Gaming Research Weblog

August 2010 Statistical Report on Gambling from Statistics Canada

2010-09-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Statistics Canada recently came out with the statistical report “Gambling” which appears in the August, 2010 issue of Perspectives. It includes information on provincial government revenues and profits by province, characteristics of workers & jobs, household expenditures on gambling & gambling activities, etc.

The Alberta Gaming Research Institute page "Handbooks, Encyclopedias & Statistics" contains links to past reports by Statistics Canada related to gambling. They seem to publish updates on this topic on an annual basis.

Institute's 9th Annual Conference (2010) -- Presentations

2010-04-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

The Alberta Gaming Research Institute's 9th Annual Conference took place last weekend (April 8-10, 2010) at The Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta. Speaker presentations for the majority of conference sessions are available from the "Completed Conference 2010 Program" page.

NCAA Survey on Gambling

2009-12-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

A recent study funded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) could have implications for educational initiatives designed to raise awareness and prevent problem gambling behaviours. Results from a 2008 study of the wagering of 20,000 college athletes were compared to a similar survey that took place in 2004.

For details:

"Progress in Combating Gambling" (2009, Nov. 16) from Inside Higher Ed.
Results from the 2008 NCAA Study on Collegiate Wagering (2009, Nov. 13)

Australia's Productivity Commission to Release Draft Report on Gambling in October, 2009

2009-08-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

Anyone involved in gambling research will be counting the days until the release of the Australian Productivity Commission's Draft Report from their Public Inquiry of Gambling. It's scheduled to be released in October, 2009 with the final report presented in February, 2010.

This particular inquiry will provide an update on gambling developments since the Commission's 1999 report. At the time of this posting, there were 256 submissions to the Commission... many of them research-related.

CBC Calgary Features Alberta Gambling [WWW & Multi-Media]

2009-05-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month -- May 1, 2009 to be precise -- CBC Calgary made available an excellent feature entitled "Alberta gambling: who wins, who loses?" The various topics include:

Timeline -- Key dates related to the development of gambling in Alberta.
Where the money goes -- A somewhat simplified chart that provides a broad view of the amount of generated gambling revenues in Alberta... also where gambling-related funds are directed.
Debtating VLTs -- A short a-v clip profiling the individuals involved in the proposed plebiscite on video lottery terminals in the Town of Rocky Mountain House, AB looks... some nice scenery of the town as well.

Historical Annual Reports Related to Government Gaming & Gambling in Alberta

2009-04-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

From experience, I can tell you that it's not particularly easy to locate current, compatible statistics related to gambling revenues from Canadian provinces (though the Canadian Gambling Digest 2007-08 does an admirable job).

It can be every bit as daunting to go back in time to dig up reports that provide historical information on gambling in the various provinces. Some of the issues you'll have to contend with include: inaccessible publications, frequent changes in government departments responsible for gaming, and report content that can be difficult to decipher.

Having said all that, anyone requiring “historical” annual reports from Alberta related to gambling will definitely want to review my Alberta - Historical Annual Reports web page . It includes a listing of reports that are available in PDF format that have been digitized (with the permission of the publishers) by the Institute Library.

For the reports that don’t have PDF links at present, I’m investigating the possibility of including these in the future. Enjoy!

"Winners and Losers" CTV W-FIVE Documentary

2009-04-07T09:14:00.001-07:00

"With experts suggesting nearly one third of the government's gambling revenue comes from problem gamblers, some wonder if enough is being done to prevent damage and despair, or is the government itself addicted to gambling?"

Continuing on the theme of Canadian gambling documentaries... CTV's W-FIVE aired an episode entitled "Winners and Losers" on March 28th, 2009. It examined the self-exclusion program in Ontario casinos and found that systems to detect self-excluded gamblers weren't particularly stringent.

NOTE: You can watch the entire re-broadcast online from the CTV web site after an obligatory advertisement.

Playing the Machines [Documentary]

2009-03-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, March 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBC NEWS: THE LENS, the documentary Playing the Machines will be airing. According to the web site:

Playing the Machines features the stories of three people: "Trailer Park Boys" actor and VLT addict, John Dunsworth; Susan Piercey, from Corner Brook, Newfoundland, a young woman who started gambling at 18 and took her life; and the late Garnet Rhyno of Halifax, "a devoted husband and father who loved life" until he became addicted to VLT's.

Playing the Machines is shot in Las Vegas, South Carolina, Halifax and St. John's and includes commentary from several gaming experts and two people who have been fighting against video lottery terminals. Newfoundland lawyer Ches Crosbie is leading a class action lawsuit that includes Keith Piercey's case about his daughter's suicide; and Richard Gergel who won the fight to ban VLT's in South Carolina for good.

Online Version of Internet Gambling Report XI

2009-03-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

The Internet Gambling Report -- Eleventh Edition (2008, October) is available online for the first time. The online edition costs substantially more than paper -- $US 595 for 12-month e-subscription vs. $US 195 for print -- but has the advantage of providing access to content from previous editions and continuing updates. For organizations where several people are accessing this content frequently, the online version might be a good option.

The site also offers a "standard subscription" for free which allows access to sample content from each chapter.

Game Integrity & Professional Sports Betting Markets [Newsletter Article]

2009-03-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

With activities such as tanking, spying, referee bias, and match fixing threatening the integrity of individual sporting events... what's a sports league to do? To help shed light on this issue from a research perspective, University of Alberta Ph.D. student Brian Soebbing is analyzing sports wagering data in an attempt to detect efforts to undermine the integrity of individual matches.

Read the full interview with Soebbing in the December 2008 / January 2009 issue of Gambling Research Reveals newsletter.

Review of Oz Gambling Research [Report]

2009-03-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

The land down under has produced a significant number of gambling reports and articles over the years. For a listing of newer research produced in Australia, take a look at the report "A Review of Australian Gambling Research" (2008, August) which was released today... well, technically yesterday if you're reading this in Australia.

The Madness of March [New Book]

2009-03-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

Item #42 on the "50 sporting things you must do before you die" listing recommends taking in the NCAA's March madness basketball tournament. If attending the event live is out of the question this year, you might instead be interested in the recently published book from the University of Nebraska Press entitled "The Madness of March: Bonding and Betting with the Boys in Las Vegas" by Alan Jay Zaremba.

"Every spring, the first four days of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament attracts a horde of basketball bettors to Las Vegas. From the tip-off of the tournament’s first game on Thursday morning to the final whistle on Sunday, throngs of bettors—overwhelmingly male—sit in smoky casinos obsessively watching as many as forty-eight college basketball games. This book immerses readers in that action. In The Madness of March: Bonding and Betting with the Boys in Las Vegas, Alan Jay Zaremba travels to The Strip and gives us a front-row view of the betting culture that surrounds the frenzied first weekend of the tournament."

Critical Literature Review of Risk Factors for Problematic Gambling [Article]

2009-03-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

The March, 2009 issue of the Journal of Gambling studies contains a number of interesting articles... but unless you have a subscription to the journal, you won't be able to read them. The one exception is the "Open Access" article entitled "Risk Factors for Problematic Gambling: A Critical Literature Review" by Johansson et al.

According to Johansson and colleagues:

"The aim of the present study was to identify the existing empirical studies regarding the risk factors for the development and maintenance of pathological gambling. This is especially important for the implementation of prevention and treatment for PG." (p.88).

They note that:

"The critical review of 35 different factors or dimensions unfolded very few ‘‘well established risk factors for PG’’ (9 factors), where the conclusions could be supported by more than two studies. These were demographic variables (age, gender), cognitive distortions (erroneous perceptions, illusion of control), sensory characteristics, schedules of reinforcement, and comorbid states (OCD, drug abuse), and delinquency/illegal acts. Many categories (22) are considered to constitute probable risk factors (1–2 supporting studies)." (p.89).

If you're wondering about why Springer, the journal publisher, allowed only this particular article to be made available for free, you should read the web page How Springer Open Choice Works.

Reports from the Queensland Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR)

2009-02-27T10:59:00.000-08:00

The Queensland, Australia Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR) makes available a number of research-related reports on its Resposible Gambling page. I hadn't come acroos the following reports on their site... but I've now added links to them from the Gambling Literature Database:

The Impact of Self-Awareness and Physiological Arousal on EGM Gambling Behaviour (2007, August) -- "This report describes four experimental studies investigating psychological factors that influence betting behaviour on Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs)."
Gambling and Problem Gambling among the Chinese (2007) -- "There has been a significant gap in the gambling literature regarding the role of culture in gambling and problem gambling. The studies contained in this report intend to reduce this gap by focussing on gambling amongst the Chinese."

New Journal Issue -- Gaming Law Review and Economics (2009, February)

2009-02-25T12:01:00.000-08:00

The journal Gaming Law Review and Economics (formerly just Gaming Law Review) has just published its February 2009 issue. Article content includes:

Lessons from the Nevada Model on Macao's Junket Operations by Carlos Siu Lam and William R. Eadington
Wasn't the Gaming Law Business Supposed to Be Recession-Proof? by Lori Tripoli
The Mob Never Ran Vegas by Leslie Niño Fidance
Betfair: A Case Study on the U.S. Internet Gaming Market by David C. Williams and S. Steve Seteroff
Quantifying Skill in Games—Theory and Empirical Evidence for Poker by Ingo C. Fiedler and Jan-Philipp Rock

Addiction-Related Datasets Available From The Transparency Project

2009-02-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

Last month The Division on Addictions, Harvard Medical School, made available a site they've named The Transparency Project. The aim of the site is to establish a "home" for privately-funded datasets collected by multidisciplinary addiction researchers working throughout the world.

Many of the available datasets relate to Internet gambling and were obtained from European online gambling provider bwin Interactive Entertainment AG. Access to such data will be a real boon to researchers investigating Internet gambling as this type of information has previsouly been largely inaccessible. This data is already proving to be fertile ground for researchers as evident by the publications by dataset page.

NOTE: Datasets in the repository are accessible to"registered users." You register to be a user of the Transparency Project by emailing info@thetransparencyproject.org and providing basic information. Once you're successfully registered and have received a password, you can access and download the requested database. It is anticipated that the website will have an automated registration process in the future.

Motivational Interviewing & Problem Gambling [Training Workshop]

2007-05-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in an intensive evidence-based and hands-on training workshop on "Motivational Interviewing & Problem Gambling" aimed at healthcare and social service professionals, be sure to sign-up and attend the September 7, 2007 event which will take place at the University of Toronto (St. George Campus) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

It is being organized by Professional Advanced Services (PAS).

International Gambling Studies [new issue]

2007-03-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

Volume 7, Issue 1 (2007) of the journal International Gambling Studies contains the following original articles:

Between Law and Custom - Examining the Interaction between Legislative Change and the Evolution of Macao's Casino Industry
The Psychology of Risk-taking in Gambling among Chinese Visitors to Macau
The Security of Gambling and Gambling with Security: Hacking, Law Enforcement and Public Policy
Self-exclusion: A Proposed Gateway to Treatment Model
Multiple Co-occurring Behaviours among Gamblers in Treatment: Implications and Assessment
Validation of the Chinese Version of the Gambling Urges Scale (GUS-C)
The Influence of Music on Estimates of At-risk Gambling Intentions: An Analysis by Casino Design
Prospective Problem Gambling Research: Contribution and Potential

Gambling, Culture, Community and Intervention [free one-day conference]

2007-03-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

For those in the Toronto area in late March... you might want to attend what looks to be an interesting (and free!) one-day conference on "Gambling, Culture, Community and Intervention" that is being put on by COSTI Immigrant Services in partnership with the Ontario Resource Group on Gambling, Ethnicity and Culture.

Gambling in Estonia [conference]

2007-03-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

The Institute for Problem Gambling and Treatment in Estonia is hosting a conference pertaining to the "Social Responsibility of Gambling Industry Enterprises." I wasn't even aware of the Institute let alone the conference!

North Carolina Gambling Prevalence [report]

2007-02-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

The report "Effects of the North Carolina State Lottery on the Incidence of Gambling Addiction" (2007, February) was produced by the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services [North Carolina].

Interestingly, this report aims to accomplish what many researchers have been calling for withe resepect to the introduction of legalized gambling... establish a baseline measure of how many people have gambling-related problems both before gambling is introduced to a jurisdiction.

Specifically, "Legislation (House Bill 1023) that established the North Carolina State Lottery included a provision that required the Department of Health and Human Services to study its impact on the incidence of gambling addiction in the state. This report presents findings on gambling behaviors among adult North Carolinians prior to the sale of the first lottery ticket on March 30, 2006 and provides the reference against which the incidence of gambling will be measured in the future."

Casinos and Regeneration [policy paper]

2007-02-26T14:28:00.000-08:00

The Institute for Public Policy Research in the U.K.) has produced the short policy paper "Casinos and Regeneration: The story so far" (2007, February).

This Centre for Cities briefing note deconstructs the decision, before critically assessing the relationship between casinos and regeneration more generally. It focuses on the regeneration issues around supercasino development. It concludes with some lessons for Manchester.

Gaming Law Review, January 2007 [journal issue]

2007-02-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

Volume 11, No. 1 of the journal Gaming Law Review (2007, January) is now available to subscribers. Original articles include:

Extraditing Peter Dicks
The Post-Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Online-Gaming Surge?
Virtual Worlds, Real Damages: The Odd Case of American Hero, the Greatest Horse that May Have Lived
The Duty to Preserve Casino Surveillance Video Evidence: Ensuring Compliance with Mississippi Gaming Regulation § 10(e)
State Lotteries, Commercial Casinos, and Public Finance: An Uneasy Relationship Revisited

Research and Measurement Issues [Forthcoming book]

2007-02-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

The book Research and Measurement Issues in Gambling Studies is set to be available from Elsevier in May, 2007. It has been co-edited by the Alberta Gaming Research Institute's three research coordinators -- Dr. Garry Smith (U. of Alberta), Dr. David Hodgins (U. of Calgary), and Dr. Rob Williams (U. of Lethbridge).

This extensive book includes contributions from leading international experts on methodologies and measurement tools relevant to gambling studies.

le jeu pathologique [reports]

2007-02-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

Two new youth gambling-related reports are available from The Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ). They are:

Tired Gamblers [online article]

2007-02-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

An organization called the Canada Safety Council has an article on their web site entitled "Gambling, Fatigue and Drowsy Driving" contributed by Nina Littman-Sharp at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Littman-Sharp provides some highlights of findings from a study carried out on 66 clients of the Problem Gambling Service of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. For those of you driving near casinos late at night (or perhaps leaving from one yourself), be careful behind the wheel of a vehicle!

Packaging Gambling with Sex [newsletter article]

2007-02-15T09:17:00.000-08:00

The newsletter article "Packaging gambling with sex a risky combination for teens" is featured in the Winter, 2006 issue of Youth Gambling International from McGill University's International Centre for Youth Gambling Problema & High-Risk Behaviors.

For anyone wondering, the article discusses provocative advertising by various online gambling sites that use scantily-clad models.

Tunica, Mississippi Revitalization [newsletter article]

2007-02-13T09:17:00.000-08:00

The newsletter article "Tunica Lays Big Bet on the Casino Industry" appears in the January, 2007 issue of Regional Economist - a publication of The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Over the past decade or so, Tunica, Mississippi has transformed from a desperately poor region with poor prospects for economic growth to one that is thriving. Much of the credit for this change is said to have been as a result of the introduction of casino gambling. Based on what economists like Dr. Bill Eadington have written, it would seem that Tunica meets the criteria for places that would be likely to benefit from casino development (i.e., few existing industries, choice of "destination-style" facilities to attract tourists, and residents who are generally willing to accept both the positive and negative effects of casino gambling).

Local Government Planning re Gaming [report]

2007-02-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

The Community Advocacy on Gambling (CAOG) group in Australia has produced the report "Gaming, Tobacco and Local Government in Victoria: A State of Readiness?" (2007, January) which seeks to provide an analysis of Local Government planner knowledge of relevant gaming legislation and of processes used by planners.

It strikes me that the input of local planners themselves is something that might often be overlooked when it comes to actually implementing government venue regulations / restrictions.

Collection of Recent Gaming-Related Materials [library titles]

2007-02-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

For anyone interested in what gambling-related materials were processed for inclusion in the U. of Lethbridge Library's collection for the period September - December 2006, take a look at the web page "U of Lethbridge New Gaming Titles".

The Florida Gambling Scene [2 reports]

2007-02-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

Two recent reports from theFlorida Council on Compulsive Gambling include:

1) Gambling on Credit: Exploring the Link Between Compulsive Gambling and Access to Credit (2006) -- This item summarizes the findings and recommendations of a national Think Tank convened in May 2006 by the council.

2) Gambling among Florida Middle and High School Students (2006, June) - The analysis presented in this report is based upon a secondary analysis of data collected during the school year 2005, in a survey sponsored by the Florida Department of Children & Families (DCF).

Canadian Gaming Business, Dec. 2006 / Jan. 2007 [new online issue]

2007-02-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

The December 2006 / January 2007 issue of Canadian Gaming Business trade publication has been made freely available online.

Included are interesting articles on the next generation of electronic table games, a profile on several publicly-traded Canadian gaming stocks, and highlights of activities provided by provincial gaming authorities.

Youth Gambling in Alberta [survey results]

2007-02-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) has released results from the second cycle of The Alberta Youth Experience Survey (TAYES) to measure alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use and gambling activity among Alberta students in grades 7 through 12.

Highlights of gambling-related findings are available in the short report entitled "Youth Gambling in Alberta" (2007, January).

For additional information about the survey, take a look at the most recent issue (Winter 2006 / 2007) of AAADAC's Developments newsletter.

Undergound Slots [policy report]

2007-02-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

The Abell Foundation of Maryland recently published the report "Underground Video Gambling: Still in Violation of the Law, and Still Thriving" (2007, January) which follows up on their original publication entitled "Underground Video Gambling Industry Costing Maryland More Than $15 Million Annually In Uncollected Taxes" (2006, January).

The new report chronicals what has taken place as a result of the release of the original report. It appears that the authorities are cracking down somewhat on these so-called "vending machines" but real change might only happen if slot machine gambling is legalized in Maryland. The reason given is because, "...the state would be more inclined to pressure local jurisdictions to eliminate the illegal machines to avoid competition with legal slots."

Aboriginal Conference Presenter Submissions [Conference Opportunity]

2007-02-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba invites the submission of presentations / papers (deadline Feb. 15th, 2007) for the Third National Aboriginal Gambling Awareness Conference which will take place between June 5th and 7th in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

2006 California Prevalence Study [report]

2007-01-31T09:50:00.000-08:00

The 2006 California Problem Gambling Prevalence Survey (2006, August) was just released online. The study team was led by eminent gambling research Dr. Rachel Volberg.

"In this report, respondents are classified as at-risk gamblers if they scored 1 or 2 on the lifetime NODS; as problem gamblers if they scored 3 or 4 on the lifetime NODS; and as pathological gamblers if they scored 5 or more on the lifetime NODS.

Based on the NODS, the lifetime prevalence of pathological gambling in California is 1.5% and the lifetime prevalence of problem gambling is 2.2%. The prevalence of lifetime at-risk gambling in California is 9.5%. The overall lifetime prevalence rate of problem and pathological gambling in California (3.7%) is at the higher end of the range of prevalence rates identified using this screen in other states and nationally."

For those of you who like gambling prevalence studies, be sure to look at the pages I've put together for studies from Canada, the U.S. & other international jurisdictions.

U.K. Casino Advisory Panel Recommendations [report]

2007-01-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

And the winner of the "regional casino" competition is... the City of Manchester!

The U.K. casino advisory panel released a report entitled "Final report of the Casino Advisory Panel" (2007, January 30). The report lists the various cities that were selected to host a "regional casino" (1), "large casinos" (8) and "small casinos" (8). Much of this 180-page document is devoted to discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each of casino submission based on criteria related to social impact and ability to economically regenerate an area.

CPGI Index Review [report]

2007-01-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

The report "Performance and enhancement of the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI): Report and recommendations" (2006, September) was produced by Healthy Horizons Consulting for a group of Canadian funding agencies interested in acquiring feedback on the instrument’s performance.

Included in the study are details about prevalence studies from around the world which have used the CPGI.

N.Z. Gambling Conference 2006 [presentations]

2007-01-25T08:17:00.000-08:00

Abstracts and presentations from the "International Gambling Conference: Gambling and Its Impacts - Policy, Practice and Research Perspectives (Auckland, New Zealand)" which took place September 13-15, 2006 are available online courtesy of the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

Mix and Match [3 reports]

2007-01-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

The following three reports have been recently made available online...

1) Assessing the Contribution of Gambling Venue Design Elements to Problem Gambling Behaviour (2006, November) -- Funded by the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre (OPGRC).

2) 2006 Arizona Youth Survey: Arizona Gambling Profile Report (2007, January) -- A report from the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission which provides one of the first glipses of gambling participation for that state's young people.

3) Survey on the Perceptions & Attitudes Towards Gambling Issues in Singapore (2006, September) -- For more information about gambling in Singapore, you might consider attending the Problem Gambling Conference 2007 in that country.

Internet Casino and Internet Poker Players [summary report]

2007-01-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

The report "eCOGRA Global Online Gambler Report: An Exploratory Investigation into the Attitudes and Behaviours of Internet Casino and Poker Players [Media Summary]" (2007, Janary) is billed as perhaps the largest survey of online gamblers ever undertaken.

The summary report provides some useful demographic details about Internet gamblers but, unfortunately, doesn't delve much into problem gambling or get into the specifics of amount gambled online. I did, however, appreciate the details on poker playing and how players often participate in between 1 and 4 games simultaneously while playing online.

Journal of Gambling Issues, January 2007 [new issue]

2007-01-22T07:45:00.000-08:00

Issue 19 of the Journal of Gambling Issues (2007, January) is now freely accessible online. Research articles included:

A study of differences in Canadian university students' gambling and proximity to a casino by Gerald R. Adams, Anne-Marie Sullivan, Keith D. Horton, Rosanne Menna, & Ann Marie Guilmette

The addictive potential of lottery gambling by Sabine M. Grüsser, Babett Plöntzke, Ulrike Albrecht, & Chantal Patricia Mörsen

An exploratory investigation into the erroneous cognitions of pathological and social fruit machine gamblers by Crawford Moodie

I. Adolescent problem gambling: Developing a gambling expectancy instrument by Meredith A. M. Gillespie, Jeffrey Derevensky, & Rina Gupta

II. The utility of outcome expectancies in the prediction of adolescent gambling behaviour by Meredith A. M. Gillespie, Jeffrey Derevensky, & Rina Gupta

Geist and Anti-Online Gambling Advertising Law [blog post]

2007-01-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

Noted Internet legal commentator Michael Geist has a posting on his blog "Passes Anti-Online Gambling Advertising Law" (2006, December 15) which discusses Ontario's rather toothless new consumer protection legislation that contains provisions prohibiting the advertising of Internet gambling sites.

Dr. Michael Geist is the Canada Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa.

Internet Gambling @ Work [press release]

2007-01-17T15:49:00.000-08:00

The January 15, 2007 news release "Online gambling costs GB businesses over £306 million per year in lost productivity" discusses a some research looking at how office workers in Britain are spending a portion of their time placing bets online at work.

Alberta Profile 2006 [Statistical Report]

2007-01-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

The new seventh edition of AADAC's Alberta Profile: Social and Health Indicators of Addiction report (2006, November) is now available online.

"This 128-page report is a compilation of data from secondary sources that profile select indicators of harm caused by substance use and gambling in Alberta. The report provides ready-to-use data and is used by AADAC to assist with its policy and program planning."

The chapter on Gambling is on pages 61-73.

British Medical Assocation Treatment Guide [report]

2007-01-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

Noted gambling scholar Mark Griffiths has produced the report "Gambling addiction and its treatment within the NHS: A guide for healthcare professionals" (2007, January) for the British Medical Association.

Gambling Research Reveals, Dec. 2006 / Jan. 2007 [Newsletter]

2007-01-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

The December 2006 / January 2007 issue of Gambling Research Reveals has been posted to the Alberta Gaming Research Institute web site. Main articles in this issue relate to the Institute's 2007 conference in Banff, Alberta and an interview with doctoral student Nicole Peden about her CRAFT study.

Readiness to Seek Treatment Factors [report]

2007-01-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

The report "Personal Luck, Outcome Expectancies, and Subjective Appraisals as Predictors of Health and Readiness to Seek Treatment among Young Adults" (2007?) by Wohl et al. for the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre (OPGRC) reports on the results of two studies.

"The first study comprised a broad survey (N = 407) to assess relations among expectancies, appraisals, coping strategies, and self-reported gambling and treatment-seeking behaviours. A 6-month follow-up was conducted to identify factors that predict alterations in gambling propensities. In the second study, using a virtual reality simulation, participants (N = 160) were exposed to a highly realistic gambling setting, enabling us to examine the effects of gambling anticipation on neuroendocrine responses among individuals with varying degrees of gambling interest (pathological, at-risk, and recreational gambler)."

Queensland Research Grants [reports]

2007-01-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

The following two reports were funded by the Government of Queensland through its Responsible Gambling Research Grants Program.

1) Responsible Gambling Strategy for Older Queenslanders: Final Report (2006, July)

2) Early Life Course Determinants of Young Adults' Gambling Behaviour: An Australian Longitudinal Study (2006, June)

Nova Scotia Gaming Foundation [Annual Report]

2007-01-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

A December 2006 press release from the Nova Scotia Gaming Foundation indicates that the combined Annual Report 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 can be accessed from their web site. The report contains a summary of their recent operational grants, research investigations, and conference highlights.

Alberta Casinos - 2007 Update [Directory]

2007-01-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

I've finally got around to making use of some digitial images of Alberta casinos that I'd been collecting... take a look at various individual casino listings in my updated directory of Alberta Casinos (2007, Janaury).

If anyone has original (non-copyright) pictures of other Canadian casinos, feel free to forward them to me by email (rhys.stevens@uleth.ca) as I'm considering expanding this listing to all Canadian locations.

Issues in Gambling & Public Policy [seminar presentations]

2007-01-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

"Gambling and Public Policy - Current Issues" (2006, January) was the title of a one-day seminar at the University of Salford in the U.K. Presentations were made by a number of well-known British gambling researchers (including Professor Peter Collins & Professor Leighton Vaughan Williams).

Gambling Research, May 2006 [print journal]

2007-01-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

I recently received Volume 18, Issue 1 (May 2006) of Gambling Research: Journal of the National Association for Gambling Studies (Australia). Contents include:

Do EGMs and problem gambling go together like a horse and carriage? By Max Abbott

A structured clinical interview for pathological gambling By Michael Walker, Fadi Anjoul, Simon Milton and Kirsten Shannon

The effect of near wins on the choice of a video lottery terminal By Isabelle Giroux and Robert Ladouceur

A psychosocial profile of adolescents involved in high-risk behaviours in South Australia: A comparison of gambling and substance use By Paul H. Delfabbro, Anthony Winefield, Maureen Dollard, Jacques Metzer, Sarah Anderson and Sarah Trainor

Introduction to slots and video gaming [trade publication]

2007-01-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

International Game Technology (IGT) is a major player in the manufacture of slot machines. The publication "Introduction to slots and video gaming" (2005) is available from their web site and provides some interesting details about how slot machines work as well as other assorted details relating to casino design.

I came across this item as a result of a recommendation in the article "Shedding Some Light on the Truth About Slots" by John G. Brokopp, one of the "Gaming Gurus" at the Casino City Times web site.

Internet Gambling and Addiction [opinion paper]

2007-01-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

Dr. Howard J. Shaffer of the Harvard Medical School's Division on Addictions was asked several years ago to provide answers for the following two questions:

(1) Is the nature of addiction meaningfully different for different objects of addiction,
specifically Internet-related versus “local” gambling?; and

(2) Are the risk factors associated with gambling disorders in general significantly different from the risk factors that are associated with Internet gambling in particular.

You can read his comments in the paper "Internet Gambling & Addiction" (2004, January).

New Mexico Gambling [prevalence study]

2006-12-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

The 2006 study of gambling and problem gambling in New Mexico (2006, June) reports on a survey of 2,850 residents of New Mexico aged 18 and over. This study used both the The NORC DSM-IV Screen for Gambling Problems (NODS) and the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI) to measure of problem gambling in the population. This is particularly interesting because, to my knowledge, this is one of the first U.S. states to have used the CPGI instrument in a survey.

Newslink newsletter [new issue]

2006-12-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

The Fall/Winter 2006 issue of the Responsible Gambling Council's Newslink newsletter is available online (also in print if you're on the free mailing list). Inlcuded in this issue are articles related to poker, Internet gambling safeguards, responsible gambling informtion centres, and some highlights from a prevalence study of gambling in Ontario.

Gambling Decisions Program [news release]

2006-12-13T08:53:00.000-08:00

The news release "Capital Health helps gamblers take control" (2006, December 12) from Capital Health in Edmonton, Alberta describes the results of an evaluation of the early intervention program Gambling Decisions. Problem gamblers participating in the study reduced their average monthly losses from $832 to $69 after one year... unfortunately, recruitment of a large sample of problem gamblers proved to be problematic.

Update on Gambling [statistical information]

2006-12-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

The June 2006 online edition of the Statistics Canada publication Perspectives on Labour and Income contains a gambling update... a useful source to consult when attempting to locate provincial gambling revenues, household expenditure, characteristics of workers, etc.

Percentage of NV Gamblers Who Smoke [brief report]

2006-12-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

The brief research summary report "The Percentage of Gamblers Who Smoke A Study of Nevada Casinos and other Gaming Venues" (2006, December) was authored by
Chris A. Pritsos from the Department of Nutrition, University of Nevada, Reno.

"These percentages of gamblers who smoke are very similar to the overall percentage of the U.S. population that smokes (20.9%). The percentage of gamblers who smoke at the small rural casinos is higher, at around 36.5%. This probably reflects the higher percentage of smokers in these communities and the dependence of these casinos on local patronage" (p. 1).

Gaming Law Review December 2006 [journal issue]

2006-12-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

The December 2006 issue of Gaming Law Review contains the following original articles:

Proposed NIGC Class II Game Classification Standards: End of Class II Gaming Debate . . . or Just Further Fuel for Fire? by Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier
U.S. Department of Justice Travel Alert: U.S. Enforcement Efforts Likely to Curtail Business Travel Rather than Online Gambling by Joseph M. Kelly, Alex A. Igelman, Keith Furlong
Viewpoint: The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 Analyzed by I. Nelson Rose
Latest Developments in the United Kingdom's National Lottery by David Miers
Do Ontario and Its Gaming Venues Owe a Duty of Care to Problem Gamblers? by William V. Sasso, Jasminka Kalajdzic

Gaming and Amusement in Europe [collected essays]

2006-12-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

The acronym EUROMAT stands for European Gaming and Amusement Federation. It represents the "amusement machine" industry and leisure industry at EU level. Late late month, EUROMAT released the report "The Future of Gaming and Amusement in Europe: A collection of essays" (2006, November) in the European Parliament.

U.K. Casinos [public examination]

2006-12-06T14:24:00.000-08:00

For anyone curious about any of the numerous applications from jurisdictions in the U.K. looking for a "regional" casino... you might want to take a look at the Casino Advisory Panel's "Examinations in Public" web page. Reports galore on why casinos should and shouldn't locate in these eight locations.

Banff, Alberta Conference [registration form]

2006-12-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

An online registration form is now available for the Alberta Gaming Research Institute's 2007 conference "Addressing Gambling-related Harm through Evidence-based Practices." The conference itself will take place at the Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta on March 30th and 31st, 2007.

Canadian Gaming Business [new issue]

2006-12-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

Volume 1, Number 2 (October 2006) of Canadian Gaming Business has been published in print as well as online. The publication is useful for those interested in keeping up-to-date and informed of recent initiatives and issues related to the gambling industry.

Included in the current issue are feature articles on "Expanding Sports Betting Options", "Growth, and Change, for First Nations Gaming", and "Smoke-fee Gaming: What the Industry Faces."

Wanted: Social and Economic Impact Study [newspaper article]

2006-12-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

An article in today's Halifax Chronicle Herald entitled "Province still seeking firm to head gambling study" (2006, December 4th) indicates that the government is still seeking someone to study gambling’s social and economic impacts in Nova Scotia. The maximum study cost is $250,000 and the deadline for bids is January 30th, 2007.

Gambling and Older People [archived journal article]

2006-12-01T15:15:00.000-08:00

Permission to include the journal article "Stacking the Odds: A Phenomenological Study of Non-problem Gambling in Later Life" (2005) in the AGRI Institutional repository was granted by the University of Toronto Press. It originally appeared in the Canadian Journal on Aging and relates to an Institute-funded research investigation led by Gary Nixon on seniors and gambling (#17).

"The purpose of this exploratory, phenomenological–hermeneutic study was to explore the experience of non-problem gambling by older adults. Twelve older gamblers were identified as non-problem gamblers using two gambling screens and participated in in-depth interviews about their experience of gambling."

Evaluation of EGM Reduction [report]

2006-11-30T09:12:00.000-08:00

The Independent Gambling Authority (IGA) of South Australia has the publication "Evaluation of 2004 Legislative Amendments to Reduce EGMs: Research Report" (2006, October) accessible from its web site. As the title suggests, the study provides a review of the various goverment initiative (e.g., reduction in the total number of machines) that have taken place in the State to reduce the impact of electronic gaming machines (EGMs) on the community.

I came across this study thanks to a recent newsletter produced by Glenda Northey, Research Librarian for the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand.

The Norway Papers [resources]

2006-11-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

Gemini Research has a new area on its web site called The Norway Papers. It is dedicated to explaining developments related to video lottery terminals (VLTs) in that country.

Of specific interest:

Presentations from the Symposium "Gambling and Problem Gambling in Norway: Lessons from National and International Research" which took place in Oslo in October 2006.
Report Concerning the Regulation of VLTs in Norway (2005, August) -- Canadians might be interested in the section (pp. 15-16) of the report that compares VLT in Norway to those in Canadian provinces.

Gambling Prevalence - South Australia [report]

2006-11-28T13:47:00.000-08:00

Australians are reported as being some of the biggest gamblers in the world... they're also among the world's foremost researcher on gambling. Yet another example of a research report originating from down under is "Gambling Prevalence in South Australia: October to December 2005" (2006).

Public Health Strategies [journal article]

2006-11-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

A short article by Christiane Poulin entitled "Public Health: Gambling" appears in the November 7, 2006 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

Poulin recommends "...we should apply what has been learned from tobacco control strategies — success is achieved primarily through public policy. " She then goes on to recommend a number of specific strategies that she would like to see implemented and evaluated.

Gambling Prevalence - Northern Territory, Australia [reports]

2006-11-24T13:45:00.000-08:00

The article "Gambling study recommends caps on pokies be retained" (2006, November 20) appears on the website of Charles Darwin University in Australia. It discusses a research report on the prevalence of gambling in the Northern Territory (NT) which was led by Dr. Martin Young from the university's School for Social and Policy Research. There is a significant indigenous population in the NT and the report also provides some information about gambling among this group.

The two reports:

An Overview of Gambling in the Northern Territory (2006, October)
Northern Territory Gambling Prevalence Survey 2005 (2006, October)

Sexual Orientation and Pathological Gambling [journal article]

2006-11-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

The November-December 2006 issue of the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry contains an interesting research article by Jon E. Grant and Marc N. Potenza entitled "Sexual orientation of men with pathological gambling: prevalence and psychiatric comorbidity in a treatment-seeking sample".

According to the authors, "To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between sexual orientation and psychopathology in men with PG."

Canadian Gaming Industry Economic Impact Assessment [terms of reference]

2006-11-23T12:34:00.000-08:00

In a news release dated October 26, 2006, the Canadian Gaming Association announced that they were seeking a request for proposals from consultants to undertake an economic impact assessment of the Canadian gaming industy. Deadline for proposal submissions was today, November 23rd, 2006 according to the Terms of Reference.

Scratch-and-Win Ticket Fraud [documentary]

2006-11-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight's episode of CBC-TV's The Fifth Estate airs at 9PM and is titled "Luck of the Draw: Update." The program will feature scratch-and-win games, how they've been manipulated by retailers and how the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation kept quiet about a problem with the tickets.

The show is follow-up to the earlier "Luck of the Draw" episode. There's now a discussion board on the site with a number of interesting comments.

Review of Australasian Gambling Reseach [report]

2006-11-21T09:07:00.000-08:00

The report entitled "Australasian Gambling Review: First Edition" (2006) by Delfabbro & LeCouteur provides a detailed summary of Australian and New Zealand (NZ) gambling research conducted in the period 1992–2005.

I heartily agree with the authors recommendation that, "Readers are encouraged to use the report as a reference source for material relevant to specific topics as well as a starting point for locating more detailed reports and papers." This is a resource that I think will be most valued by gambling researchers.

Duty of Care / Partner Influences on Gambling [research reports]

2006-11-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

The Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre has made available two more new research reports. One is entitled "Do Ontario and its Gaming Venues Owe a Duty of Care to Problem Gamblers? " (2006, February) and the other is "Partner Influences on Gambling: An Exploratory Study" (2006, June).

Journal of Gambling Studies, December 2006 [new issue]

2006-11-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

The most recent issue of the Journal of Gambling Studies is Volume 22, Number 4 (2006, December) . It contains the following articles:

Treatment of Female Pathological Gambling: The Efficacy of a Cognitive-Behavioural Approach
Do Predictors of Gambling Involvement Differ Across Male and Female Adolescents?
Reflections on Accuracy
Gambling Control Self-efficacy as a Mediator of the Effects of Low Emotional Intelligence on Problem Gambling
Motives and Methods of Under-Age Casino Gamblers
Trends in Gambling Studies Research: Quantifying, Categorizing, and Describing Citations
Pathological Gamblers: Inpatients’ versus Outpatients’ Characteristics
Impulsivity and Sustained Attention in Pathological Gamblers: Influence of Childhood ADHD History

NCRG Conference [weblog]

2006-11-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

The NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction "Lost in Translation? The Challenge of Turning Good Research into Best Practices" (Nov. 12-14, 2006) in Las Vegas, NV wrapped up earlier this week. The conference weblog provides informative summaries of presentation content.

Journal of Gambling Issues, October 2006 [journal title]

2006-11-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

Volume 18 (October 2006) of the Journal of Gambling Issues is a special issue on gambling in the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Articles include:

Gambling Prevalence in Prince Edward Island [research report]

2006-11-14T09:04:00.000-08:00

The report entitled "Gambling and Problem Gambling in Prince Edward Island" (2006, February) was produced by UPEI Professor Jason Doiron for the Prince Edward Island Department of Health. Some highlights:

Since an initial prevalence study in 1999, the report notes that, "the overall rate of participation in gambling in Prince Edward Island appears to have remained virtually unchanged"
"The rate of problem gambling among survey participants was 1.6%. It is estimated that the problem gambling rate in Prince Edward Island has remained stable since 1999."
"Problem gambling in Prince Edward Island has been shown – for the second time – to be uniquely related to involvement in video lottery terminal gambling. Participants who engaged in VLT gambling in the year prior to the survey were 37.97 times more likely to have a gambling problem than participants who did not participate in VLT gambling in the year prior to the survey."

Also of interest is the CBC news article "Study recommends fewer VLTs" (2006, November 14) which provides some additional background and analysis on the report.

Internet-based Problem Gambling Treatment [web site]

2006-11-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

The Improving the Odds web site is part of a project to investigate the use of Internet-based treatment for problem gambling. The project is being run from Griffith University in the Queensland, Australia.

"This program is only available for people who are currently residing in Australia. This program, which runs from Griffith University, involves going through six weekly sessions online. The aim of this program is to help you to take charge of your gambling behaviours and urges."

Alexander First Nation Gaming Commission [online news]

2006-11-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

The article "Alberta tribal commission offers online licenses" (2006, November 3) from the Casino City Times indicates that the Alexander First Nation, located just 20 minutes from Edmonton, Alberta near Morinville, will be offering online gaming licences from their Alexander Gaming Commission.

It will be interesting to see if and how the Alberta Gaming & Liquor Commission reacts to this initiative. For some other recent information about Internet gambling in Canada, see the article, "Canada pressured to decide on online gambling" (2006, November 7), also available from Casino City.

Problem Gambling in British Columbia [annual report]

2006-11-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

The Province of British Columbia's Problem Gambling Program is managed by the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch within the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. The 2005/06 Annual Report is the second of its kind. It details how funding for the program is spent, looks at the various outcomes of services delivered and satisfaction with those services.

Of particular significance to researchers are the "Research Agenda" and "Looking Ahead" sections... they provide an idea of ongoing and future provincial gambling research initiatives.

Indian Gaming: Sovereignty and Social Change in Economic Development [journal issue]

2006-11-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

The November 2006 issue of American Behavioral Scientist is a special issue that contains articles on the topic of "Indian Gaming: Sovereignty and Social Change in Economic Development."Articles include:

Introduction: Indian Gaming: Sovereignty and Social Change in Economic Development
Intratribal Contention Concerning Indian Gaming: Implications for Syncretic Tribalism
(Mixed) Perceptions of Tribal Nations’ Status: Implications for Indian Gaming
Cultivating New Opportunities: Tribal Government Gaming on the Pechanga Reservation
Sovereignty, Indian Gaming, and Economic Development on the Lake Traverse Reservation of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe (Oyate)
Michigan Gambling: The Interactions of Native American, Detroit, and Canadian Casinos
Indian Gaming: Traditional Perspectives and Cultural Sovereignty
True Lies: Governor Schwarzenegger and Other Political Leaders’ Response to Tribal Issues

EGM Exposure, Participation, and Problem Gambling [in press article]

2006-11-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

The 2nd International Summer School on Inequalities and Addictions was held in Adelaide, South Australia in September 2006. One of the background readings was a publication entitled "Do EGMs and problem gambling go together like a horse and carriage?" which is in press with the journal Gambling Research.

From the conclusion (pp. 29-30):

The major focus of this article has been on relationships between EGM exposure, participation and problem gambling. Like love and marriage, or horses and carriages, it appears that they come in a variety of forms and that while they can "go together", this is far from inevitable. Understanding of the circumstances under which EGM exposure, participation and problems are strongly linked, as opposed to weakly linked or disconnected, is rudimentary. It is apparent that future research, apart from refining the measurement of EGM exposure at macro and micro levels, will need to pay greater attention to the roles that other environmental and individual factors play in problem development and cessation. At present too little is known, in any particular context, to be able to predict with certainty the consequences of increased or decreased EGM availability.

Impact of Opening a Casino [e-journal article]

2006-11-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

The article "A Prospective Study of the Impact of Opening a Casino on Gambling Behaviours: 2- and 4-Year Follow-Ups" appears in the October 2006 issue of The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

(p. 771) One year after the opening of the casino, results indicated a significant increase in casino gambling activities and in the amount of money lost to gambling of the Hull, compared with the Quebec, respondents. However, contrary to our hypotheses, this trend was not maintained 2 and 4 years later.

(p. 772) Limitations of the study include the fact that it assessed gambling activities without behavioural indicators (future studies could examine the possibility of using “player’s cards” to assess gambling frequency and the amount of money spent), and the fact that the pathological gambler is not necessarily addicted only to casino games. Other limitations are that additional data need to be collected in relation to gambling problems associated specifically with casino activities and that a third-party assessment of gambling activities was absent.

Free Book [content]

2006-11-03T11:37:00.000-08:00

Over on the Dave Schwartz's Die is Cast weblog, he's running a content to give away copies of his previous book on gambling entitled Cutting the Wire: Gambling Prohibition and the Internet... all you need to do is review his latest book on the history of gambling -- Roll the Bones.

Gambling Research Reveals, October / November [newsletter]

2006-11-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

The Alberta Gaming Research Institute newsletter has undergone design and name changes. It's now known as Gambling Research Reveals. The current issue (October / November 2006) features the Institute's new funding agreement AND a discussion on the counselling research of Dr. Gary Nixon at the U. of Lethbridge.

Anyone interested in receiving email notification when new issues are available can self-subscribe using an online form.

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction [articles]

2006-11-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Articles recently accepted for publication in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction can be accessed by subscribers from SpringerLink's Online First service. Articles include:

Are the Effects of Gambling Treatment Overestimated?
The Evidence Base Supporting the Subtyping of Gamblers in Treatment
Mental Health and Addiction State of Ethnocultural/Racial Communities
Social Marketing Campaigns for Youth Gambling Prevention: Lessons Learned from Youth
Is Substance Abuse an Issue? Perceptions of Male and Female Community-Based Mental Health System Consumer-Survivors
The Poker-machine State in Australia: A Consideration of Ethical and Policy Issues
A Case Study of Binge Problem Gambling
The Web of Internet Dependency: Search Results for the Mental Health Professional
Gambling Behavior of Juvenile Offenders in Louisiana Needs and Gaps Analysis: Problem
Gambling Interventions Among New Zealand Asian Peoples

Problem Gambling and Older Adults [prevention manual]

2006-11-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

The Ontario Resource Group on Problem Gambling and Older Adults (55+) has produced the resource "Betting on Older Adults: A Problem Gambling Prevention Clinical Manual for Service Providers" (2006).

There's also an accompanying awareness kit that includes a video, facilitator's guide, etc. which is available for order.

Police and Gambling [Research Group]

2006-11-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

The Police and Gambling Research Group at Tilburg University in The Netherlands is hosting a colloquium on gambling on November 23, 2006.

Remote Gambling [literature review]

2006-10-31T14:08:00.000-08:00

The report "A Literature Review and Survey of Statistical Sources on Remote Gambling" (2006, October) was produced by RSe Consulting for the Department for Culture Media and Sport [U.K.]. Also available is the Appendix to the RSe Consulting report.

The stated purpose of the report on the DCMS web site is to "...inform the International Summit on Remote Gambling hosted by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 31 October 2006 at Ascot Racecourse."

Anyone else suprised at the relatively few references to scholarly, peer-reviewed research sources in the report... and the complete omission of the Internet Gambling Report?

Oregon Prevalence [report]

2006-10-30T16:07:00.000-08:00

The prevalence of disordered gambling among adults in Oregon: A replication study (2006) indicates that, by in large, the prevalence rate of disordered gambling in Oregon is being kept in check... "This is most likely due to ongoing aggressive "play responsible" media efforts by the Lottery and the largest prevention and treatment system in the nation."

"The timing of this current study was driven by the fact that the State Lottery was adding line games to the existing video lottery terminals (VLTs) distributed throughout the state that were previously only offering video poker games."

See also the Oregon web page in the listing of U.S. gambling prevalence studies which is available from the Alberta Gaming Research Institute web site.

Canadian Gaming Business [print and online magazine]

2006-10-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

The premier issue of Canadian Gaming Business (2006, July) recently appeared in my mailbox. The contents of this issue are also available for free online from the web site as a PDF file. It would appear that this magazine will be quite useful for gaming industry-watchers... kind of like a Canadian version of International Gaming & Wagering Business.

Canadian Gaming Business is published six times a year as a joint venture between MediaEdge Communications and The Canadian Gaming Association.

Addressing Gambling-Related Harm [conference announcement]

2006-10-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

The Alberta Gaming Research Institute and the University of Calgary are co-sponsoring the sixth in a series of special interest conferences in the area of gambling research. Conference 2007 "Addressing Gambling-related Harm through Evidence-based Practices" will focus on innovations on the treatment of problem gambling. The conference will be held Friday, March 30 & Saturday, March 31, 2007 @ The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada. Also included is a poster session (submission deadline is Feb. 3, 2007).

EU Gambling Services [report]

2006-10-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Final Report on the Study of Gambling Services in the EU Internal Market (2006) was produced by the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law for the European Commission. This extensive series of reports contains both legal and economic components.

2006-10-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

Gaming Law Review, Volume 10, Number 5 (2006, October) has been published and is available online to subscribers. Original papers include:

What Does DOJ Have Against the Interstate Horseracing Act?
Placing Your Bets in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Online Gambling Touches the Virtual Role-Playing Worlds
Gaming in Alabama: Futile Attempts to Put the Horse Back in the Barn
The Regulation of Lotteries in Great Britain Following the Gambling Act 2005
Implementing Great Britain's Gambling Act 2005: The Gambling Commission and the Casino Question

The Walrus and VLTs [magazine article]

2006-10-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

The November 2006 issue of The Walrus magazine contains a well-researched article entitled "Alberta's Gambling with Gambling"*** by Andrew Nikiforuk. It discusses VLTs in Alberta and former civil servant Raymond Reshke's addiction to them.

*** Unless you have a subscription or sign up for a free one-month web site pass, you'll only be able to read the introductory sections of the article online.

Luck of the Draw [television]

2006-10-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

CBC-TV's The Fifth Estate will be broadcasting a documentary entitled "Luck of the Draw" on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 @ 9PM.

It's a gamble that most of us have taken at one point or another: bought a ticket at a corner store and hoped that when those little white balls stop spinning we will be the newest lottery winner. Most of us remain disappointed in the results. But what if you did win the lottery? And what if you never found out?A fifth estate investigation has uncovered new statistics about how often clerks or retailers are winning. A prominent statistician talks about the chances of this happening as often as it does. The results may astonish you.