Responsible gambling (RG) strategies are nearly universal in the legalized gambling industry. But what do we really know about them? How do they work? Are they effective? Are they safe? Do customers use them? There is growing research on the safety and effectiveness of RG programs but, unless you have access to an academic library, you wouldn’t know about these studies. That’s where the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) comes in.
Part of our mission is to disseminate research findings about gambling disorder and responsible gambling to the public through educational programs, like the annual ICRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction (www.icrg.org/events), scheduled for October 8-9, 2023, and co-located with the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) at the Venetian Expo Center in Las Vegas. We invite industry professionals to come learn about the latest on responsible gambling. Here’s a list of sessions that focus on RG:
- Dr. Michael Wohl will report on his ICRG-funded study of the value of pre-commitment, whereby the player decides before gambling set limits for time and money spent. The idea is to make decisions before the heat and excitement of the game. It’s important to know if this strategy is helpful.
- Positive Play is an increasingly popular approach for lotteries and other gambling companies. Dr. Nassim Tabri will discuss how Positive Play can help normalize responsible gambling as something for everyone, not just players with problems. It’s been conjectured that some players ignore RG programs because they think it’s only for those with a gambling problem.
- Preventing minors from gambling is an important aspect of RG. In the session on “Adolescents and the Lottery,” Dr. Zu Wei Zhai will discuss his study of lottery-purchasing teenagers and how this practice is linked to later gambling problems.
- Many have wondered if off-putting or stigmatizing language in RG has prevented more patrons from taking advantage of programs like self-exclusion and pre-commitment. A lightning round featuring RG specialists and researchers will consider all aspects of this issue and propose possible solutions.
- Finally, what are the future trends in RG? AI? mHealth apps? A distinguished panel will close out the conference by envisioning the future—along with the pros and cons of these trends.
- RG specialists and other industry professionals will also benefit from other conference sessions not specifically focused on RG. For example, it is vital to know what exactly we are trying to prevent through RG. A panel of people in recovery will seek to deepen the audience’s understanding of what it means to struggle with a gambling problem and recovery. Another session will explore how to translate evidence-based addiction treatments for Native cultures—surely a topic of interest to tribes involved in gaming. Finally, an examination of how social stigma about addiction prevents people from getting help, is relevant to the discussion of usage of RG tools.
As the industry continues to move in new directions, particularly online, it is imperative that we keep up with the need to better understand the associated risks to mitigate harm to players. Some of the most recent studies that have been launched have put a special emphasis on emerging adults (aged 18-26) who have already been identified as an “at risk” population. We are proud of our legacy through the facilitation of research that has been published in hundreds of the most prestigious journals in the world and supported by our educational webinars and conferences, the most important of which is upcoming.
The ICRG welcomes all stakeholders—treatment providers, industry professionals, regulators, and researchers—to use the ICRG Conference to get up to speed on all of the new developments in the field but to also convene with people from around the world who are dedicated to one thing: prevent and treat gambling disorder.
