Problem Gambling Research Receives Boost

May 18, 2009 - Written by Renee

Two new centers, with the specific purpose of researching problem gambling, will be constructed in two leading universities in the United States.

This was announced by the country’s National Center for Responsible Gaming, which said that the Centers for Excellence in Gambling Research would be built at the University of Minnesota and Yale University.

Glenn Christenson, the chairman of the National Center for Responsible Gaming said about the new centers: “We are entering a new era in the field of gambling research, in large part thanks to the significant, groundbreaking work conducted by Dr. Howard Shaffer and his research team at the Harvard Medical School Division on Addictions“.

Christenson was referring to the research undertaken by Dr. Shaffer and his team, which proved – among other things - that there was absolutely no basis for linking gambling to addictive behavior. The research marked an important breakthrough in problem gambling research and diffused many myths along the way.

“After more than a decade of grant-making and the considerable progress that has been made in the study of gambling disorders during that time, it is clear to us that supporting long-term, multidisciplinary research is a critical component to advancing the field,“ added Christenson.

Christenson also said that he was confident that the creation of the two centers would positively affect the issue of problem gambling in the coming years.

Both new centers will concentrate on different aspects of problem gambling, including treatment, addiction suseptibility and others.