The NCRG has made a significant impact on the field of gambling disorder. The organization raised the bar for the conduct of rigorous scientific study of gambling disorder, insisting that, to be taken seriously, research had to be published in reputable, peer-reviewed journals. As a result of this commitment, NCRG-funded studies have yielded more than 300 scholarly articles published in highly competitive, peer-reviewed scientific journals.
By bringing the issue to the forefront, the NCRG also has encouraged government institutions to make investments in gambling disorder research. In 1998, the National Institutes of Health began offering grants in the field, and NCRG-funded grants have helped researchers leverage millions of federal dollars for continued research on gambling. Most of what is known about disordered gambling has been learned since 1999. In fact, fully one-third of all research on gambling disorders was been done between 1999 and 2003.
NCRG-funded studies have resulted in a number of advances in the field including:
- First reliable estimates of how many people have a gambling disorder
- First longitudinal study of the health risks of casino employees
- First significant evidence for genetic component of gambling disorders
- First clinical trial of drug naltrexone for disordered gamblers; 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 measuring, screening and diagnosing pathological gambling
- New model for measuring the impact of new gaming venues on communities
