Official:
Science Should Guide Problem Gambling Help
Science should guide future
research in problem gambling, said an official
for a national problem-gambling group that begins
meeting today at Mandalay Bay.
Christine
Reilly, executive director for the National
Center for Responsible Gaming conference, said
as research into problem gambling increases,
more scientific data is becoming readily available
to health professionals, offering a better understanding
of what drives a person to wager beyond their
means and how best to treat the addiction.
"In
the past, we haven't had good research, but
that has changed," Reilly said. "We
hope this idea shapes the whole conference going
forward and that what we find from our research
become practices guided in science."
The
two-day program, the sixth conference for the
center, will feature discussions on the role
of personal choice in addiction, advancements
in drug treatments for pathological gambling,
the challenges of executing self-exclusion programs
and the concept of creating "safe"
gambling machines.
"We
don't know if self-exclusion programs really
work," Reilly said. "The research
is becoming available to help us understand
this topic."
The
National Center for Responsible Gaming was established
in 1996 and is funded primarily by the gaming
industry and related businesses, which have
contributed more than $15 million. The center
has funded more than $12 million in support
of research on gambling disorders.
The
conference will address the "Reno Model,"
a position paper authored by three researchers
that describes public health issues associated
with problem gambling. The authors believe responsible
gaming initiatives must reduce or eliminate
the potential harms associated with gambling
while also maximizing the activity's potential
benefits.
"We
believe all parties, even the anti-gambling
organizations must participate in the discussion,"
Reilly said.
On
Thursday, former U.S. Sen. George McGovern will
offer a keynote address that explores a balance
between the rights of individuals and the responsibilities
of government in a free society.
McGovern,
a South Dakota Democrat who lost the 1972 presidential
campaign to Richard Nixon, authored a personal
account on the loss of a daughter to alcoholism.
He has since become involved in activities aimed
at helping people understand and overcome alcoholism.
"The
ongoing challenge of promoting responsible gaming
is developing a strategy that prevents and reduces
gambling-related harm while respecting the rights
of individuals who safely engage in recreational
gambling," said Dennis Eckart, chairman
of the National Center for Responsible Gaming.
"Senator McGovern's unique perspective
and considerable knowledge of the public health
system will provide a thought-provoking look
at this dichotomy."
This
year, Nevada established an advisory committee
on problem gambling that will decide how to
distribute $2.5 million raised through a special
slot-machine tax. The money will go to organizations
specializing in compulsive gaming treatment,
education, prevention or research.
The
nine-member committee, appointed by the governor,
has been accepting Nevada groups' applications
for fund distributions.
Station
Casinos Chief Financial Officer Glenn Christenson,
the committee's chairman, said he expects the
group to begin evaluating the applications late
next month.
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