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Gaming Industry Takes Responsible Playing Seriously

12 August 2009

The vast majority of people who go to casinos participate in gaming as a form of recreation and entertainment.

For some, however, it is a vice that can ruin relationships and create financial hardship from which many cannot escape.

Even though the casino industry profits from the money that people lose playing games of chance, the majority of funding for the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is provided by commercial and Native American gaming companies and slot machine manufacturers.

Surprised?

Start up money for the organization was donated in 1996 with a 10-year pledge of $875,000 by Boyd Gaming Corporation, owner of Par-A-Dice Casino Hotel in East Peoria, Illinois, and Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa in Michigan City, Indiana.

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., which owns Harrah's Joliet Casino & Hotel and Horseshoe Casino Hammond, contributed $400,000 in 2008.

Last month the NCRG took a bold step forward in the study of gambling disorders by announcing the creation of the nation's first Centers of Excellence in Gambling Research at Yale University and the University of Minnesota. Each center will receive a three-year grant of $402,500.

"This marks a true evolution in our approach to funding research, one we are confident will contribute to seminal findings on gambling disorders in the years ahead," said Glenn Christenson, chairman of the NCRG.

The Yale study will concentrate on examining the factors that influence treatment of gambling disorders. The research will focus on a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial of the drug naltrexone, which has been used in the treatment of alcoholism.

The one at the University of Minnesota will develop a model of impulsivity that will enable the identification of young adults at risk for developing pathological gambling.

The grants were awarded and will be managed by the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, an independent program of the NCRG.

"It is clear to us that supporting long-term, multidisciplinary research is a critical component to advancing the field," said the institute's executive director, Christine Reilly.

The NCRG is also the affiliated charity of the American Gaming Association (AGA), which represents the commercial casino entertainment industry.

According to the 2009 State of the States survey conducted by the AGA, nearly nine out of 10 (89 percent) of respondents reported they set a budget when they go on a casino outing.

Of those survey participants who reported setting a budget when they gamble, nearly half (45 percent) set budgets of $100 or less for a day of gambling while slightly more than one in four (28 percent) set their limit between $100 and $199.

Nine percent of respondents said they budget between $200 and $299, while 16 percent reported budgeting $300 or more.

John G. Brokopp

John G. Brokopp's gaming column appears in Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, Illinois), The Times (Northwest Indiana), The Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa), The Courier News (Elgin, Illinois), The Gazette (Southwest Suburban Chicago) and Senior Wire (Denver, CO). He's also a regular contributor to The Colorado Gambler, Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Player and Strictly Slots. John possesses 28 years of experience as a professional handicapper, publicist, freelance writer, and casino gaming correspondent. He is also the author of two very popular books, The Insider’s Guide to Internet Gambling and Thrifty Gambling.

Books by John G. Brokopp:

> More Books By John G. Brokopp

John G. Brokopp
John G. Brokopp's gaming column appears in Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, Illinois), The Times (Northwest Indiana), The Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa), The Courier News (Elgin, Illinois), The Gazette (Southwest Suburban Chicago) and Senior Wire (Denver, CO). He's also a regular contributor to The Colorado Gambler, Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Player and Strictly Slots. John possesses 28 years of experience as a professional handicapper, publicist, freelance writer, and casino gaming correspondent. He is also the author of two very popular books, The Insider’s Guide to Internet Gambling and Thrifty Gambling.

Books by John G. Brokopp:

> More Books By John G. Brokopp