National Center for Responsible Gaming
The NCRG was established in 1996 and is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding peer-reviewed scientific research on disordered gambling and to public education about responsible gaming. As of year-end 2006, more than $22 million has been committed to the NCRG to fund research by prestigious academic institutions such as Harvard Medical School, Yale University Medical School and Johns Hopkins University. NCRG-funded research has dramatically increased the body of knowledge about gambling-related disorders and established a framework for understanding disordered gambling as a public health issue.
- Mission – The NCRG’s mission is to help individuals and families affected by gambling disorders by supporting the finest peer-reviewed, scientific research into pathological gambling; encouraging the application of new research findings to improve prevention, diagnostic, intervention and treatment strategies; and advancing public education about responsible gaming.
- Structure – The NCRG is governed by two volunteer boards that have their own unique but complementary roles. The Board of Directors, comprised of industry executives and community leaders, is the practical, hands-on management group for the organization. This board focuses on the creation and implementation of education and outreach programs, as well as maintaining the NCRG’s positive relationship with the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders. The Board of Trustees, comprised of chief executive officers of NCRG donor companies, is focused entirely on fundraising activities for the organization. These activities support the NCRG’s education and outreach efforts and allow the NCRG to continue to fund grants for peer-reviewed scientific research.
- Relationships
- Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders – In 2000, a grant from the NCRG established the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders at Harvard Medical School’s Division on Addictions. At that time, the NCRG transferred all grant-making responsibilities to the Institute, further strengthening the existing firewall between the gaming industry and decisions about what research would be funded. This transfer also allowed the NCRG to continue funding ground-breaking scientific research while expanding its focus to include other programs important to its mission, such as public education and practical applications for research in the casino setting.
Modeled after the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Institute employs peer-review panels to evaluate research proposals. The Institute’s internal research program is led by Dr. Howard Shaffer, the director of the Division on Addictions, whose research into gambling addiction has pioneered the field. In 2005, the Division on Addictions, and with it the Institute, moved to the Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. - American Gaming Association – The NCRG is the affiliated charity of the American Gaming Association (AGA), the national trade association for the commercial casino industry. The NCRG’s affiliation with the AGA ensures NCRG education and outreach programs have both elements needed for success – a foundation in peer-reviewed science and industry support for implementation. Through the AGA, the NCRG partners with AGA member companies and their properties to create and facilitate practical, science-based responsible gaming efforts. The NCRG provides the seed money, expertise and coordinating capabilities needed to make industry initiatives as effective as possible.
- Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders – In 2000, a grant from the NCRG established the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders at Harvard Medical School’s Division on Addictions. At that time, the NCRG transferred all grant-making responsibilities to the Institute, further strengthening the existing firewall between the gaming industry and decisions about what research would be funded. This transfer also allowed the NCRG to continue funding ground-breaking scientific research while expanding its focus to include other programs important to its mission, such as public education and practical applications for research in the casino setting.
- Programs – One of the NCRG’s most important programs is the annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction. It is the only event of its kind in the U.S. that allows gaming industry leaders, treatment providers, clinicians, researchers and policymakers from around the world to engage in a dialogue focused on developing more effective responsible gaming programs and solutions to better manage the consequences of disordered gambling. As part of its public education mission, the NCRG also is the primary funder of EMERGE, an interactive, web-based employee training program on gambling disorders created by Harvard Medical School faculty and available to casinos and other gaming companies.
- Research Highlights – In academia, the scientific community determines the quality and importance of a particular work through the peer-review process. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal provides independent confirmation of the scientific merit of a study. NCRG-funded studies have been published in more than 130 highly competitive, peer-reviewed scientific journals.
The NCRG has significantly raised the overall quality of research on gambling-related disorders by funding only research that meets rigorous scientific standards. NCRG-funded studies have led to a number of ground-breaking advances in the field including:- First reliable estimates of how many people have a gambling disorder
- First longitudinal study of health risks among casino employees
- First significant evidence for genetic links of gambling disorders
- First large clinical trial of drug naltrexone (usually used to treat alcoholism) to treat gambling addictions, made possible by pilot support from NCRG; success of pilot led to $464,000 NIH grant
- First national study of gambling on college campuses
- New model for understanding addiction as a syndrome
- New instruments for accurately measuring, screening and diagnosing pathological gambling
- New model for measuring the impact of new gaming venues on communities
- Funding – Through the contributions of the commercial casino industry, equipment manufacturers, vendors, related organizations and individuals, more than $22 million has been committed to the NCRG to fund research into gambling-related disorders. This is an unprecedented level of funding for research of this kind from a private entity. The financial support has enabled the NCRG to attract the best minds from the most respected institutions to the field of disordered gambling research, resulting in tremendous growth in a field that was virtually uncharted just a decade ago.
To learn more about the NCRG:
National Center for Responsible Gaming
1299 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1175
Washington, DC 20004
Tel: 202-552-2675, Fax: 202-552-2676
E-mail: contact@ncrg.org
www.ncrg.org