Evaluation of EGM Reduction [report]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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:

• Introduction: Gambling issues and problems in the Nordic countries
  
• Nordic gambling markets and the possibilities for state level control
  
• An overview of prevalence surveys of problem and pathological gambling in the Nordic countries
  
• Prevalence estimates of gambling and problem gambling among 13 to 15 year old adolescents in Reykjavik: An examination of correlates of problem gambling and different accessibility to electronic gaming machines in Iceland
  
• Chasing the criteria: Comparing SOGS-RA and the Lie/Bet screen to assess prevalence of problem gambling and "at risk" gambling among adolescents
  
• Swedish machine gamblers from an ethnographic perspective
  
• Treatment of pathological gambling in the Nordic countries: Where are we, and where to go now?
  
• Putting gambling problems on the agenda—some Norwegian experiences

Gambling Prevalence in Prince Edward Island [research report]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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:

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

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

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]

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]

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]

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]

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:

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

Problem Gambling and Older Adults [prevention manual]

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]

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