Gaming conferences today are a dime a dozen. Each month, there are at least two or three conferences somewhere in the world. The original—and most prestigious—gaming conference, the International Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking, is taking the next step.
Organized by Professor William Eadington, the founder of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno, the 15th edition of the conference travels to Las Vegas on May 27-31, 2013 at Caesars Palace. But that’s not the only change. For the first time, Eadington is adding a co-organizer, the International Gaming Institute at UNLV.
“This was the world’s greatest intellectual gathering of gaming experts to debate the global gaming industry when it was first presented in 1974,” said Bo Bernhard, the executive director of IGI. “And that’s what it remains.”
Eadington says the occasion is historic because it brings together the two leading gaming institutes for the first time.
“We both have a lot of resources,” says Eadington, “and this allows us to draw on those resources to present a one-of-a-kind conference.”
The conference is an eclectic mix of academia, theorists, mental health professionals, gamblers and anyone interested in the business of gaming. At the last conference, held in Lake Tahoe, more than 180 papers were presented over the week-long event. (It is presented every three years.)
Eadington admits that sometimes the papers weren’t up to academic snuff, and pledges that the presentations this year will be vetted more completely. Bernhard says they will lean heavily on professors in the hospitality school at UNLV to help review the submissions and make determinations on what should be included in the program.
“It’s not as complete as peer review,” said Bernhard, referring to a stringent academic vetting process, “but we’ll make sure that there is a sound basis for every presentation.”
The conference will issue a call for papers in the near future, which will be published in GGB News.
