counter Gaming Research Weblog: August 2005

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

GamCare News [Online Newsletter]

The Summer 2005 issue of GamCare News from the U.K. features items on the various "social responsibility" programmes provided by British gambling prodivers.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

New Calgary Casino Nearing Completion [Digital Image]

I was passing through Calgary last week and took a couple digital photographs of the Deerfoot Inn & Casino which is 40% owned by the GameHost Income Fund. Other partners in the project are Will Inns Ltd., Winners Gaming Corporation, and JM Wood Investments Ltd.

The facility is still under construction but looks as though it's nearing completion. Upon its opening, it will be the sixth casino in the City of Calgary.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Prevention Effectiveness [Online Technical Report]

The report "Prevention Makes a Difference: A Qualitative Study of AADAC Prevention Initiatives (Technical Report)" (2005, August) provides a history of prevention in the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) and identifies findings from the study.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Socioeconomic Impact of Gambling on Iowans [Online Report]

The Socioeconomic Impact of Gambling on Iowans: Final Report (2005, June) was produced by a research team from the U. of Northern Iowa for the Iowa Legislative Council. WARNING: This file takes a long time to download!

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Casino Gambling in Ohio [Online Reports]

Two studies were just released that examine the potential economic and social impact on Ohio if casino gambling were legalized in that State. They are: 1) State of Ohio Gaming Market Assessment (2005, August), and; 2) The Social Costs of Casino Gambling for Ohio: A Review of What is Known and Estimates of Future Expenses (2005, August). Both studies were prepared for The Greater Cleveland Partnership and Selected Cincinnati Area Businesses and are available from the Ohio Gaming Info web site.

The American Policy Roundtable has also put out a scathing five-page critique of these two papers on their web site... see "A Review of the 2005 Greater Cleveland Partnership Study on Casinos for Ohio".

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Economic Impact of the "Horse Industry" [Report Summary]

At the end of June, 2005, the American Horse Council issued a press release announcing the completion of its commissioned report entitled "The Economic Impact of the Horse Industry in the United States". It is touted as "the most comprehensive research document ever compiled on the American horse industry."

Friday, August 19, 2005

Creating a Better Balance [Conference]

The Creating a Better Balance conference is scheduled to take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia on October 3rd & 4th, 2005. Registration is free and the theme is related to working together to prevent problem gambling.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Smoking, Gambling, & Casinos [Web Resource]

The web site of the Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights has a Casinos and Gambling section that provides a great deal of published information about the topic. One of the items in that section is Casino employee and management support for smokefree gambling (2005, March) that quotes a number of individuals who support smokefree policies.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Casinos Canada -- Dates Established / Mode of Operation

Back in June, 2005 I put together a listing of dates that various Canadian casinos and racinos were first established as well as their modes of operation. Feel free to point out any possible errors in this listing!

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Public Health & EMS Casino Impact [Online Report]

The 24-page publication Casino San Pablo Public Health & EMS Impact Study (2005, August) provides "an analysis of the public health and EMS impact of a Las Vegas style casino proposed to be established at the existing Casino San Pablo [California]."

Monday, August 15, 2005

Riskcom.org [web site]

The Riskcom.org web site is "A site dedicated to risk research, broadly defined." One of the sections is entitled "The Anthropology of Gambling" and presents anthropological research on gambling conducted by PhD Per Binde at Göteborg University in Sweden.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

AGA Responsible Gaming Quarterly [Online Newsletter]

The Summer 2005 issue of the American Gaming Associations's Responsible Gaming Quarterly is available from their web site.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

NAGRA Presentations [Conference Proceedings]

Presentations from the 2005 NAGRA (North American Gaming Regulators Association) conference are posted online.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Betting on Sport in the U.K. [Report]

The All Party Group on Betting and Gaming released the report "Report of inquiry into the effects of betting on sport" (2005, February) with the intention of examining concerns "raised about the integrity of sports betting, particularly – but not exclusively – arising from the establishment of betting exchanges, and the remarkable growth in their popularity. "

Prevalence of Pathological Gambling in Quebec [Online Journal Article]

The article "Prevalence of Pathological Gambling in Quebec in 2002" appears in the July 2005 issue of the freely available online version of Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. A full report o the prevalence study appeared in 2004 but was available in French only.

Monday, August 08, 2005

Managing Gaming Integrity Risks [Report]

The British Columbia Office of the Auditor General has published the report "Keeping the Decks Clean: Managing Gaming Integrity Risks in Casinos" (2005, July) which contained 13 recommendations. Recommendation 6 appears interesting... BCLC update the public information it provides on its website pertaining to the odds of winning at slot machines.