Satre Has Big Plans for NCRG in Next Decade

Phil Satre, a long-time board member for the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) and former chairman of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., relishes his new role as chairman of the NCRG. Elected last December, Satre was at the forefront of developing innovative gaming industry programs focused on responsible gaming for more than 20 years. Now he has embarked on a new effort to shepherd the NCRG into its second decade, armed with a newly expanded mission, restructured board and renewed commitment to developing innovative ways to generate public awareness on the issue of problem gambling and funding for the research that will help foster a better understanding of what motivates people to gamble.

"This is a big year for us at the NCRG," Satre said.  "We are experiencing both a time of reflection, with the celebration of the 10-year anniversary, but we're also forward-thinking, developing new ideas and methodologies that will help progress our expanded mission and ensure the fulfillment of that mission for years to come. It's an exciting time, and I'm proud to be a part of it."

Satre is spearheading both a short-term and long-term action plan for the organization as it enters a new era. One of the first steps taken by the NCRG under Satre's lead was to shift its seventh annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction to November to coincide with Global Gaming Expo (G2E). The plan is to heighten interaction between operators and clinicians, helping to generate a more lively exchange of ideas within the field of gambling research. Taking place Nov. 12-14, the conference will focus on the myriad issues involved in translating good research into best practices.

"In addition to the shift in dates for the conference, which we feel will greatly increase interaction among key stakeholders, we are also working on the development of new responsible gaming initiatives as part of the expanded mission, such as an update to the NCRG's Web site and the development of a news and speakers bureau," Satre said.

According to Satre, one goal for this new focus is to increase the positive impact within casino communities nationwide of the vital research being funded through the NCRG. Other goals include increasing the public's awareness of responsible gaming and serving as a resource and repository of responsible gaming educational materials for the media and the general public.

The news bureau will position the NCRG as the primary resource for media on issues related to pathological gambling and responsible gaming, while the speakers bureau will develop opportunities for key NCRG leaders, as well as scientists receiving research funding through the NCRG, to more directly reach out to industry employees, regulators, clinicians, members of the media and other key groups to provide information about the organization, its mission and the latest developments in pathological gambling research, treatment and prevention programs.

Satre will be working with two key groups to further these goals. The NCRG's newly formed board of trustees, consisting of CEOs from NCRG donor companies, will focus entirely on fundraising activities, both to support new education and outreach efforts and to continue to support peer-reviewed scientific research grants. The NCRGÕs new board of directors, made up of three industry executives and four community leaders, will be the practical, hands-on management group for the organization, focused on education and outreach program creation and implementation, as well as maintaining the current positive relationship with the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, which assumed the grant-making role of the NCRG in 2000.

The NCRG also will now partner with AGA member companies and their properties, both at the national and local levels, to create, facilitate and coordinate practical, science-based responsible gaming efforts. NCRG will provide the seed money, expertise and coordinating capabilities needed to make industry initiatives as effective as possible. 

"By working more closely with the AGA," Satre said, "The impact of new NCRG outreach programs will be greater than it could be by working alone, as the programs will have both elements needed for success -  independent science as the foundation and industry support for implementation."

The primary goal will be to provide the casino industry with practical, science-based tools to use within their companies and throughout their communities to implement effective responsible gaming programs. According to Satre, the new EMERGE (Executive Management and Employee Responsible Gaming Education) program, a science-based employee training tool developed by Harvard Medical School faculty and funded by the NCRG, is the first example of the type of tools the NCRG plans to deliver in the future. EMERGE already is being tested and will be made available to NCRG donor companies later this year. 

"Just this past March, we tested EMERGE with employees at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino with resounding results. EMERGE is the only program of its kind that provides a multi-layered educational experience grounded in the latest scientific research on addictions. And it exceeds all current state regulations for the level of responsible gaming training required of casino employees," Satre said.

The development of EMERGE is just one of the many accomplishments the NCRG has achieved over the past 10 years. Satre also cites the more than $15 million raised to fund research, the affiliation with Harvard Medical School and the development of the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders among its many milestones.

"Before the NCRG was established, junk science prevailed," he said. "The research that existed was seriously flawed and generated a misuse of public health funds. The NCRG established a credible pipeline for research and from the very beginning, in 1996, was committed to reversing the junk science trend."

So what does Satre envision for the NCRG 10 years from now? "I was just reading an article the other day about a new biomarker test for ovarian cancer. I would like to see the development through our research of a similar test for problem gamblers. I'm not quite sure how the mechanics would work, but along with this test, we would also develop treatment or coping methods for the disorder," Satre said. "Based on the progress we have made over the past 10 years, our researchers may very well solve this piece of the puzzle in the years to come."