awareness efforts. Scholarship programs and studies on the cost and effectiveness of various treatment methods have received trust financing as well.
One recent study funded by the trust, commonly known as the Auckland Report, includes a review of existing problem gambling research. Authored by a four-person team from four continents, the report consists of a comprehensive literature review and makes numerous short- and long-term recommendations for future research. One of the report's key recommendations is to create an "integrated database" that would compile statistics on gambling availability and habits of gamblers in the U.K. as well as data specific to disordered gambling. According to the research team, the result would be a synthesized clearinghouse of reliable and credible information that could be disseminated to gaming stakeholders worldwide.
