Gambling Industry in Historical Perspective [conference papers]

The International Economic History Association (IEHA) held its XIV International Economic History Congress in Helsinki, Finland from August 21-25, 2006. Conference session 24 was "Gamblers, Gambling Entrepreneurs and State Bureaucrats. The Gambling Industry in Historical Perspective"... the following papers were included:

* A New Deal: Bruges Burghers and Venetian Merchants Invent Mercantile Gambling
* Gaming and gamers’ experiences in an emerging Finnish consumer society
* Gambling vs the State: Study of problems and prospects of gambling industry in India under globalization regime
* From ban to business. The absorption of gambling into the economic system (XIII-XVI centuries)
* Gambling and economic thought in the Late Middle Ages
* Economy and Ethics in the Regulations for Games of Chance in Italy in the late Middle Ages
* Entrepreneurs of Chance. The Spreading of lotto in 18th Century Europe
* An Empirical Analysis of Gambling Consumption: National Lottery in Spain, 1850-2000
* The sale of lottery in Spain: organization and incentives (1763-2000)
* Tourist Paradise or Gambler's hell? Gambling and Tourism in the Swiss Alps between 1848 and 1930

Alberta Longitudinal Study Update [newsletter article]

The August / September 2006 issue of the Alberta Gaming Research Institute's Research Reveals newsletter features a project update on a 5-year longitudinal study of gambling known as the Leisure, Lifestyle, Lifecycle project.

NCPG 2007 Research Awards [application details]

The U.S. National Council on Problem Gambling has issued an announcement regarding submission instructions for the NCPG 2007 Research Awards and Student Awards. Deadline for applicants in January 1, 2007.

Gaming Law Review, August 2006 [journal issue]

The latest issue of Gaming Law Review (2006, August) is available to subscribers and contains the following original papers:

• Reasonable Dress and Grooming Requirements Survive Court Scrutiny
  
• Gaming Litigation in Review: June 2004 through June 2006
  
• Taxation of Online Poker in Denmark
  
• Credit for Gaming in Macau
  
• The Mohawks of Kahnawá:ke and the Case for an Aboriginal Right to Gaming under the Canada Constitution Act, 1982
  
  

From Strip to Main Street [magazine article]

"Sin Cities on a Hill: How legalized gambling moved from the Strip to Main Street" is the title of a magazine article which appears in Reason magazine (2006, May). It provides an interesting account of America's long involvement with various gambling schemes as well as those who currently lobby for and against it.

Journal of Gambling Issues, August 2006 [journal issue]

The August, 2006 issue of the freely-accessible Journal of Gambling Issues is now available and contains the following "research" articles:

1. Recovery in Gamblers Anonymous -- Peter Ferentzy, Wayne Skinner, & Paul Antze
   
2. Impacting attitudes towards gambling: A prison gambling awareness and prevention program -- Gary Nixon, Gordon Leigh, & Nadine Nowatzki
   
3. The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS): A rebuttal to critics -- Blase Gambino & Henry Lesieur
   
4. The impact of video lottery game speed on gamblers -- Robert Ladouceur & Serge Sévigny

Suicide and Gambling [journal issue]

The July 2006 issue of the journal International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction contains several articles related to gambling and, in particular, suicide ideation and problem gambling.

• Suicide and Gambling [Editorial]
  
• Gambling Addiction as an Individual Pathology: A Commentary [Editorial]
  
• EverQuest—It’s Just a Computer Game Right? An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Online Gaming Addiction
  
• The Counterfeit Hero’s Journey of the Pathological Gambler: A Phenomenological Hermeneutics Investigation
  
• Suicide Ideation and Behaviour in People with Pathological Gambling Attending a Treatment Service
  
• Key Indicators of the Transition from Social to Problem Gambling
  
• Gambling Problems and Attempted Suicide. Part I. High Prevalence Amongst Hospital Admissions
  
• Gambling Problems and Attempted Suicide: Part II—Alcohol Abuse Increases Suicide Risk

U. of Memphis Gambling Clinic [newsletter]

The University of Memphis Gambling Clinic has a monthly newsletter called "Odds & Ends" that contains brief introductions to gambling-related topics.

Horse Racing and Net Gambling [news article]

The August 17, 2006 issue of Alberta's Business Edge magazine contains an article entitled "Horse racing hamstrung by 'Net gambling." Ontario racetracks are concerned that "illegal" Internet gambling sites are negatively impacting their revenues.

Behavioral Economics of Disordered Gambling [Report]

"The Behavioral Economics and Neuroeconomics of Disordered Gambling: A Policy-Focused Survey of Research" (2006) was prepared for the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation. It examines gambling using a recently-emerged scientific discipline called Behavioral Economics (BE) which studies the relationships between motivation and reward. It appears that this report will eventually appear in book format published by MIT Press.

Social Marketing and Prevention [Report]

The report "Literature review to inform social marketing objectives and approaches, and behaviour change indicators, to prevent and minimise gambling harm" (2005, November) provides an overview of gambling and other bodies of literature relevant to the development of social marketing objectives and approaches to prevent and minimise gambling harm in New Zealand.

South Africa Prevalence Study [Report]

The National Centre for the Study of Gambling has published the report "Gambling and problem gambling in South Africa: The national prevalence study 2006." I had some problems downloading the full report from the Reports section of their web site but was able to obtain an emailed copy.

Youth Gambling International, Summer 2006 [Newsletter]

The Summer 2006 issue of the Youth Gambling International research newsletter is accessible from McGill's International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems & High-Risk Behaviors.

Gambling in Russian Society [media article]

A media article entitled "The gambling business in Russia" from RIA Novosti (Russian News and Information Agency) provides some interesting details about gambling in Russian society.

Journal of Gambling Studies, June 2006 [Journal Issue]

The Journal of Gambling Studies, Volume 22, Number 2 (2006, June) contains the following articles:

• Factors Associated with Gamblers: A Population-based Cross-sectional Study of South Australian Adults
• Preliminary Evaluation of a Coping Skills Training Program for Those with a Pathological Gambling Partner
• It’s Not What You Know, but How You Use It: Statistical Knowledge and Adolescent Problem Gambling
• Adolescent Gambling: Understanding the Role of Stress and Coping
• Is Speeding a Form of Gambling in Adolescents?
• The Proxy Effect: Gender and Gambling Problem Trajectories of Iowa Gambling Treatment Program Participants
• Characteristics of Older Adult Problem Gamblers Calling a Gambling Helpline
• Prevalence and Diagnostic Correlates of DSM-IV Pathological Gambling in Psychiatric Outpatients
  

Church of England and Gambling Investment Policy [report]

The report "Gambling or Gaming: Entertainment or Exploitation?" (2006, March) was produced by Amanda Young of the Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group. It provides some details about gambling in the United Kingdom as well as some discussion on the ethics of the Church investing in gambling-related companies.

Analysis of VLT Changes [report]

A summary report entitled "Video Lottery Program Changes: Impact Analysis" (2006, July) appears on the web site of the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation. Initial data is examined with respect to initiatives implemented that were designed to reduce terminal accessibility and availability.

Speaking of Nova Scotia, that province has recently announced that they are seeking proposals to undertake a Socio-Economic Study of Gambling in Nova Scotia. Closing date is September 8, 2006.

Mix and Match [reports]

A few gambling-related reports of interest:

1) Problem Gambling in New Zealand: Analysis of the 2002/03 New Zealand Health Survey: Public Health Intelligence Occasional Bulletin Number 32 (2006, July) -- Among other things, this report describes the extent of current problem gambling in New Zealand, and identifies key risk factors for problem gambling in New Zealand.

2) Problem Gambling Geography of New Zealand 2005 - Public Health Intelligence Monitoring Report Number 7 (2006, July) -- This report describes where gambling venues and problem gambling counselling services are located in New Zealand and also examines changes in gambling opportunities and problem gambling counselling provision from 2003 to 2005.

3) Evaluation Study on the Effectiveness of the Counselling and Treatment Centres for Problem and Pathological Gamblers (2006, June) -- This study evaluates the effectiveness of the two Hong Kong-based counselling and treatment centres for problem and pathological gamblers.

4) The Impact of Gaming on Ballarat Revisited (2006, April) -- The objectives of this study were to identify and quantify the impacts that are associated with gaming in the Ballarat local government as well as their economic implications on residents.

Ontario Charity Casino Impact [Report]

The report "Charity Casino Impact Study: Local Community Impacts of the Charity Casinos - Final Study Report" (2005, December) documents a study of the local social and economic impacts on four Ontario communities in which four charity casinos and one racetrack slot machine installation were opened in 1999 and 2000.

Dissociation and Gambling [Invited Submissions]

The Australian Gaming Council invited a number of gambling researchers to submit short papers on the topic of dissociation and gambling. The resulting publication is entitled "Current Issues Related to Dissociation" (2006, May).

Social and Economic Impacts of a Proposed Wembley Casino [reports]

The London, England borough of Brent is one of eight places in the country that has been shortlisted to become the home of the UK's first regional casino. As part of their consultation, several interesting reports were produced that review the potential social and economic impacts of the venue in the Wembley Development Area.

Gambling and Prisoners / Offenders [news article]

Prisons playing with a stacked deck is the title of a story that appeared on July 11th in the U. of Alberta's Express News. It features Institute-funded research that was undertaken by Dr. DJ Williams. Addtional information about his research also appeared in Research Reveals, June / July 2005.

Air Quality and the U.S. Gaming Industry [white paper]

The latest in the American Gaming Association's white paper series is the report "Indoor Air Quality and the Gaming Industry" (2006, July). It provides, "...a comprehensive look at the indoor air quality issue as it relates to the gaming industry, including an overview of the characteristics and health risks of secondhand smoke, the growth of smoking restrictions in the U.S., research on the economic impact of smoking bans and an analysis of various options the gaming industry can use to address secondhand smoke in its facilities."

13th International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking [presentations]

Presentations from the 13th International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking (Lake Tahoe, NV) are accessible from the web site of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming @ the University of Nevada-Reno.